What Does Neonatal Mean?

Neonatal refers to or relates to newborn babies or infants younger than one month old.

Caring for a neonate, a baby, is a full time job which requires a lot of time and dedication. A lot of new moms and mothers who have other young children find it very stressful to look after a new-born and can sometimes need additional help from others. However, there are some things you can do and prepare for to help you care for your new infant.

One of the first things you need to consider is clothing and blankets because babies often vomit, or spit up, and soil their clothes so you need to have enough clean clothing and blankets available for the child. Moreover, make sure you have the correct diapers to fit your baby because if they are too large there could be leakage and if too small it could make your child uncomfortable.

Newborns are very sensitive to hot and cold so you should match your house temperature to that of the hospital nursery so they feel comfortable. In addition, if you are the mother of a newborn then you should consider breast feeding if possible, however if you are unable to breast feed you should use a breast pump to remove the milk or infant formula which will provide the child with the necessary nutrients. Additionally, to help your child sleep peacefully you should try and get them into a routine as soon as possible. Also, when your baby starts to stir or act distressed during sleep you should rock them in your arms gently until they fall back to sleep.

The word neonatal means that which pertains to the first four weeks, or the first month, after the birth of a child. It literally means after birth. It is the period between the day on which a baby is born to the day it completes one month or four weeks of age.

A neonatal or newborn baby is no longer considered neonatal after it completes the first 28 days of its life. This four-week period is known as the neonatal period, and the people who are concerned with the baby during the first 28 days of its life after its birth are known as neonatal care givers.

Neonatal is the stage that immediately succeeds the final stage of the gestation period of nine months.