After waiting (maybe not so patiently!) for 9 months, the moment has arrived: Your baby is finally here! Now that you’re holding your little one in your arms, you’ve officially entered the neonatal period.
What is this? How long does it last? What can you expect? Don’t worry, we’ve got answers.
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The Neonatal Period: A Guide to the First 4 Weeks
Medically reviewed by Mia Armstrong, MD — Written by Catherine Crider on June 23, 2022
What it is
What is happening
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
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After waiting (maybe not so patiently!) for 9 months, the moment has arrived: Your baby is finally here! Now that you’re holding your little one in your arms, you’ve officially entered the neonatal period.
What is this? How long does it last? What can you expect? Don’t worry, we’ve got answers.
What is the neonatal period?
The neonatal period is the first 28 days — the first 4 weeks — of a baby’s life no matter whether they came early, late, or right on their expected due date.
What happens during this time?
The first 28 days after birth are an important time of rapid growth and development. These days also set the stage for your baby’s feeding and sleeping patterns to come.
While the neonatal period is one of bonding and growth, it’s also a period of caution. During the neonatal period, there is a risk of infection, and many congenital problems, if present, are discovered.
Neonatal period week 1
If you gave birth in a hospital, you’ll spend at least part of this week being cared for by the nurses and doctors there.
In the first few days after birth, medical professionals will carefully examine your newborn and may perform a number of tests and screenings to assess their health, such as:
Hearing screening. Performed before a baby leaves the hospital or birthing center, a newborn hearing screening tests your baby’s hearing.
Blood tests. A few drops of blood are taken from a prick made in your baby’s heel. The sample is sent to a state lab to determine if your baby has one of a few rare but serious health conditions.
Oxygen screening. During this painless test, a device called a pulse oximeter is fastened to your baby’s arm and foot to measure the amount of oxygen in your baby’s blood. This test helps doctors see if your child has a congenital heart defect.
The first week of life is one of sleeping and feeding. It’s expected for newborns to sleep 14 to 17 hours a day. Unfortunately, this may not always be when you want, because they’ll need to feed every 2 to 4 hours until they are back at birth weight.
Remember, “back to sleep.” Always put your baby on their back to sleep, and be sure they are on a firm surface with no blankets or pillows.
As soon as you leave the hospital, you can also begin to let your baby spend short periods of time on their tummy while they are awake by letting them rest on your chest or on a blanket on a flat surface while someone is with them.
This tummy time is important to help your baby develop muscle strength in their head, neck, and upper body that prepares them to crawl.
It’s common for little ones to lose weight in the first few days immediately after birth. Your baby’s doctor will be keeping an eye out to make sure your baby’s weight doesn’t dip more than 10 percent below their birth weight.
During the first few months.
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