Facts About Newborns

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When a baby is born, it brings so much happiness to the family. It is the source of joy and togetherness of parents. When a baby is in its first month, he/she is referred to as a newborn. Although the baby sleeps for most of the time at this stage, great developments take place inside.

Fact 1 Developments That Occur In A Baby’s First Month?

There are five major areas of development of a newborn at the earliest stage of life. They are:

  1. Physical development is really amazing to watch for new parent. Although they lose weight in the first few days, after about 10 days they start growing steadily. Most newborns gain about 225g to 227g of weight per week and grow nearly 1inch to 1.5 inches in the first month.
  2. Cognitive development: Cognition is the ability to learn, think and remember. The newborn’s brain develops very rapidly and every time a mother interacts in a positive way with the baby, there is a positive and healthy brain development.
  3. Social and emotional development: It is unbelievable that newborns can interact and communicate with their moms and express their feelings with sounds and facial expressions. Crying is a part of this progress and gradually you will see that they follow you with their eyes and feel happy when you cuddle them.
  4. Language development: Whenever you speak, a newborn listens carefully and tries to absorb the basic sounds of language and expressions. This process forms the foundation of speech.
  5. Sensory and motor skills development: A newborn has all the five senses from birth that gradually develop within the first month. The baby recognizes your voice, touch and even smell. That the motor skills are also developing can be seen in a newborn especially when tensed. Hands are tightly fisted when the baby is alert. Gradually he also raises his/her hands to respond to a touch and holds fingers too.

Fact 2 How To Take Care Of Newborns

The most important way to take care of newborns is to be extremely attentive. Since the baby is unable to express clearly, it is your duty to follow all gestures and facial expressions to understand the baby’s needs. Always try to be close to your baby and hugs and kisses give them a feeling of security and helps in the growth of a strong bonding. Hence doctors always advice mothers to breast-feed their babies and stay close to them at least during the initial few months if she is a working mother.

Fact 3 Scheduling Check-ups For Newborns

You need to follow a set schedule of immunization prescribed by the pediatrician without fail. Apart from that if you notice anything which seems unusual to you, contact your doctor for advice.

Fact 4 Characteristics Of Newborns

Newborns expect to be in your arms as your body contact has a calming influence on them. They expect companionship even at this early stage and when you simply smile or caress your baby, you will notice the sparkling eyes of happiness and love. We often get worried about them as they cannot express themselves clearly. But the fact is that newborns have in-built warning signs. When anything is not right they will let you know and it is best to respond at the first gesture of discomfort like grimaces. Babies have the ability to lock their feelings and experiences which are later manifested in their behaviors.

Fact 5 Sleeping Habits Of Newborns

Newborns do not sleep continuously or deeply. They have shorter sleep cycles and sometimes it seems that they are not sleeping at all. The rocking motions no doubt put a baby to sleep but they sleep best when in your arms. You will also see him/her grinning while the eyes are shut. Waking up at night is good for the baby’s health and overall development.

It does not very long that the baby can distinguish his/her mother from others around even if they closely watch over him/her.

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