Newborn's First Month - Congratulations, at last, the long wait is over. Your baby, the little one you've eagerly been expecting for nine months, give or take, is finally here. As you hold this tiny, warm, sweet-smelling bundle in your arms for the very first time, you're probably already in love. But you're also probably wondering what to expect from your Newborn.
Newborn Milestones - Your baby's development will be a work in progress, but she'll be making progress surprisingly quickly in the month ahead, in fact, she'll probably have some serious skills right from day one, like being able to lift her head briefly when on her tummy.
Tummy time = Supervised time - Remember, tummy time should always be supervised time, and it's so much more fun on your tummy or chest. How about some face time? Your baby will love focusing on your face as much as you love gazing at hers.
The sound of your voice will be both familiar, your little one has heard it for months now, and super comforting. It will also encourage the baby to start making sounds of her own, like the sweet coo you may hear by the end of the first month. Your baby, like most babies, is probably a born sucker, which comes in handy at feeding times. He may even have figured out how to deliver those teeny fingers to that teeny mouth for further sucking satisfaction.
The newborn States of Mind - It may seem that your baby has little on her mind besides eating and sleeping, and of course pooping. But look more closely and you'll see your newborn actually has six states of mind. When the baby's quiet alert, motor activity is suppressed so he can spend all his energy watching and listening. You can think of this as his secret agent mode, super stealth.
When she's active alert, her arms are moving and her legs are kicking. She wants to focus more on objects and less on people, taking in the big picture. A baby's best-known state, of course, is crying, which your newborn will do when he's hungry, gassy, uncomfortable, bored, or just needs a cuddle.
The other three states? Drowsy, those super cute, glazed over, milk-induced comments when nodding off.
Quiet sleep, when baby's eyelids are shut tight and that usually wriggly body are still.
And active sleep, aka REM or dream sleep, is when the baby will seem restless as she rests, her eyes darting under closed lids, her arms and legs on the move, her tiny mouth sucking, pouting or even, hold onto your heart, smiling. Are you still feeling like a newborn newbie?
Not to worry, by month's end you'll feel like a seasoned pro in the baby game, at least compared to today. And each month I'll be here to support you and to answer some of the questions you're bound to have along this incredible, magical, memorable first year of your baby's life. But first things first, here's to a happy first month!