HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT – II

Infancy is defined as abeginning or the early periodof existence as an individualrather than as a parasite onmother’s body.

I. Period of partunate:It extends from birth to 15 – 30 minutes after

birth.This period begins when the foetal body hasEmerged from the mother’s body and lasts until

theUmbilical cord has been cut and tied.Until this is done the infant continue to be a

parasiteand makes no adjustment to the post natalenvironment.

II. Period of Neonate:From cutting and typing of the umbilical

cord to approximately the end of the 2nd

week of post natal life.

The infant is now separate independentindividual and is no longer a parasite

During this period the infant must

make adjustment to the newenvironment out side the mothers

body

1. Temperature changes:

There is a constant temperature of

100 F in the uterine sac whiletemperature in the hospital orhome may vary from 60 – 70 F

2. Breathing:Whet the umbilical cord is cut

infant must begin to breathe

on their own.

3. Sucking and swallowing:The infant must now get nourishment by

sucking and swallowing instead ofreceiving it through the umbilical cord.

These reflexes are imperfectly develop at

Birth and the infant often gets lessnourishment than is needed and loosesthe weight.

4. Elimination:

The infant’s organ of elimination begins

to work soon after birth. Formerly waste products were eliminated

through the umbilical cord.

1.Physical Development:

Physical growth in the first two years of life is dramatic

I. Size: At birth the average infant

weighs is 7.5 pounds and measure 19.5 inches in length.

Weight is less as compared to height

Boys are slightly longs and heavier than girls.

II. Infantile Features:Muscles are soft and small and uncontrolled

At the time of birth muscles of the neck and legs than in those of the hands and arms are less developed.

The bones like muscles are soft and flexible because it made up of cartilages skin in soft and blotchy

Flesh is firm and elastic.

Hair are soft found on head and back out later disappears.

Eyes are usually bluish gray.

III. Physical Proportion:The head is approximately 1/4th of the body length.

The adult head is approx 1/7th of the body length.

The area above the eyes (Cranial region) is proportionately much larger than the rest of the head but chin is too small.

Eyes are mature in size.

Nose is very small and all most flat on the face.

Neck is sp short that it is almost invisible.

Skin covering lies on thick fold.

the shoulder are narrow, the abdomen is large and bulging.

The arms and legs are too much short in compare to the head and remain part of the body.

Due to the under developed stage of autonomic nervous system at birth, the infant is unable to maintain balance.

With the birth cry the lungs are inflated and respiration begins.

The respiration rate at first ranges from 40 to 45 breathings movements per minutes.

By the end of first week of life, it normally drops to 35 per minute.

When body movements are restricted by means of swaddling, the infant’s body, there is an increasing stability of heart beat.

As a result the infant is quitter, sleeps more and has a lower heart rate.

Reflex sucking movements occur when the infant is hunger or when the lips are touched.

Elimination of waste product begin a few hours after birth

Movement of the body appear as soon as the foetus emerges from the mother’s body.

Foetus shows uncoordinated movement inspite of their random meaningless nature.

The vocalisation of the new born or infant is catagorised into two types-

1.Crying2.Explosive sound

1. Crying:Normally crying begins at birth or shortly afterwards.

Occasionally in a long and difficult birth, foetus crying even in uterus.

Pre birth cries are rare and dangerous because there is always a possibility will be chocked by the fluid in the uterus.

2. Explosive Sound:In addition to crying the new born infant makes explosive sounds similar having breathing

This sounds are utters without meaning or intent.

They are commonly called as ‘coos’, ‘gurgles’ and ‘grunts’

These are gradually and developed into babbling later develops into speech

I. Vision: New born infants are far from blind but

their visual is only about half that of adults

Color vision is either totally absent or minimum due to undeveloped sate of cones.

II. Hearing: It is believed that hearing is the least

develop of all these sense of at birth

III. Smell:

The cells for smell are located in the upper part of the nose and are well developed in infants at birth.

IV. Taste:Taste is markedly influenced by smell and because the cell of taste are located on the surface of the tongue and in the cheek areas well developed, the infant sense of taste is keen