Having your own baby is one of the best life accomplishments ever. But, just when you thought that you know a lot about newborn babies, new research continually gives us
new interesting facts.
Today, I am going to be talking about some of them so if you have a newborn, you can expect them to have these.
Also, be sure that if you are expecting a newborn that you have everything prepared beforehand. This means that you’ve already shopped for your baby’s clothes, milk bottles, and you also have to make sure that you’ve already installed a baby car seat as well.
With all of those out of the way, here are some interesting facts about newborns:
Talking to Your Baby Begins Sooner than You Think
Babies cannot utter a word until they reach at least 12 months old and you might have assumed that talking to your baby before then is useless, but that is actually not the case.
Your baby is able to hear your voice as early as 23 weeks of pregnancy. That means that you can initiate some baby talk even when they’re still inside your womb!
Babies Are Natural Born Swimmers
Once your baby reaches at least six weeks old, you can take them to a pool and watch
the magic happen. Babies, after all, are natural-born swimmers. In fact, they’ve already been practicing inside your womb.
Some pediatricians even advocate first-time parents to bring their babies with them when swimming, but just don’t go to a pool immediately after. You want to make sure that the pool is at the right temperature before you bring them with you.
Once you go into the pool with them, you will instantly find that they use all of their innate abilities to start swimming. Of course, never leave your baby unattended!
Birthmarks Are Common
Babies have birthmarks and they are defined by somewhat unusual markings during birth. They can either look like a small pale patch on your baby’s face or other bodily
patches that you think are out of the ordinary.
Usually, birthmarks go away on their own, but if it still persists after a couple of years, you may want to go to their pediatrician and tell them about it.
They Are Short-Sighted
Newborn babies can only see anywhere between 20cm to 30cm in front of their faces.
Despite the short-sightedness, that is more than enough for them to be able to gaze at your face while you’re smiling at them.
Their sight continuously improves, however, and they may be able to see more colors after the fourth trimester.
They’ve Got More Bones than You
This is something interesting and when I first heard about this, I was shocked. Did you know that newborn babies actually have more bones than you? Yes, that’s right, your baby is born with 300 bones more or less.
The reason why their bone count gets lower as they grow is that some bones actually fuse together. Once they reach adulthood, their bones drop down to 206 (don’t worry,
this is normal).
It’s Normal for Them to Lose Weight
A lot of parents, especially first-timers, always fear when they see that their babies have lost weight, but this is actually something to be expected.
You see, newborns actually lose about 5%-10% of their original weight a couple of days after giving birth. Do not worry as your baby will start gaining weight as they grow older.
Baby Boo Schedules May Change
Some parents always get fearful that their babies did not poo during the day. But, you have to know that their poo schedule changes over time. They may start to poo just a day after, but it can last up to three days and that’s normal.
Also, when you are breastfeeding, you will notice that your baby’s poo actually smells so much better than if you are using formula milk.
Your baby’s first poo is known as Meconium, which is that dark sticky substance that you normally would see on their diapers.