Matcare Blogs

The period from being newborn to 12 years old is a more susceptible time to illnesses, viruses, and bacteria because their immune systems are still maturing. At this very young age, bodies may lack sufficient strength to overcome certain diseases. Thus, administration of newborn vaccinations guarantees your child’s protection at every stage of their development, ensuring they stay healthy in the long run.

Parents are responsible for ensuring that the vaccination routine is strictly observed so that no doses are missed. Apart from a child’s health safety, timely immunisation also contributes to community health by cutting down the spread of infectious diseases.

This article covers a vaccination guide for parents, the nature of vaccines, the schedule, probable side effects, and advice for parents.

The Infant Stage of Development is the pinnacle stage of life, the first 12 months, when a newborn starts to explore and perceive the new world as it is. Each child has their own pace to grow and develop new habits. But the question is, do they develop with respect to a certain timeframe? The answer to this question is Yes.

Actually, each baby accomplishes some milestones in physical, mental, conceptual, and cognitive development each month. These month-to-month infant milestones have a pattern that allows parents to monitor their baby's development, health, and even some developmental issues in the initial stages. So, let's thoroughly know what these infant milestones are for each month up to 12 within this article.

Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR) is a disorder characterised by a reduced growth rate of the foetus inside the mother’s womb. Eventually, the baby may grow slowly, raising the probability of certain issues occurring during pregnancy, labour, and after giving birth. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the different aspects of this condition. This article delves into IUGR’s origins, signs, diagnosis, and therapy as it emphasises the point of motivation for medical help in pregnant women.

The transition from the womb to the outer world is the most drastic shift for a newborn. That is, the baby's body immediately tries to adapt to a whole new environment. One such adaptation is of the lungs, which, from being filled with fluid, quickly adapt to an air-filled environment.

For most newborns, the new change is quite normal, but for some, it partners with a medical condition, Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN). It is a breathing problem, mostly common in the cesarean type of delivery, where the natural process of squeezing the fluid out of the lungs with labour is compromised. Though temporary, TTN requires careful monitoring and medical care to avoid any serious lung condition.

What is Haemolytic Disease in Newborns? A Complete Parent’s Guide is a comprehensive resource for parents and caregivers to understand Haemolytic Disease of Newborns (HDN). The guide explains why HDN occurs, primarily due to blood type incompatibility between mother and baby, and highlights the importance of early detection.

This guide explains it all: why it happens, what symptoms to look out for, how doctors diagnose it, and the treatment options available. You’ll also learn about prevention steps like anti-D injections and regular pregnancy monitoring. Most importantly, this guide will show you how to recognise signs like jaundice and anaemia early, so your baby gets the right care at the right time.

Hearing makes the world beautiful for anybody, but for infants, it is an even more important means of learning language, bonding with parents, and exploring the world. And, a hearing test for infants is one of the first and early screening tests, done to confirm any deformity in infant hearing. Even a slight delay in infant hearing screening can lead to lifelong hearing loss, making it the most crucial neonatal screening test.

The initial screening is itself a simple and safe procedure which takes only a few minutes to complete. But the impact of these few minutes of early diagnosis can last a lifetime, as early detection of such a disorder can help prevent the developmental issues of speech and language in children. That is, it provides ample time for doctors to develop a planned treatment option to support such babies.

An important haemodynamic indicator during the neonatal stage is blood pressure. This is because infant blood pressure monitoring is a critical aspect of guaranteeing healthy growth and development in infants. As the infant's blood pressure depends on the age and weight of the baby, monitoring these numbers can help evaluate the possible health issues at the earliest stage. The unusual readings can be a sign of dehydration, congenital heart disease or kidney problems.

This article provides information on infant blood pressure, including how it is tested, typical blood pressure ranges by weight and age, and what parents should know if their baby's blood pressure is high or low.

The first hours matter most. Keep your newborn warm, start breastfeeding, stay clean, and prevent infection. That’s essential newborn care. This article explains the key steps parents and healthcare professionals should know to provide the best start for a baby’s health. From skin-to-skin contact to safe cord care and early monitoring, every step plays a vital role in reducing complications and improving survival rates.

Here, parents will also learn when to seek medical attention and how to support hospital-recommended practices for their newborn.

Welcoming your newborn is a moment filled with joy and excitement. However, along with this joy comes the responsibility of safeguarding their health, and neonatal screening tests play a crucial role in helping new parents do so. This series of various tests is performed within a few days of the baby’s birth and ensures that the child does not have any metabolic, genetic, or hormonal disorders. Also, these tests may vary from country to country, but their purpose of diagnosing the underlying disorders remains the same. Let’s understand the different aspects of neonatal screening tests covered in this article, along with their importance, types, and how they are performed.