Neonate in the context of Offspring

A morpheme is any of the smallest meaningful constituents within a linguistic expression and particularly within a word. Many words are themselves standalone morphemes, while other words contain multiple morphemes; in linguistic terminology, this is the distinction, respectively, between free and bound morphemes. The field of linguistic study dedicated to morphemes is called morphology.

In English, inside a word with multiple morphemes, the main morpheme that gives the word its basic meaning is called a root (such as cat inside the word cats), which can be bound or free. Meanwhile, additional bound morphemes, called affixes, may be added before or after the root, like the -s in cats, which indicates plurality but is always bound to a root noun and is not regarded as a word on its own. However, in some languages, including English and Latin, even many roots cannot stand alone; i.e., they are bound morphemes. For instance, the Latin root reg- ('king') must always be suffixed with a case marker: regis, regi, rex (reg+s), etc. The same is true of the English root nat(e) — ultimately inherited from a Latin root meaning "birth, born" — which appears in words like native, nation, nature, innate, and neonate.

Childbirth, also known as labour (or labor in American English), parturition, and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more fetuses exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to the world. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million human births globally. In developed countries, most deliveries occur in hospitals, while in developing countries most are home births.

The most common childbirth method worldwide is vaginal delivery. It involves four stages of labour: the shortening and opening of the cervix during the first stage, descent and birth of the baby during the second, the delivery of the placenta during the third, and the recovery of the mother and infant during the fourth stage, which is referred to as the postpartum. The first stage is characterised by abdominal partying or also back pain in the case of back labour, that typically lasts half a minute and occurs every 10 to 30 minutes. Contractions gradually become stronger and closer together. Since the pain of childbirth correlates with contractions, the pain becomes more frequent and strong as the labour progresses. The second stage ends when the infant is fully expelled. The third stage is the delivery of the placenta. The fourth stage of labour involves the recovery of the mother, delayed clamping of the umbilical cord, and monitoring of the neonate. All major health organisations advise that immediately after giving birth, regardless of the delivery method, that the infant be placed on the mother's chest (termed skin-to-skin contact), and to delay any other routine procedures for at least one to two hours or until the baby has had its first breastfeeding.

Birth weight is the body weight of a neonate at their birth. The average birth weight in babies of European and African descent is 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb), with the normative range between 2.5 and 4.0 kilograms (5.5 and 8.8 lb).

15% of babies born in 2012 had a low birth weight and 14.7% in 2020. It is projected that 14.2% of newborns will have low birth weight in 2030, falling short of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals target of a reduction of 30%.

In human reproduction, a live birth occurs when a fetus exits a pregnant female showing any definite sign of life, such as voluntary movement, heartbeat or pulsation of the umbilical cord, for however brief a time, and regardless of whether the umbilical cord or placenta are intact. After the fetus leaves the womb it is called a neonate. It is a "live birth" whether the birth is vaginal or by caesarean section, and whether the neonate is ultimately viable.

The definition of the term "live birth" was created by the World Health Organization in 1950, and is chiefly used for public health and statistical purposes. However, the term "live birth" was in common use long before 1950.

Colostrum (from Latin, of unknown origin), also known as foremilk, is the first form of milk produced by the mammary glands of humans and other mammals immediately following delivery of the newborn. Animal colostrum may be called beestings, the traditional word from Old English dialects. Most species will begin to generate colostrum just prior to giving birth. Colostrum contains antibodies to protect the newborn against disease and infection, and immune and growth factors and other bioactives. The bioactives found in colostrum are beneficial for a newborn's health, growth and vitality. Colostrum strengthens a baby's immune system.

At birth, the environment of the newborn mammal shifts from the sterile conditions of the mother's uterus, with a constant nutrient supply via the placenta, to the microbe-rich environment outside, with irregular oral intake of complex milk nutrients through the gastrointestinal tract. This transition puts high demands on the gastrointestinal tract of the neonate, as the gut plays an important part in both the digestive system and the immune system. Colostrum contributes significantly to initial immunological defense as well as to the growth, development, and maturation of the neonate's gastrointestinal tract by providing key nutrients and bioactive factors. Bovine colostrum powder is rich in protein and low in sugar and fat. Bovine colostrum can also be used for nonorganic failure to thrive in children and acute non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced increase in intestinal permeability in males and can boost a neonate's immunity.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), also called human herpesvirus 5 (HHV-5), is a species of virus in the genus Cytomegalovirus, which in turn is a member of the viral family known as Herpesviridae or herpesviruses. It is also commonly called CMV. Within Herpesviridae, HCMV belongs to the Betaherpesvirinae subfamily, which also includes cytomegaloviruses from other mammals. CMV is a double-stranded DNA virus.

Although they may be found throughout the body, HCMV infections are frequently associated with the salivary glands. HCMV infection is typically unnoticed in healthy people, but can be life-threatening for the immunocompromised, such as HIV-infected persons, organ transplant recipients, or newborn infants. Congenital cytomegalovirus infection can lead to significant morbidity and even death. After infection, HCMV remains latent within the body throughout life and can be reactivated at any time. Eventually, it may cause mucoepidermoid carcinoma and possibly other malignancies such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and glioblastoma.

Childbirth, also known as labour (or labor in American English), parturition, and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more fetuses exits the internal environment of the mother vaginally or via caesarean section and becomes a newborn to the world. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million human births globally. In developed countries, most births occur in hospitals, while in developing countries most are home births.

Vaginal birth is the most common mode of birth worldwide. It involves four stages of labour: the shortening and opening of the cervix during the first stage, descent and birth of the baby during the second, the birth of the placenta during the third, and the recovery of the mother and infant during the fourth stage, which is referred to as the postpartum. The first stage is characterised by abdominal partying or also back pain in the case of back labour, that typically lasts half a minute and occurs every 10 to 30 minutes. Contractions gradually become stronger and closer together. Since the pain of childbirth correlates with contractions, the pain becomes more frequent and strong as the labour progresses. The second stage ends when the infant is fully expelled. The third stage is the birth of the placenta. The fourth stage of labour involves the recovery of the mother, delayed clamping of the umbilical cord, and monitoring of the neonate. All major health organisations advise that immediately after giving birth, regardless of the mode of birth, that the infant be placed on the mother's chest (termed skin-to-skin contact), and to delay any other routine procedures for at least one to two hours or until the baby has had its first breastfeeding.

Listeria is a genus of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. As of 2024, 28 species have been identified. The genus is named in honour of the British pioneer of sterile surgery Joseph Lister. Listeria species are Gram-positive, rod-shaped, and facultatively anaerobic, and do not produce endospores.

The major human pathogen in the genus is L. monocytogenes. Although L. monocytogenes has low infectivity, it is hardy and can grow in a refrigerator temperature of 4 °C (39.2 °F) up to the human body temperature of 37 °C (98.6 °F). It is the usual cause of the relatively rare bacterial disease listeriosis, an infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria. The overt form of the disease has a case-fatality rate of around 20–30%. Listeriosis can cause serious illness in pregnant women, newborns, adults with weakened immune systems and the elderly, and may cause gastroenteritis in others who have been severely infected. The incubation period can vary from three to 70 days. The two main clinical manifestations are sepsis and meningitis, often complicated by encephalitis, a pathology unusual for bacterial infections.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy which leads the a baby being born with the infection. Most have no symptoms. Some affected babies are small. Other signs and symptoms include a rash, jaundice, hepatomegaly, retinitis, and seizures. It may lead to loss of hearing or vision, developmental disability, or a small head.

CMV is a member of the virus family herpesviridae and is the most common congenital intrauterine infection. cCMV is caused when a mother is infected with CMV in pregnancy and passes it to her unborn baby. The risk of severe disease is greatest if the mother is infected in early pregnancy; most have no symptoms. Diagnosis is by tests in the first 3-weeks after birth; on preferably urine, although saliva and blood can be used. The chance of infection is reduced by hand washing, and avoiding touching saliva or urine of very young children.

Perinatal mortality (PNM) is the death of a fetus or neonate and is the basis to calculate the perinatal mortality rate. Perinatal means "relating to the period starting a few weeks before birth and including the birth and a few weeks after birth."

Variations in the precise definition of the perinatal mortality exist, specifically concerning the issue of inclusion or exclusion of early fetal and late neonatal fatalities. The World Health Organization defines perinatal mortality as the "number of stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life per 1,000 total births, the perinatal period commences at 22 completed weeks (154 days) of gestation, and ends seven completed days after birth", but other definitions have been used.

Positive airway pressure (PAP) is a mode of respiratory ventilation used in the treatment of sleep apnea. PAP ventilation is also commonly used for those who are critically ill in hospital with respiratory failure, in newborn infants (neonates), and for the prevention and treatment of atelectasis in patients with difficulty taking deep breaths. In these patients, PAP ventilation can prevent the need for tracheal intubation, or allow earlier extubation. Sometimes patients with neuromuscular diseases use this variety of ventilation as well.

Variations include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP). BPAP has two pressure settings: the prescribed pressure for inhalation (ipap), and a lower pressure for exhalation (epap); the dual settings allow the patient to get more air in and out of their lungs.