Probably it's well we're back week six. So I've got Anthony poll here again, happiness pediatricians. So we're just gonna go through some of the normal expectations of this week Really? I guess. So. six week old little human.

What do you think they should be doing developmentally wise. At this stage, you know, around the six week mark six to eight weeks, that should be smile. And that's a social smile. You probably noticed in the first few weeks that you baby might have done some sort of windy smiles, a half asleep. But this is a social smile. So you know in response to you know, getting in their face, yelling and smiling, starting to obviously fix on your face with their eyes, certainly in the first few weeks, but then starting to follow as well.

So you face If you sort of gently moving or with a toy, just gently following death from side to side, yeah, they should be startling as well to noise. And often, all babies should have had a hearing test done anyway in the first few days of life. But they should also be reacting to noise, that they'd be the most common things that we look for as well as making some of their own noises as well. So make some little gluing and garden noises. You probably heard plenty of grunting and groaning, especially at nighttime. But also some other little experiments with their voice.

Yeah, start to come through such tough pitches and queueing and yeah, just getting a bit stronger as well. So they're not as sloppy when you pick them up and get that little bit more head control. Yeah, it's they they're usually not rolling in six weeks. It's possible so important that you not having them just just stay on that change tables. You do watch that they're not rolling off something or putting them on the bed and going I'll get that Sure, they start to get that little bit stronger. Especially with that, that has it's grown a bit more over time, which is excellent.

Well, and, you know, if they weren't doing those development milestones that we kind of expect them to, you know, I guess moving forward, you know, you're not going to go six weeks. Exactly. Oh, no. And you know, you give them a little bit of time, we'll give you someone smiling by 12 weeks, that they should definitely be cut off. Yeah, absolutely. And there's some babies that really make you work for smile.

So they really true they looking at you with the eyes like you're nearly getting once you see that personality. Yeah. They tell you and remembering that each of these little babies is their own personality. And you might have that strong willed little person that's like, I know how to do it. All that fluid that's smiling at everybody. Yeah, that's right.

Exactly. That's gonna be the star of the party. All right, well, hopefully fading is gonna be better for you. And you know, lots of people expect it six weeks that this baby, you know, is sleeping through the night, which we know, is not true. And sleeping through the night isn't like a night that we thought it was. But we would expect that there may be, you know, what, four to six hour block, and that most babies would be achieving at this stage?

Yeah, absolutely. And, and babies are feeding anywhere between five and 10 or 12 times in 24 hours at this age. And hopefully, as you said, on a going a number of hours overnight, so if you're getting a longer break, hopefully that's at nighttime for you. And it's at a bit more frequently during the day. Yeah. And some babies do anything five times in 24 hours at this age at around six to eight weeks, and as long as they're still gaining weight.

That can be appropriate. Yes, but most of feeding more than that stage. And it's only it's pretty rare. By being six weeks to be sort of sleeping through the night, so I don't think that should be an expectation, but sleep is coming soon, hopefully. Yes, that's right. Yes.

And you know, all of you know, there's social media and people in the shops Oh, yes, my baby was fine six weeks. And, you know, the reality is that it's only just starting to happen. So don't feel like you need to measure yourself against other people as well. Very important. And that digestion system normally is settled down a bit. So you know, the colloquy in pains normally is starting to not reach as much havoc as the old cycle probably peaks.

Peaks in six to eight weeks. And the light at the end of the tunnel and anomalous six weeks. Nothing I'm more happy with that effort pulling normally is a little bit less, not as often as doctors raising how, how often, or babies are so different, that they might be the sort of baggage Seven times a day or once every seven days, it does vary a lot, especially for breastfed babies. Yes. And I guess it gets us back to you know, as long as it's the healthy baby that's gaining weight well, which, you know, six weeks up into now you think, you know, most new parents have been quite worried about weight gain and you know, yes, another hundred grams or having 300. But, you know, as we said earlier, we hope that they're about a kilo of our birth weight, give or take a little bit.

So if they've achieved that and you're quite confident with your feeding, do you still need to weigh them as often as what you have been the most if those babies are progressing really well put on beautifully. And then you can be guided by you know, do I like continuing to feed will, you know, as my supplies still good? If you're breastfeeding, and otherwise healthy, filling out their clothes, then regular wise aren't completely, always essential. an occasional baby who has maybe struggled with weight gain There's been some feeding issues would still be weighed. Occasionally, yeah. And that would be guided by your health care professionals involved with the care as well.

So you would have got some guidance about if that was you? Absolutely. Yeah. into feeding advice? And yes, exactly. Just to maintain that 150 grams per week against white guy.

Absolutely. And you say that continues on 150 grams a week for three months straight. And then from three to six months and onwards. There's lovely growth charts in the chocolate health books provided. And really to see that your baby's following along the growth charts roughly on a similar sort of percentile track to where they've been, is appropriate weight gain for your baby at that time? Yeah, we love growth charts.

So don't always go to the job or they're just a doctor today or professional but parents can start to join the dots and yeah, and monitor the growth. That's that's the best Yeah. And it's normally so the weight is only one element to that because there's normally the head circumference and the length as well. Yeah, and those would just as important, especially heads, yes, really going up or down, we need. Yes. And there'll be other opportunities too, for having your baby weighed.

Anytime you happen to go to your GP or Johnny's health for vaccination, or if your child's unwell at all seeing a GP or in for the six month check the next check along in the blue book after this six week check, then it's a great opportunity just to pop your baby on the scales. It's advice. It's not really a child probably should have had another white heightened Ed. Just to make sure they're trending along that same growth curve. And so with the six week health check, that's in the blue book as well. Does that need to be done by a pediatrician or can it be done by GP?

Any medical person really is one section, particularly for cardiovascular because it is around six weeks that where there's a number of changes that happen The hardware comes out that by six weeks if there is a middle, stiff valve or a new hole in the heart, usually by six weeks, we can hear that. Okay, so generally that would be reserved, but the doctors have listened and the GP can do that. Absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. And so if someone's they the opportunity to have a pediatrician in in a hospital, but everything's gone very well throughout the six weeks, so they can either the pediatrician that they know or a GP, as long as it's a doctor checking over that little baby.

And that's a great time to ask questions about, like, is this rash? Or isn't it so that you don't? It's a nice time to touch base? Is there a different group of questions around that time? Absolutely. You know, you're a lot more confident with the baby but it's great to get that professional advice.

Yeah. And I sort of tend to finish off the console with like, our things are gone last year, what are we gonna expect because you might not need to see me again. Well, let's just have a quick little discussion about solids and vaccinations and what to expect with growth and development over the next few years. And as we heard, there, you guys are around for 18 years, if you need Luckily, in most cases, most cases you don't need which is excellent. Oh, well, that does lead us to immunizations though, which is, which is quite a minefield. And you know, obviously, you know, where you get your immunizations done is they've got really great quality information on all the different types of immunizations that will be offered at that six weeks.

And that's normally done either through the your local council or through your GP, and it should be all Medicare based as well, that there's a new immunization available for meningococcal. Yes, there is. Yeah, there's not a huge amount of information around about it. It's just been in Australia for about three years now. Yeah. The uptake has been increasing.

Yes. And as you I don't it's not funded by the National immunization program. And so it certainly covers the meningococcal B strains, which are more common in Australia so that the vaccination covers the common strains are about more the majority of those. And that's in addition to the meningococcal vaccine, which is already in the national schedule. So this is a separate one to cover different strains of manage a couple of disease. Thankfully, it's not a common disease.

It's mostly affects children in under parts, and especially in the first sort of 12 months. And then there's another little peak between 15 and 19 years of age, so late adolescence. So they're the peak time so it's important to think about it even from this age group, because it can be given with the initial vaccinations at six weeks. Yeah. That it's If you have to sell and it says it's probably around $120, a little one year, three years older than one, it's usually two doses. I still think as doctors we go by, by evidence and the evidence is there that it is a side effects.

It does cause a very sore arm and sometimes a favor, but it is still worthwhile. Yeah to give and I've done in my children, Agent fiber, and when we did them, they did wake up with quite a sore, but that's much better than meningococcal vaccine is pediatrician. Yeah, she's absolutely devastating. Yes, it's awful. And so will that, like all of the immunizations be enough of the dose to get them through for life or will they need a booster? The three doses that meningococcal because it is a new vaccine.

We need to know that Yeah, when will a booster be Yes, okay, most likely, will be needed. before they start kicking, we don't know exactly how long that will pay. Yeah, I think the government will pay for one. But yeah, meantime, if you've got he doesn't want to wipe, Bobby. Absolutely. And that's really one of the other main side effects is fever.

And so the current recommendations, if you do go ahead with that is to give your child a dose of peddle paracetamol. Yes. Within the half an hour before they have the vaccine, yeah, or as soon as possible afterwards, it really does reduce the number of things you do get a fever. Yes. And from what I'm hearing from clients myself is that quite a few of the private health companies are giving a rebate for a couple. So out of pocket costs are quite minimal if you go down that avenue as well.

So yes, it's very easy. Interesting and you know, sometimes it's really good to get this information yourself so that you can make the best choice about what you're going to do with your little baby as well. Well, that was fantastic. Thank you. I feel very reassured by all of these changes at six weeks and you know, we certainly helped to give some great information about you know, if things aren't going well, where to go and and what support to lay down from here. But thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you for coming along.