The crowd’s favourite, Bollywood and Cricket fans most awaited moment, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kholi just announced the birth of their baby girl on 11th January 2021. Along with them is wrestler Babita Phogat announcing the birth of her baby boy. Apart from the two couples, many celebrities are due in early 2021. They include actors Kareena Kapoor Khan and also Anita Hassanandani. The month of January has surely been a happy month for our celebrity mothers and their newborns. And we are super-excited for them.
Newborn babies are a mystery, not just for the mommy but everyone around too. And that’s why we end up pulling silly faces to get a reaction out of the baby, and worrying like crazy every time they cry. Here are some interesting facts that will enlighten and amuse you.
10 Baby Facts That Will Amuse You
1. Your Newborn Baby May Most Likely Look Old & Wrinkly
Looking at movies and pictures online, you probably saw a perfectly cute newborn, complete with a rosy face, tiny smile with those angel eyes and tiny fingers. But in reality, a newborn baby looks completely different. When a baby is born, their skin is extremely wrinkled and covered with a gooey white layer. Their eyes will be puffy and closed. They have a fine layer of hair around the body that protects them while inside the womb, known as lanugo. The shape of the head might not be a circle if you have had a vaginal birth. It is because of the journey from the birthing canal.
2. Dry Skin Is Very Normal For Newborns
Your baby may be soft and podgy, but that changes. After floating in the womb for nine months and then suddenly being exposed to the outside world and its conditions, your baby’s sensitive skin might turn flakey after the second or third day. Little pink bumps, diaper rashes, and even baby acne may make an appearance in due course of time. If needed, you could reach for a hypoallergenic and fragrance-free baby lotion.
3. Newborns Do Not React. Wait For The 6-Week Mark
Newborns don’t do much. They will not produce a reaction like cooing, or gurgling yet. While you are running in panic after your baby and hoping for a cute smile, he/she will pretty much sleep, poop and cry with a straight or unamused face. It is only after 6-weeks you could expect a reaction. It could be small smiles too!
4. Crying Is Communicating
Babies will cry a lot and that is their only way of communicating. It will get a bit overwhelming as he/she will cry for food, cold, sleep etc but eventually you’d learn to differentiate between the types of cries. Babies produce a different sound to different needs.
There are five basic sounds your baby makes just before crying:
- Neh – hunger
- Eh – upper wind (burp)
- Eairh – lower wind (gas)
- Heh – discomfort (hot, cold, wet)
- Owh – sleepiness
There are also other signals like rooting for the breast for hunger, soft weak whimpers for sickness.
5. Leave The Umbilical Cord Alone
The umbilical cord attached to the baby falls off on its own. It may seem weird and parents like to hurry the process. But by doing so, it would increase the chances of infection.
The best and safest way to remove the umbilical cord is by letting it run its course. Keep it dry, and pat dry gently, if it gets wet. Stick to sponge baths for when needed. Turning from a yellowish hue to grey usually takes 1-3 weeks as the cord dries up.
6. Babies Can’t See Far
While babies have a completely secure vision, newborns are nearsighted. Their sight is blurry and they cannot see further than 8-12 inches. This encourages a close bond between the parents and child. The newborn’s eyes are sensitive to bright light, so they’re more likely to open their eyes in low light. Don’t worry if your baby’s eyes sometimes cross or drift outward. This is normal until your baby’s vision improves, and eye muscles strengthen.
When quiet and alert, your baby should be able to follow the slow movement of your face or an object.
7. Newborns Have An Sense Of Smell & Taste
Newborns have a heightened sense of taste and smell. They will prefer sweet tastes over bitter. For example, your baby would prefer to suck on sweetened water than anything even slightly bitter. Likewise, newborns will turn toward smells they favour and turn away from bad odours. A baby’s sense of smell develops from the womb itself and is heightened after birth. It is their strongest sensory organ. And it is your scent which helps the baby identify you. It creates a special bond between you and your baby.
8. Tummy Time Is Important For Newborns
Tummy time is the first and crucial exercise for newborns. Tummy time is the period during the day your baby spends awake and on their stomach. It is a crucial exercise for baby’s motor, visual, and sensory development. It strengthens the babies back muscles, helps it uncurl and develop better. You could start from a few minutes a day to an hour at the age of 3 months.This helps prevent early motor skills and prevents conditions such as flat head syndrome. Babies should however not sleep on their tummies, always ensure they are awake during tummy time.
9. Your Baby Will Sleep A Lot, But You Will Not
Babies sleep a lot! They sleep for 18 hours out of 24, on an average. But it is most likely that your baby will wake up at odd times of the night. Hunger is a common reason babies wake during the night. Babies need to eat to grow, so it’s not healthy to try and change this need or retrain it. This will occur for the first 6-8 weeks. The sleep patterns will regulate after the first 3 months. You may have to wake up frequently, say, every 2-3 hours to feed your baby and follow it up with burping and changing the baby, which often takes 30 minutes. This is the reason new moms end up sleeping so little.
10. Newborns With Swollen Genitals
Sometimes, newborns will appear to have their genitalia/sex organs, larger at birth. The main cause is due to the exposure to hormones produced by both the mother and the fetus. The hormones that affect the mother might have affected the baby as well. Other factors include bruising and swelling of the genital tissues related to birth trauma, and the natural course of development of the genitalia. These will disappear within a few weeks.
Also, newborn girls will have a vaginal discharge of mucus and perhaps some blood that lasts for a few days.
Bonus Tips For Taking Care Of Newborn Babies
1. Swaddling A Baby
Babies are more likely to sleep when wrapped like a burrito! Swaddling is an ancient method for wrapping newborns in a thin blanket or cloth.
- Swaddling helps your baby feel safe and secure as she adjusts to life outside the womb.
- It prevents her from flailing her arms and legs, which can trigger her startle reflex and potentially cause her to wake up.
- Wrapping a baby using a swaddle method helps the baby stay cosy and warm until her internal thermostat kicks.
2. Stick To Fragrance-free Products
Your baby’s skin is very delicate and sensitive. It isn’t used to the outside world as yet, and using fragrant products will damage and irritate the skin.
3. Baby Massages
Massaging your baby has various benefits. One of them includes helping your baby relax and sleep soundly. It stimulates the digestive and circulatory system. Especially in cases of gas, cramps and constipation. It eases muscular tensions and any discomfort. It also helps strengthen the parent-baby bond.
4. Being Vocal
Babies love sounds like talking, babbling, singing, and cooing. Your baby will also love listening to music. Baby rattles and musical mobiles are other good ways to stimulate your infant’s hearing. Singing, reading aloud or reciting rhymes while you rock your baby gently is the best way to calm a fussy baby.
Caring for a newborn will get overwhelming at times. But it is all but a fleeting moment. You’d probably look back to and miss this time. Newborns are not always newborns and aren’t considered so after 3-months. So take pictures of all those times to remember, it will be a great addition to your baby picture book!