Your 1-week-old's development

She only has eyes for you

Your baby's eyesight is still pretty fuzzy. Babies are born nearsighted and can see things best when they're about 8 to 10 inches away, so she can see your face clearly only when you're holding her close.



Don't worry if your baby doesn't look you right in the eye from the start: Newborns tend to look at your eyebrows, your hairline, or your moving mouth. As she gets to know you in the first month, she'll be more interested in having eye-to-eye exchanges. Studies show that newborns prefer human faces to all other patterns or colors. (High-contrast items, like a checkerboard, are next in line.)



Give your baby plenty of opportunities to study your features by looking at her up close. As you or your partner feeds her, move your head slowly from side to side and see whether her eyes follow you. This exercise can help strengthen the eye muscles. (Don't be alarmed if your baby looks at you with crossed eyes: It's normal for a newborn's eyes to wander or cross now and then during the first month or so of life.)



Babies are sensitive to light and can see in three dimensions. Notice how your baby blinks when you bring an object close to her.

Weighty issue

If you're breastfeeding, you may be wondering whether your baby's getting enough to eat because she may seem to be hungry all the time. She probably is, since she's digesting breast milk within a couple of hours of consuming it.



Some signs that your breastfed baby's getting enough milk: Your breasts are being emptied and feel softer after nursing, your baby has good color and firm skin that bounces right back if pinched (if you pinch a dehydrated baby, the skin will stay puckered briefly), your baby is growing in both length and weight, you can hear her swallowing while nursing (if the room is quiet), she's passing mustard-yellow stools or frequent dark stools, and she has at least five to six wet disposable diapers a day (or seven to eight cloth diapers).



Whether you're nursing or formula-feeding your newborn, keep in mind that all babies grow at different rates and that their rate of growth tends to slow down at certain times. In addition, if your baby was big at birth, she won't grow as quickly to move closer to her predestined size.



If your little one is hitting her developmental milestones pretty much on time, relating well to you, and looking otherwise happy and healthy, she's most likely doing fine. But if regular weight checks at the doctor's office indicate that your baby isn't developing at a healthy rate, she might not be eating well or might not be absorbing or using nutrients properly.

Number two

In the early days, your newborn's bowel movements are thick and dark green because of meconium — a substance that was building up in her intestines while she was in the womb. As your baby starts to feed and the meconium is cleared out, her stools will start to turn yellowish, but they may vary in color daily depending on your diet if you're breastfeeding or the quantity and type of formula you're feeding her, as well as how hydrated your baby is.



A newborn can have as many as eight to 12 bowel movements a day, but as long as she's having at least one, she's probably all right. (If you're breastfeeding, your baby's stools may look softer, like diarrhea.)

Simon says

Even this early, babies can recognize faces and gestures intuitively — and sometimes even imitate them. Try putting your face close to hers and sticking out your tongue or raising your eyebrows a few times. Then give your baby some time to mimic your gesture.



Even if your baby doesn't copy your expression now, she's keeping close tabs — and learning. If you interact with her and she doesn't seem receptive at all, don't worry. She may have gotten sleepy or a bit overwhelmed and need to take a break.

Tummy time

Young babies spend a lot of time sleeping, and to reduce the risk of SIDS, the safest sleep position is on their back. But when your baby's awake — and in the coming weeks she'll have more and more "awake" time — be sure to put her on her tummy. Babies need to spend time on their belly every day to strengthen their neck muscles. So start getting her used to that position now, or she may resist when she gets older.

Remember, your baby's an individual

All babies are unique and meet milestones at their own pace. Developmental guidelines simply show what your baby has the potential to accomplish — if not right now, then soon. If your baby was premature, keep in mind that kids born early usually need a bit more time to meet their milestones. If you have any questions at all about your baby's development, ask your healthcare provider.

source : babycenter

Your 1-week-old

How your baby's growing:



Your baby's eyesight is still pretty fuzzy. Babies are born nearsighted and can see things best when they're about 8 to 15 inches away, so she can see your face clearly only when you're holding her close.



Don't worry if your baby doesn't look you right in the eye from the start: Newborns tend to look at your eyebrows, your hairline, or your moving mouth. As she gets to know you in the first month, she'll become more interested in having eye-to-eye exchanges. Studies show that newborns prefer human faces to all other patterns or colors. (Objects that are bright, moving, high-contrast, or black-and-white are next in line.)



• Learn more fascinating facts about your 1-week-old's development.

Your life: Breastfeeding discomfort

Two to four days after your baby's birth, your milk "comes in," filling your breasts and causing what's known as engorgement. (Until that happens, your nursing baby is drinking a nourishing pre-milk called colostrum.) This important shift has an unfortunate side effect for some new moms: It can create mild to considerable discomfort. Why? Your body is forcing milk from the glands that create it out to your nipples, and you're also dealing with a postpartum drop in hormone levels and the still-unfamiliar sensation of a newborn's suckling.



Your breasts may feel tender or hard and hot, and they may swell or seem to throb. Don't take this as an indication that breastfeeding isn't for you because it's too painful. Engorgement is a short-lived condition that will diminish as your body adjusts to breastfeeding. Some helpful ways to reduce the pain in the meantime:



• Take a warm shower.

• Apply warm compresses (such as a washcloth soaked in hot water and wrung out) to your breasts before each feeding.

• Express a small bit of milk from each breast before nursing. A full breast can make latching on more difficult, causing your baby to position her mouth in the wrong place. She then has to work harder to get the milk, which translates to tissue pain.

• Wear a supportive nursing bra. Some women prefer to wear one even at night.

• Nurse every two to three hours. Don't avoid feedings because of the pain — the more you nurse, the better your breasts will feel.

• Drink lots of fluids to keep yourself well hydrated and to maintain milk production.

• Alternate breasts.

• Apply a cool compress after you feed. Try a baggie of crushed ice or a sack of frozen vegetables.

3 questions about: Jaundice

What is jaundice?

Jaundice is a condition that causes a yellowish discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes. If you press your finger against the nose or chest of a fair-skinned baby with jaundice, you can see this yellow tinge. If your baby has dark skin, you can see the yellowness in the whites of the eyes or in the gums. The most common type of jaundice develops on the second or third day of life — about when the baby is being discharged from the hospital — which is why it's important to know about it and keep an eye out for it. Most of these cases, called physiologic jaundice, disappear on their own in two weeks.



What causes jaundice?

A newborn has more red blood cells than her body needs, and often, when a baby's immature liver can't process them quickly enough, a yellow pigment called bilirubin (a byproduct of the red blood cells) builds up in the blood. Much of this bilirubin leaves the body in the baby's stool, but about half of babies develop some degree of jaundice during the first two weeks of life. Preemies and babies with genetic diseases or infections are especially vulnerable. Some breastfeeding babies develop jaundice if they don't get enough breast milk, because the bilirubin isn't able to exit the body through body waste. Breastfeeding jaundice usually shows up in the first two weeks of life. When jaundice is detected within the first 24 hours, it may be due to a blood-group incompatibility with the mother (the mother is Rh-negative and the baby is Rh-positive), infection, or an underlying liver problem.



Should I worry?

Most newborn cases of jaundice are harmless and require no treatment. The doctor may order blood tests to measure your baby's bilirubin levels, which usually involve taking a small amount of blood from your baby's heel. In moderate cases of jaundice, the doctor may prescribe phototherapy (light therapy), which involves placing the baby naked under special blue lights that help her body break down the bilirubin so that it can be excreted. This can be done in the hospital or at home with a portable unit. A special kind of fiber-optic blanket, called a bili blanket, has a similar effect. In addition to phototherapy, it's important to keep your baby well hydrated and to identify and treat any underlying medical issues. Your doctor may recommend breastfeeding more often or supplementing with formula to give your baby more fluids and help her pass more bilirubin in her stools. The goal of treatment is to lower the bilirubin level to prevent the buildup of toxic levels in the baby's brain (a disease called kernicterus). With monitoring and treatment, the risk of kernicterus or other complications drops to almost none.

source : babycenter