Newly born babies are completely dependent on adults, most often moms and dads. Therefore, parents should take all aspects of baby care seriously. For example, to the intimate hygiene of your newborn girl.
Newborn
Physiology of newborn girls
Infants of any gender have very delicate thin skin. The slightest damage to it can turn into inflammation. Girls are more vulnerable than boys in the genital area. This is because they have a mucous membrane on which bacteria can multiply. The secretions should protect from pathogenic flora, but so far they are not in the right amount.
Note! Immediately after childbirth, the crumbs have bloody discharge, similar to menstruation. It's okay if they have a small volume and are not bright scarlet. This phenomenon is called a hormonal crisis. So the child's body removes the "adult" mother's hormones, which he received during pregnancy. This only lasts a few days, and does not require any special attention (only hygiene).
The length of the baby's urethra is only 1 centimeter. Even adult women, due to the structure of their urinary system, are more likely than men to suffer from cystitis. Newborn girls are even more susceptible to such diseases - with improper care, bacteria can easily enter the urethra higher, and inflammation will develop there.
Hygiene of the newborn from the first days
The daily hygiene of a newborn girl must necessarily include:
- Timely diaper change. It is preferable to change it as soon as the child pees or has a bowel movement. Sometimes it is difficult to do this, for example, at night or while walking. Therefore, a change is recommended no later than every 3 hours.
Diaper change
- Airing without diapers.
- Removing smegma.
- Washing.
- Lubrication of inner folds with special oil.
How often do you need to wash
Washing is included in the daily hygiene of girls under one year old. If an adult can get by with toilet paper, then it is not suitable for babies. They clean the ass and genitals with water every time you change the diaper. In this case, soap is used only after bowel movements. Otherwise, you can simply wash your crotch.
Attention! If it is not possible to wash the baby, it is allowed to use wet wipes. It is better to resort to this rarely - irritation from poor-quality cleaning may occur.
Mom wipes the baby with wet wipes
Selection of diapers and clothes
Parents must know how to properly care for the labia of the newborn, what can you wear on it - the same, you need:
- Choose diapers carefully. Children often develop allergies to them. Therefore, you should not buy a large number of them in advance. It is better to give preference to small packages from different manufacturers in order to choose the right ones. Some stores even offer a service - a set of diapers of different brands.
- Pay attention to the price. The cheapest diapers are more likely to cause allergies.
- Reusable waterproof panties can be selected. Then they need at least 10 pieces per day for a newborn child. They are necessarily washed well.
- Everything that is put on a newborn baby should be her size. Small tight underwear or clothing is dangerous. From this, the blood supply deteriorates, the risk of bacterial infection increases.
- It is better to choose things from high-quality and natural materials. With them, the skin will breathe.
- For washing, they buy a special baby product. There is no harmful chemistry in it, to which the baby can react. It must be used at least the first months of the baby's life, preferably up to 2-3 years.
Gel for washing baby clothes from Bebiline
Features of intimate hygiene of newborns
The hygiene of baby girls has a number of distinctive features. It:
- Features of washing. It is recommended to wash all children not in a bath, but in running water. Otherwise, the washed-off dirt remains in the liquid and gets back onto the skin. It is especially important here to hold the baby with the tummy up so that the water flows onto the genitals of the baby girl and only then flows down to the priest. This will prevent harmful bacteria from entering the vulnerable area. The stream of water must be diffused, weak, warm (37-38 degrees Celsius). A parent can check her temperature with her wrist.
- Removing smegma. It is a white coating (sometimes slightly yellowish) on the labia minora. This secretion protects the mucous membrane. When there is too much of it, it becomes food for harmful bacteria. Therefore, smegma must be removed. Cleaning is done at least twice a day with a clean cotton swab dipped in baby oil. You can buy it at the pharmacy or make it yourself (for this purpose, peach oil extract is often sterilized).
- It is forbidden to wipe or rub the delicate area with a towel - you can provoke irritation. It is only allowed to gently blot. Moreover, the towel must be individual, washed with a baby product.
- Do not use regular soap - even if it is liquid or lumpy, it dries the skin. If it is not so critical on the hands or feet, then on the genitals of a baby girl it is dangerous. For washing, special detergents are sold. Care must be taken that they do not fall anywhere inside.
Means for intimate hygiene of girls from Aqua Baby
Good to know. In newborns, while still in the hospital, dark, thick, viscous and sticky feces begin to move away. It is very difficult to launder it, even with the help of the means calculated for it. Therefore, it is recommended to use special thick creams under the diaper - they will facilitate washing.
Signs of problems and pathologies
Sometimes it happens that inflammation occurs in the genital area of a newborn, then you need to consult a doctor. Symptoms for which this should be done:
- The discharge is unpleasant, it smells harsh. Their color changes to bright yellow or even green.
- The labia minora are bright red, inflamed. The girl cries when she wet herself or poop, as the skin begins to burn.
If there is a slight redness, you should not worry - perhaps the baby was simply washed badly, and this caused inflammation. In this case, you need to arrange air baths more often, treat redness with zinc paste, Bepanten ointment.
It is necessary to mention one more reason to visit a doctor: this is synechiae, or fusion of the labia minora. This happens due to low levels of the hormone estrogen, due to which the mucous membrane of the child's genitals is dry. It is easier to injure, prone to inflammation. In addition, insufficient or too frequent hygiene of girls under one year old leads to the formation of adhesions. Problem symptoms:
- The folds do not come apart, are inflamed;
- The infant struggles to urinate and cries in pain;
- Fusion may be incomplete, leaving an opening for urine outflow. With full adhesion, it also overgrows.
Synechia is treated only by a pediatric gynecologist. It is impossible to separate the accreted tissues by yourself. The doctor will assess the girl's condition and prescribe treatment. You may only need to apply topically special ointments, drink prescribed medications. In severe cases, surgery will be required.
Schematic representation of the difference between norm and synechia
A mother must teach her daughter to proper hygiene from infancy. This will help the girl to develop without deviations, in addition, it will save the baby from many problems in later life.
