Sudden Infant Growth Essay

Newborns are helpless when brought to life. They depend on the mother for everything until they grow and become independent. Newborns weight an average on 7 pounds and are about 20 inches long and grow at a rapid speed over the first years of their lives. There are four principles of growth. The cephalocaudal principle, the proximodistal principle, the principle of hierarchical integration, and the principle of the independence of systems. The cephalocaudal principle states that growth follows a pattern that begins with the head and upper body parts and then proceeds down to the rest of the body. The proximodistal principle also describes the direction of development. This principle states that development proceeds from the center of the body outward. The principle of hierarchical integration states that simple skills develop separately and independently and later integrate into complex skills. finally,
But rather than sleeping those 16 hours in a row infants wake up every 2-3 hours, causing the parents to be awake most of the night if not all. Sleep helps infants adapt to the new environment since they are used to being in an environment filled with fluids and darkness. A small percentage of infants die in their sleep for no apparent reason, simply ceasing to breathe. This is known as sudden infant death syndrome. At first, infants are either given bottle formula or being breast feed. Both ways they are getting the necessary nutrients in their bodies. Solid foods are introduced to the infants’ diet gradually. Infants understand the world around them through sensation and perception. They can only see with accuracy up to 20 feet until 20/20 vision is developed. Infants have very good auditory perception since that has been developing from before they are born. They also develop sense of smell and taste, as well as sensitivity to pain and touch. Touch is one of the most highly developed systems in a