Newborn

Newborne

The Begining Stage
Birth to 28 days.

From Baby Center

What can my baby do this month?
You newborn baby is rapidly adjusting to being in the outside world. He will spend most of his time sleeping and feeding at this stage.

Your baby may not appear to be doing much but he is taking lots in. Although he can't see very far he will love to look at your face, so hold him close and let him study your features. Even now he will try and mimic your facial expression. Try sticking out your tongue, then wait for a time to see if he copies you.

When will my baby's arms and legs uncurl?
Your newborn baby won't be able to fully extend his arms and legs yet, which will make him look a bit scrunched up. This is perfectly normal. His limbs will uncurl gradually as he gets used to being outside your uterus (womb).

If your baby was in a breech position at birth it may take him a little longer to stretch out. It's understandable, as his feet will have been up by his ears. It may be a few days before he's ready to straighten his legs.

If your baby looks bowlegged, with a small gap between his knees and ankles, don't worry. It's part of the stretching-out process and should take care of itself by the time he's two.

How soon will my newborn get into a feeding and sleeping pattern?
Food is the most important thing in your newborn's life, with sleep running a close second. But it may take a while for both of you to get into a pattern of feeds and naps.

Your baby will feed around the clock during the first few days. You'll probably find he wants eight to 15 feeds. After the first week or so this will be down to six to eight feeds a day. Breast-fed babies tend to demand more frequent feeds than formula-fed babies.

Your baby's sleeping patterns are equally intermittent. He will probably sleepfor a total of 16 to 17 hours in a 24-hour period. Unfortunately this won't mean a long lie-in for you, as he'll break up his sleep into eight or so naps.

Between six to eight weeks your baby may start to develop something of a feeding and sleeping pattern. However you may not notice any real routine for a few months.

Why does my baby cry so much? How can I calm him?
Your baby can't show much of a personality now, but he's busy expressing himself the only way he knows how: crying.

Since entering the bright and busy world, your baby has been trying to deal with a rush of stimulation. If he's crying because he's overstimulated, he may become quiet and calm when you speak to him gently and hold him upright, close to you. He may even make an "ahh" sound when he hears your voice or sees your face.

You can also calm your baby through touch. Most babies love to be held, caressed, kissed, stroked, massaged, rocked and carried. Touch is an important way to communicate with your baby and soothe him. Read more about the benefits of baby massage.

There may be times of the day when your baby cries a lot and you can't comfort him easily. If you're breastfeeding, try to sooth your baby by letting him suckle at your breast. If you're formula feeding you could try giving your baby a bottle or a dummy.

How well can my baby see?
Your baby's vision is still quite fuzzy. In fact, his range of vision is only 30cm or so. In other words, your baby can clearly see the face of the person holding him, but not much beyond that. So it's not surprising that your face is the most interesting thing to him right now. Keep your face close to your baby's so he can study your features. He will be fascinated by your face and expressions, and his eyes may lock on to yours.

Your baby is sensitive to bright lights, which may make him frown or blink. You'll often find he turns his head and eyes towards a window or another source of light. He may even be fascinated by shadows on a plain wall.

Even this early, your baby can recognise your face and gestures intuitively, and sometimes even imitate them.

Give your newborn a chance to copy your facial expressions. Put your face close (about 30cm away) to his and stick out your tongue or raise your eyebrows a few times. Repeat it. Then give him some time to mimic your gesture. It may take him a few minutes, or he may not do anything, but he's definitely watching you.

You may notice short periods of time when your newborn is quiet and alert. This is prime time for playing and talking with your baby.

If you try to talk to your baby and he doesn't seem receptive, he may have become sleepy or be distracted by something else.

Are there any games I can play with my newborn?
Your baby is captivated by high-contrast patterns. Black and white toys, mobiles with strong colours, and picture books with strong line drawings (and colours) may fascinate your baby.

Watch your baby's reactions carefully. While it's great to help him start learning about his world, he may be able to enjoy only brief periods of play. He may also only cope with one sense being stimulated at a time, such as vision or sound, rather than both together.

If your baby feels overstimulated he will let you know by yawning, averting his gaze, arching his back, turning his face, fussing or crying. He'll also tell you what he enjoys, and believe it or not, you'll understand his signs in no time.

Your baby will also find his own reflections fascinating. Try amusing him by placing an unbreakable baby mirror at the side of his cot for him to focus on. He won't recognise himself yet but he will watch the movement in the mirror at least some of the time.

A play gym with plenty of interesting toys to watch, swipe at and listen to will allow your baby to practise his arm, hand and finger coordination skills. And it will make lying down become less boring for him.

At the moment he will just look at, rather than touch, toys dangling from his play gym. As yet he can't move his arms purposefully to reach particular objects. This sort of movement comes later, at around four months.

Is my baby developing normally?
Each baby is unique and meets physical milestones at his or her own pace. These are simply guidelines to what your baby has the potential to do, if not right now, then soon.

If your baby was born prematurely (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) you'll probably find that he needs more time before he can do the same things as other babies his age. That's why most babies born prematurely are given two ages by their doctors:

You should measure your premature baby's development against his corrected age, not his actual date of birth. Health professionals will assess your premature baby's development from the time he should have been born and evaluate his skills accordingly.
 * Chronological age, which is calculated from your baby's date of birth.
 * Corrected age, which is calculated from your baby's due date.

If you have any questions at all about your baby's development, talk to your doctor or health visitor.