I came across this article while surfing the forum, I got it saved, surely this will come in handy when the baby is born. I am counting down the days... getting excited le!
Fontanelles
a soft spot on the top of your baby's head, the fontanelle is where the skull bones meet. This allows the bones to move slightly, so that during birth, the baby can pass through the birth canal more easily. There's a smaller fontanelle at the back of baby's head. The 2 fontanelles take up to 18 mths to close.
Hair
Even while in your womb, your baby grows soft hair. The soft body hair, or lanugo, is still seen on your newborn, especially if baby's premature. This will drop after birth, and when baby's new hair grows at 6mth or so, the colour and texture can be different.
Eyesight
As you'll be spending a lot of time feeding your baby, nature has designed your newborn's eyesight to focus best on objects about 20-30cm away - the distance between your face and his when you're breastfeeding. Colours are hazy to him, so contrasting colours like black and white are clearer. Gradually your baby will learn to focus at various distances.
Teeth & Gums
Although your newborn looks toothless, he actually has a full set of teeth in his gums. In some cases, a baby is actually born with tooth showing (about 1 in 2000 babies). Most babies, however, begin teething between 4 and 12mths - usually the bottom incisors are the 1st to pop out.
Umbilical Cord
You'll notice little stump on your newborn's navel. This is what's left of the umbilical cord. It takes about 10days to fall out. Meanwhile, keep the area clean and dry by dabbing gently with water or breastmilk every day.
Sex Organs
Due to your hormones still circulating in your baby, his genitals may appear swollen after birth. Girls may also bleed a little. These symptoms should soon disappear.
Legs & Toes
At birth, your baby's legs look bowed, and when placed on his tummy, his legs may pull up under his abdomen. His toes curl under when you stroke his foot (plantar reflex) - this lasts until 8 to 18mths. After about 3mths his legs straighten out and he'll enjoy kicking in the air! By 6 mths, he'll suck his toes and kick at objects like a toy or mobile.
Hands & Fingers
Your baby loves to keep his fist curled up in the first 2mths. Instinctively (palmar reflex), he grasps your finger when you put it in his hand. At 3mths, he will try to hold objects that catch his interest. His tiny fingernails and toenails are soft, and can be trimmed with baby scissor. Do this when he's asleep - he doesn't wiggle as much then!
Diaper Facts
Your newborn's first poo is a greenish-black matter called meconium. This is the waste matter from baby's tim in the womb. Subsequently, baby's poo will be a soft, mustard colour for breastfed babies, while formula-fed babies have slightly firmer stools. The number of times baby poos may range from once a day to pooing after every feed. Baby will also pee about 6times a day.
Birth Weight
The average newborn weighs between 2.7kg and 4.5kg. Boys weigh 3.5kg on average, compared to girls (3.2kg). Your newborn will lose up to 10% of his birth weight in the first few days, as newborns drink very little milk and pass meconium. After that, your child should gain weight at about 25g a day, doubling his birth weight by around 6mths.
Milestone Checklist
1-2 month
1. Personal & social skills - baby should be able to acknowledge faces and smile responsively
2. Fine motor skills - ability to put his hands together, grasp the rattle in hand and reach out for objects.
3. Language skills - responds to the sound of a bell and is able to vocalising instead of crying
4. Gross motor skills - able to lift his head and hold it at 45 degree angle
6-10 mths
1. Personal and social skills - gets excited at the sight of a toy and works to reach for it. Able to feed himself som crackers.
2. Fine motor skills - follows 180degree angle with no problem and is able to pass the cup from 1 hand to the other.
3. Language skills - baby can laugh and respond to soft sounds, single syllables and is capable of imitating speech sounds.
4. Gross motor skills - able to lift his head up to 90degrees and sit with head steady. able to be pulled to sitting position with no head lag. rolls over with no difficulty, bears weight on legs, able to keep his chest up with arm support, sits with no external support and stands with someone holding him.
15mths
1. Personal and social skills - can indicate his wants through gestures and drink from his own cup
2. Fine motor skills - has developed the pincer grasp and is able to scribble and build a tower of 2 cubes
3. Language skills - baby can start mouthing words like 'papa' and 'mama', as well as identify certain parts of the body through speech
4. Gross motor skills - baby is strong enough to stand alone, walk steadily and do simple chair climbing.
http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/578191/841439.html?1182088649
No comments:
Post a Comment