ABSTRACT
The first few days of a baby’s life are usually composed of long periods of sleep interspersed with short periods when the baby is awake. The duration of wakefulness lengthens gradually and includes periods of fretfulness, crying and calmness. The responsiveness of the baby depends on the state of sleep or wakefulness. From the first days of life the infant establishes interaction with his or her parent by changing states of wakefulness (Brazelton 1995). Any examination of the newborn should be carried out in the optimal state of wakefulness, when the infant is quiet with eyes open and with or without irregular movements of arms and legs (Prechtl 1977).
