Organic Baby Blog – News & Tips on Organic Parenting

Seven Month Old Baby Development

May 17th, 2011

Your baby will be able to take some weight on her legs now and she may even be able to stand while you hold her in an upright position. Over the next couple of months she will probably learn to pull herself up from sitting, and then she will practice standing alone.

Dexterity

Your baby may start to show a preference for using her right or left hand at this age. Offer her a baby toy held straight in front of her and see which hand she uses to reach for it. If your baby regularly uses the same hand she is beginning to show a preference, but this is by no means a final choice. Very often the hand she uses at seven months is not the same as the one she prefers at nine months or a war. Once your baby is able to use two hands in a coordinated way, give her something which needs one hand to hold it and another to make it work – a pot with a lid that comes off is ideal — and see which hand she uses tor which action. This will give you a better idea of whether your baby is likely to be left- or right-handed, although her final choice may not be made until she reaches two years of age.

You may notice that your baby no longer grasps things in the centre of her palm to hold them. She now uses her fingers and thumb so that her grip has become very much more refined. Now that she can operate her fingers and thumb independently, rather than using them as a rake, she can pick up an object as small as a raisin to examine it.

You can encourage the baby by allowing her to feed herself. Give her a bowl and spoon and let her get on with it. At first it is a good idea for you to have a spoon too, so that you can give her the occasional mouthful while she is still working out how to get the food from the bowl, onto the spoon and into her mouth. Finger foods will help your baby learn how to get food into her mouth using her fingers.

At around the time your baby starts to show hand preference her language also starts to become more fully developed and she will babble a lot more using both vowel sounds and consonants. Her cries also change to include both low- and high-pitched sounds and she will start to make different movements with her tongue and mouth.

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Immunizations for Children – Keep Kids Healthy

January 3rd, 2011

Diseases such as measles, mumps, whooping cough, rubella (German measles), diphtheria, tetanus, polio, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (HiB) – a cause of meningitis – can be very serious and, in very young children, even fatal. Immunization offers long-lasting protection against these diseases. If you are concerned about the immunizations, or are worried about allergic reactions, or if there is a family history of convulsions, don’t just decide not to have your child immunized, talk to your doctor.

The five-in-one vaccination, which immunizes against diphtheria, whooping cough (Pertussis – the medical name for whooping cough), tetanus, polio and Hib is usually given in one injection, at two months, three months, and four months of age. In addition, a new pneumococcal vaccine, which protects against pneumococcal infections has been introduced at two, four and 13 months. The menC vaccine that protects against meningiitis C is given at three and four months, and then as a combined injection with HiB at 12 months. With all of these it is important to complete the course to ensure the maximum immunity. MMR immunizes against measles, mumps, and rubella and is given in one injection at 13 months.

Your newborn baby may also be offered immunization against tuberculosis (IB) with a BCG vaccine it you are in or from a high-risk area, or it you come from a family that has a history of TB.

Immunization Side-effects
Any side-effects from the five-in-one vaccine are usually mild. Your baby may become slightly feverish and appear unhappy for up to 24 hours after the injection. Very occasionally a convulsion occurs as a result of the fever, but this is over very quickly and has no lasting effect.

The MMR immunization has no immediate side-effects, although some children develop a mild fever and rash seven to 10 days after the injection, while others sometimes get a very mild form of mumps. It either of these reactions occur they are not infectious.

If your baby is feverish or acutely unwell, or has had a severe reaction to an earlier immunization, you should not have her immunized again without talking first to your doctor. Always tell the doctor who is doing the immunization if your baby is taking medication or it she has a severe allergic reaction to eggs. It the baby is vomiting or has diarrhoea it may be better to put off having the vaccination until she is better.

Other Complications
Many parents worry about the possibility of more serious effects from these vaccines, especially from the MMR and whooping cough vaccines.

The whooping cough part of the five-in-one vaccination is the one that has in the past been linked to brain damage, but research has shown that there is no link between this and the vaccine.

Parents may be concerned about the suggested link between the MMR vaccine and autism, or the vaccines possible link to the increase in Crohn’s disease, but recent research has shown that there is no evidence to support these fears.

The Diseases
Immunizations have developed over the years and many diseases th.it were formerly feared are no longer threats. This is the result of a sound immunization programme which has been applied to virtually all children.

Often parents are vague about the actual disease themselves, so it is worth familiarizing yourself with the conditions and their symptoms.

Diphtheria starts with a sore throat and then quickly develops into a serious illness which blocks the nose and throat, making it difficult and sometimes nearly impossible for a child to breathe. It can last for weeks and can often be fatal.

Tetanus is caused by germs from dirt or soil getting into an open wound or burn. It attacks the nervous system, causing painful muscle Spasms. Immunization has made it rare, but there is still a real chance of getting it and it can be fatal.

Bacterial meningitis develops rapidly and can cause serious illness within a few hours. If left untreated seizures can occur, followed by loss of consciousness leading to coma, and in some cases it can be fatal. Even when children recover there is a risk of long-term problems such as deafness and epilepsy.

Pneumococcal infection can lead to meningitis, septicaemia (blood poisoning) and pneumonia if it enters the blood stream it.

Polio attacks the nervous system and causes muscle paralysis. It it affects the breathing the sufferer will need help to breathe and could even die. Thankfully, polio is rare in most Western countries because of immunization, but there is still a risk of contact with the disease through foreign travel, which is why immunization is still important. Adults should check to see if they need a polio booster when they take their baby tor immunization.

Tuberculosis (TB) usually affects the Kings; symptoms include a cough, fever, or night sweats. Children are vulnerable and develop TB meningitis more often than adults.

Measles can be much more serious than people think because it is the disease most likely to cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It begins like a bad cold with a fever and then a rash appears, which is often accompanied by a bad cough.

Tags: immunization, vaccines
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Introducing Solid Foods to Your Baby

December 27th, 2010

Once milk alone no longer satisfies your baby you will need to start introducing solid foods into her diet. The recommended age for this is six months, but if your baby seems ready for solids before this you should talk to your health provider or doctor. Your baby will let you know she is still hungry by wanting more after the feed is finished, or she may start chewing her fists. A baby may also begin to demand feeds more often and if she normally sleeps through the night, she may start waking up early wanting to be fed.

Breast and formula milk give babies all they require for the first six months so you don’t have to worry if your baby seems satisfied with milk alone until this age. By six months of age, your baby needs the additional nourishment provided by solids, and she also needs to learn how to eat.

How to Start

First solids are really just tasters to get a baby used to different textures and flavors; the main nourishment will still come from breast or formula milk. The first food should be bland and smooth, like baby rice mixed with either cooled boiled water, or formula or breast milk. To begin with offer a small amount on the tip of a clean spoon, midway through a feed, once a day. Once your baby has accepted this, you can introduce a small amount of fruit or vegetable puree, for example, banana, potato, or carrot (with no added salt or sugar), mixed with formula or breast milk.

As soon as your baby has got used to taking solids off a spoon, you can begin to introduce new foods and other solids at a second meal. If your baby obviously doesn’t like the taste of something don’t force matters. Try another food and reintroduce the rejected food at a later stage. At first the baby will simply try to suck anything off the spoon. But it won’t take long to master getting the food off the spoon and into the back of her mouth. Once your baby can do this she will be able to cope with lumpier textures, so you can begin to mash rather than puree food. Your baby will also be able to enjoy a wider variety of tastes and textures.

Advanced feeding At around eight months, you can introduce food combinations such as baby cereal and fruit, or egg yolk and tomato — remember to remove the seeds from the tomato and to cook the egg thoroughly. Food can be lumpier and more solid so that it encourages your baby to start chewing. Try mincing or mashing the food with a fork.

At nine months and over, your baby is likely to be on three meals a day as well as milk, unsweetened diluted fruit juice, or water. Giving your child food at grown-up meal-times will encourage her to learn social skills by watching others. As her appetite grows you can gradually increase the amount given at each meal. Offer finger foods such as slices or peeled apple, and banana; this will encourage her to feed herself Always stay with your child while she is eating in case of choking.

As with younger babies, don’t force unwanted foods; your child may simply not be ready for that particular taste. Don’t ever fight over it. Take the food away, but don’t offer alternatives or provide snacks between meals or let the child fill up on drinks, especially non-nourishing drinks, such as squash.

Tags: feeding, food
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Six Month Old Baby Development

November 27th, 2010

Your child is beginning to show a greater interest in what is going on around him. He will turn his head quickly to familiar voices and will examine things that interest him for longer periods. If your baby hasn’t started on solids yet, now is the time to introduce them.

Baby Takes Control

Your baby is rapidly becoming more mobile and will probably be able to pull himself into the sitting position if both hands are held. When lying on his stomach, he may find that kicking will push him along, usually backwards at first. If he becomes frustrated because he can’t get to where he wants to go, don’t be too eager to help him: encourage him by placing a toy just out of reach, or by placing your hands against his feet so that when he kicks he has something to push against. If you pick him up and place him where he wants to go lie will not learn how to achieve this tor himself.

Your baby’s ability to reach and grasp is becoming more accurate and you can help him improve these skills by passing objects in such a way that he has to reach up or down or to the side for them. Toys strung across his cot or playpen will allow him to practise using these skills. Your baby will hold objects in the palm of his hands, and will be able to pass them from one hand to the other. You can encourage him by giving him two toys simultaneously, one in each hand, so that he has to reach out with both hands. If you offer him a rattle, shake it to make a noise as you hand it to him; he will reach for it immediately and then shake it deliberately to make the same noise.

Visually your baby is keenly aware of everything that is going on around him and will move his head and eyes eagerly in every direction to which his attention is attracted. He will follow what you are doing, even if you are busy on the other side of the room. His eyes should now move in unison. It your child appears to have a squint (with an eye turned inwards or outwards all the time) you should discuss this with your doctor who may suggest that he sees an eye specialist.

Your child is now very chatty and will vocalize tunefully both to himself and others in a singsong manner using vowel sounds and single and double syllables such as a-a, adah and er-leh. He laughs, chuckles, and squeals with delight when playing and will express anger or annoyance with loud screams.

Intelligence

Assessing a child’s IQ (intelligence quotient) when he is very young is difficult, and the motor development tests that can be used to evaluate IQ in the first year do not usually correlate well with a child’s IQ later on. It is recognized that intelligence can be influenced by many factors, including stimulation, health and diet, and social aspects such as poverty. Even trauma can play a part. At this stage in your child’s development you can encourage his physical, social, and intellectual growth by raising him in a stimulat-ing environment and spending as much time as you can playing, reading, and talking to him.

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Common Childhood Illnesses and How to Deal with Them

November 25th, 2010

Coughs & Colds

Colds are caused by air-borne viruses, not bacteria, so antibiotics can’t be used to help relieve the symptoms. If your child is suffering from a blocked or runny nose, you may need to buy a nasal decongestant or your doctor may prescribe some nose drops, particularly if the cold is hindering your baby’s feeding. Seek advice from your doctor or health visitor if a cold is affecting your child’s breathing. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Irritating coughs often occur with a cold so if your child has a dry cough ask your pharmacist to recommend a soothing linctus that is suitable for children.

Medicines for young children usually come in liquid form and can begiven on a teaspoon. Sit your baby on your knee and hold his hands out of the way as you spoon the medicine into his mouth.

Ear Infections

Problems with a child’s ears often accompany a cold. One of the first signs is it” your baby starts pulling at one of his ears, which might appear red, but he may also just cry a lot and seem generally unwell. Paracetamol syrup will help relieve the pain, but an antibiotic may also be required to clear up any infection, so you will need to consult your doctor for advice. Do not take your child swimming with an ear infection.

Constipation and Diarrhea

If a child is having difficulty passing stools because they are hard, the problem is most likely to be constipation. A change in diet will be necessary. Including more water, fruit, vegetables, and fibre will help solve the problem. If the problem continues to persist, a mild laxative may be required. Consult your health visitor or doctor for advice.

Diarrhea is the frequent passing of loose, watery stools. If a baby is being bottle-fed or being weaned, you should omit one or two milk feeds and solids and offer plenty of clear fluids instead, including an oral rehydration mixture if the loose stools continue. Breast-fed babies can continue their milk feeds as normal.

You should contact your doctor if the diarrhea persists alter a period of 12 hours, or if it is accompanied by vomiting because the baby could become dehydrated.

Teething

The first signs of teething in a young child are often a red area on his check, excessive dribbling, and he starts chewing on his fingers. A teething gel, containing a local anaesthetic, will help to give some relief, but you will need to watch out for any sign of allergic reactions to the gel. These cm include a noticeable reddening or swelling of the gums.

Vomiting

If your baby starts to vomit frequently or violently, and if there is any other sign of illness, you should always contact your doctor immediately as young babies can very quickly become dehydrated if they are sick.

Older children can be sick once or twice without suffering any lasting effect. Give your child plenty of clear thuds to drink and don’t bother about trying to offer him any tempting food until he feels better.

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What Babies Can See and Understand

November 23rd, 2010

Although your baby practised the blinking reflex by opening and closing her eyes while in the womb, the first time she actually uses her eyes for seeing is at the moment of birth. As soon as she is born she is capable of distinguishing objects and most colours, but is only able to focus on items that are 20-30cm/8-l2in away. These things will look fuzzy.

A newborn is very sensitive to bright lights and will blink and screw-up her eyes if a light is shone in her face. Movement will attract a baby from birth and you may notice that yours actively seeks out moving objects. She will probably show a preference for an object which has a highly contrasting pattern rather than one which is just a solid block of colour. As your baby begins to control her eye movements she will start tracking moving objects, which is an indication that her vision is developing well.

Your Baby’s World

At first your face will be of more interest to your child than anything else. It is thought that a baby is born with a simple mental template of the human face and will actively search out and stare at any human face during the first couple of months. When she is first born, whether she is able to recognize you by your individual features is open to debate, but she will certainly know the general shape of your head and hairline and by two months will have started to recognize your features.

Your baby will soon become interested in other things and by six to eight weeks will be concentrating on details, scanning faces and objects so that she can take in as much information as possible. At this age she may find it hard to disengage her attention when she is watching something and she may need you to distract her before she can remove her gaze. But by three to four months the pathways in the brain for voluntary action begin to take over and your baby starts to disengage her attention on her own.

By three months a baby can perceive colours fully, with all their different shades, and will be able to focus at different distances and to see things in 3D. From seven to eight months, as she begins to interpret what she sees, your baby starts to realize that things don’t necessarily cease to exist just because she can’t see them anymore. A toy dropped over the edge of the high chair will be looked tor; she will also enjoy playing “peek-a-boo” because she knows now that you will definitely reappear.

Learning the size and shape of things and understanding that something that looks small at a distance is in tact bigger close up takes some time for a baby to understand. She will also have to learn that a toy stays the same shape even when it appears different when looked at from the side, top, or bottom.

It will take your baby around two years to have good vision and to be able to see almost as clearly as an adult does. Her vision will continue to develop until she is four to five years of age.

A Baby Squint

Many babies are born with what may appear to be a slight squint and this often remains until they have learned to control the muscles around the eyes. It is quite difficult for a baby to hold both eyes in line with each other to focus on an object, and you may notice that when your baby stares at you one of her eyes wanders out of focus. A wandering eye usually rights itself by the time a baby reaches three to four months of age, but you should always point it out to your doctor or health visitor as it may be necessary for your child’s eyes to be checked thoroughly by an orthoptist.

A real squint is when the eyes never focus together on an object and, rather than moving together and then one wandering off, they are often out of alignment with each other. A squint needs to be treated from an early age so you must talk to your doctor as soon as you notice it in your child.

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Parenting Tips – Smart Ways to Avoid Information Overload

November 16th, 2010

The double lines, the call from the doctor: no matter the source that confirms you’re pregnant, the initial rush is exciting and a little terrifying. And shortly afterward, overwhelming and confusing. Everyone has an opinion, it seems, and most of them have written those down and peddled them as The Definitive Guide to Your Pregnancy, The Last Word on Getting through Your Pregnancy, or something equally imposing and not the least bit reassuring. Here, a few tips on navigating the vast sea of all things baby.

Keep It Simple

You’ve told your partner, maybe you’ve told your mom and a few close friends. Or maybe you want to consult a book or two on how and when to tell your mom and your friends. Regardless of your question or issue, you’ll find exhaustive amounts of information—from the general to the specific, the scientific to the anecdotal, and then some.

Melissa Murphy, who’s expecting her first baby this November, says, “Eventually I just had to stop looking at the websites altogether because they were freaking me out.” How to get through this glut of information and find the nuggets that will be useful to you? One good way is to approach those mountains of facts and opinions the same way you’d start to plan a wedding: by determining your style.

If you’re reassured by the world of medicine for its hard facts and study results, head straight for the Mayo Clinic’s website. Prefer a conversational but well-informed style? Pick up a magazine devoted to everything prenatal. And Sex and the City-style girls who want their info shot straight from the designer jean-clad hip should shell out for the Girlfriends’ Guide to Pregnancy (or one of its many clones). Or simply check out all of them and whittle down to what suits you. You’ll quickly find a few points that many sources have in common. In the end, aim to keep it simple, because too much information can be debilitating and possibly even harmful if it gets in the way of your much-needed—and soon-to-be dramatically reduced—sleep.

Listen to Your Instincts

This certainly can be tricky, but it gets easier with each passing week. If you’ve heard all your life that vodka gimlets during pregnancy might not be the best idea, but all of a sudden your friends are swearing they know French women who drank Chardonnay on the way into the delivery room, it’s okay to pause and listen to what your intuition is telling you. And even if your initial reaction to such opinions is not exactly shock and horror, but still a gnawing feeling that your sources of otherwise sound advice might be short of the mark on this – trust that!

As Dr. Susan Mistier, a clinical psychologist, notes, “It is so important to embrace this as a continuous learning process, expect the unexpected, and remember to listen to your gut (your own sense of what is the right thing to do for your baby, rather than just what the books say).” Those French women probably ate Brie throughout the full nine months too, but you’re the one who has to live with this pregnancy, and this child, for the rest of your life. You’re entitled—actually required—to make your own decisions about his or her health and best interests from the get-go.

Listen to Your Body

Probably the most helpful information you’ll get will come from a very close source—your own body. Your doctor may tell you that caffeine is okay, but now even hearing yourself order your usual Java chip latte turns you a little green. And you’ll probably get the go-ahead to continue your pre-pregnancy exercise regimen, but 20 steps on the treadmill leaves you huffing and puffing. This is your body talking, and it’s your job to listen and act accordingly.

Just as you don’t want to overload on all the things that could go wrong during your pregnancy—you don’t need to read every book, blog, and forum—the same goes for listening to the subtle (and not-so-subtle) signals your body is sending you. If the food smells strange, don’t eat it; if the exercise hurts, don’t do it; if the advice sounds suspicious, definitely don’t listen to it.

Trusting yourself so completely can be a little daunting, and for most moms-to-be it’ll take some time getting used to. Consider these nine months good practice for the approaching time when you’ll no longer be the only one relying on your good judgment.

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Four Month Old Baby Development

November 2nd, 2010

Your baby is developing rapidly. He is awake for much longer and during these waking periods will want to be sociable and will respond with delight to conversations with you and enjoy playing simple games.

You can encourage your baby’s development by spending time responding to these early attempts at sociability. Make a point of showing your baby different objects and talk about them. Your baby will also enjoy seeing and talking to himself in a mirror. Place the mirror about 15-20cm/6-8in away so that he can keep his image in focus.

Motor development and learning progress at the same rate between four and five months. Hand and eye co-ordination is being learned and your baby may be able to reach out and grasp an object. He will try hard to learn how to sit because he will have discovered that sitting up gives him a different view of the world. At first he will need you to help him balance, but as his confidence grows he will learn to adjust his legs and to use his hands to keep himself upright.

Getting ready for solids Babies get all the nourishment they require from breast or formula milk during their first six months, although you may notice that your baby begins to show the physical signs that he’s getting ready for solids before this.

A baby needs to be able to have control over his head before he can move on to solid food. Even strained or pureed first foods should not be given until he can hold his head upright when he is sitting propped up. A baby needs to be able to sit up unaided before chunkier foods that require chewing are given to him. This doesn’t usually happen until about seven months.

First solids, given at around six months, are little more than tasters that get a baby used to the idea of sucking from a spoon rather than from the breast or bottle. To be able to do tins the tongue thrust reflex, which the baby was born with, must have disappeared. This is the reflex that causes the tongue to push any foreign matter out of the mouth and prevents very young babies from choking. To be able to eat from a spoon your baby also needs to be able to draw in his lower lip.

Another fairly obvious sign to look out for which shows that your baby is ready for solids is if he shows any interest in the food that you are citing. If your baby watches intently while you eat and shows excitement or tries to grab your food, then he is probably telling you that he is now ready for more grown-up food himself.

Although it is recommended that babies are not given solids before six months, if you feel your child is ready before this ask your health visitor or doctor for advice.

Thumb Sucking

Your baby will suck anything he can get into his mouth and now that he has some control over his hands, his fingers and thumbs will be preferred and he will suck them for pleasure and also for comfort. He may suck his whole hand, or one or two fingers, or he may prefer his thumb. This is quite normal and is not a sign of emotional distress, nor will it, at this age, damage the alignment of permanent teeth. If your baby is breast-fed you need to make sure that he isn’t sucking his thumb to compensate for suckling he is no longer getting at the breast, otherwise there is no harm in letting your child suck his thumb. Most children grow out of this habit over the next year or two, although a child who uses sucking his thumb as reassurance to get to sleep may take a little longer to break the habit. This is nothing to worry about.

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Why Babies Cry

October 26th, 2010

Your response to your child’s crying and the way that you comfort him can influence the bond that grows between you. There is no risk of spoiling your child by responding to his cries. It is impossible to give a young baby too much love. By going to your baby when he cries you will be showing him that you care and this in turn will help to form a deep, loving relationship between you.

Babies cry for a lot of different reasons and you need to understand what makes your baby cry so that you can provide comfort. Your newborn may cry a lot because this is the main means of communicating with you. The infant needs to be able to let you know that the world he is now in is a strange and sometimes frightening place. Once he has adapted to the new environment and you have developed a routine that takes account of his likes and dislikes, the amount of crying will gradually start to decrease.

Hunger is the most common cause of crying and you will soon learn to recognize when your baby is hungry. The first action is to feed on demand — a young baby may need feeding every two or three hours.

Being too hot or too cold can also make a baby cry. A young baby can’t regulate his own temperature and he can easily become too hot or too cold, so it is important to keep a check on an infant’s temperature. You should make sure that your baby’s room is kept at a constant 18°C/65°F. Wet or dirty nappies do not cause crying except when the wet nappy gets cold.

Your new baby will probably hate being undressed, even in a warm room. This is because the feel of clothing on the skin creates a secure feeling, so when it is removed the infant cries. Keep undressing to a minimum in the first few weeks, lop and tail rather than bath your baby so that you only need to remove a bit of clothing .it a time. When you do undress him completely, wrap him in a towel to give him a feeling of security.

Pain is a definite cause of crying, hut it may be hard for you to locate the cause of the actual pain. If you can, remove the source of the pain — for example an open nappy pin. If you can’t find a reason for the pain, don’t just leave your baby to cry; pick him up and comfort him. Stay with your baby until he is completely calm. If your baby seems feverish or just generally unwell, always seek medical advice.

Any baby will normally start crying when he is tired. If you think that this is the cause, put your child down to sleep in a dimly lit, warm room. If necessary, rock or sing a soothing song to him until he has completely calmed down and starts to become sleepy.

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Newborn Care – What You Should Know About

July 28th, 2010

Your newborn baby will probably look wrinkled and slightly blotchy at first. When he is born his skin may have a bluish tinge and the legs may even be a different colour to the rest of his body. This will only last for a short time, until oxygen from the lungs has hard time to reach the bloodstream. You may also find patches of dry skin. Eyes may be reddish and slightly swollen and your baby may still be covered with vernix, the greasy white substance which has been protecting the skin from becoming waterlogged by the amniotic fluid. There may also be a covering of lanugo, fine hair which covers the shoulders, upper arms, and legs.

Your baby’s head may look too big for his body. It is usually about one-quarter of the total body length and it may be a slightly odd shape because of the pressure that was put on it during the birth. His features may also appear slightly flattened from being squeezed through the pelvis. Your baby’s head may be covered with very thin hair or have a thick thatch that stands up on end.

An increase in female hormones from the placenta just before birth affects both boys and girls and your baby’s genitals may be enlarged and breasts may appear slightly swollen.

It is quite usual for the breasts of both boys and girls to have a milky discharge; girls may have a slight vaginal discharge as well. All these features will disappear over the next few weeks.

Newborn Baby Size

Although the average weight of a baby at birth is 3.4kg/7Mlb, wide variations occur so, assuming that your baby was born around the estimated date of delivery (EDO), it could weigh anything between 2.5-4.5kg. Your baby’s weight is determined by a lot of factors, including your size and the size of your partner, how much weight you put on in pregnancy, and your general health.

Your baby is quite likely to lose weight during the first week. This is because it takes a little while for regular feeding to become properly stablished. Once an infant is feeding well his weight should remain stable for a couple of days and then, within seven to 10 days, he will regain his birth weight. A baby’s weight gain is one of the easiest ways of telling whether he is thriving.

The average length of a newborn is between 48—51cm/19—20n, but as with weight, this can vary, although most babies are somewhere between 45-55cm/18-22in.

Newborn Baby Crying

Your baby may make his first cry as soon as his chest has been delivered, others wait until they have been born or until they start to breathe normally. These first cries are often not much more than a whimper and the full-bodied cry follows later. A baby may look red and angry while crying, but this is quite normal. Crying is a baby’s way of communicating as well as a means of exercising his lungs.

Hunger is the main reason for a newborn to cry, but being lonely, wet, or tired will also make a baby cry. Some babies cry because they don’t like being undressed, others when they are immersed in water. Some babies are more fretful than others so they cry more. You will quickly learn to recognize why your baby is crying and the best way to soothe him.

Special Care For Newborns

If your baby is born several weeks early, the birth weight is low, or your child needs extra care for any other reason, he may be put in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). Here the infant will be monitored so that he gets all the special treatment required. It can be distressing to see your baby in a special care unit, especially it he is surrounded by an array of strange equipment. Ask the staff to explain what the equipment is for and why your baby needs it. Try to spend as much time as you can with your baby in special care because, even if you can’t pick him up and hold him, your baby will be able to hear your voice and it will soothe him. You will probably be able to touch your baby through the side of the incubator.

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