In the first four weeks of life

Most babies are born at term and they are at home within a few days of delivery. We hope this short write-up will help prepare mums for what to expect in the first month.

In the first week of life, you can expect the baby to lift her head briefly when placed on her tummy. She will focus on objects within 8 to 15 inches away- the exact distance from her mother’s face.

Her body hair will disappear and her head hair will remain rich, thick and glorious in the case of black babies; scrotum and labia size and eyelid puffiness will reduce.

Poops vary as the gut matures: meconium is the black tarry sticky stool in the first one to three days of life that gives way to dark greenish stool before it becomes yellow and Egusi-like by the end of the first week of life.

During the second week, they fall into a cycle of feeding, pooping, changing diapers, sleeping, waking up to feed again, pooping, needing yet another diaper change, and going right back to sleep- A tip for all mothers- sleep when they sleep, otherwise you may get exhausted!

They will nurse eight to twelve times a day and the cord may just be falling off. Some of them will discover this early that their thumbs are good for sucking. They should regain or surpass birth weight by the end of the second week. During the second week, stooling becomes more frequent and may occur with every feed. This may continue through the first few weeks of life.

By week three they are feeding non-stop - some babies get an appetite spurt this early, and they have become less jerky, and more graceful. They will need 14 to 17 hours of sleep - but for some of them, the bouts of inconsolable crying called colic may just be beginning.

This is a good time to increase tummy time as it may also help with colic. However, they must always be on their backs to sleep. Their vision is improving, and they may be able to begin to learn nap time and nighttime routines.

By week four, they may respond to loud noise by startling, crying, or quieting. His primary caregiver may now increasingly be able to decode his cries. We encourage a little more tummy time, and you may find that cluster feedings increase again- they appear to have an appetite spurt around three to four weeks. It is a great time to ensure you have nipple cream if you haven’t gotten some already because they may spend long periods grazing at the nipple.

On any given day, babies should require five to six wet diaper changes- by the second month they may settle into two or three poopy diapers a day.