Newborn Development: What to Expect for You and Your Baby in the First Months

The moment you hold your baby for the first time is the most unforgettable and magical second of your life. Coming out of the warm and protected environment of the mother's womb into a new world is a huge change for the baby. In the first weeks, you might think your baby is just sleeping and eating, but in fact, incredibly rapid development is taking place in their body and brain during this short period.

So, what should you know to understand your baby in these first months? Let's take a look at the most important points in a simple and clear way.

1. Natural reflexes: Your baby's secret powers

In the first weeks, most of the movements your baby makes are not conscious. Nature has bestowed some automatic reflexes upon them to survive in this new world and to signal their needs.

• Rooting and sucking reflex: If you lightly touch your baby's cheek with your finger, they will immediately turn their head in that direction and open their mouth. This is an innate instinct for them to find food (mother's breast or pacifier) when they are hungry.

• Startle (Moro) reflex: When there is a sudden sound or a change in position, you may see your baby suddenly spread their arms and legs out and then pull them back in as if they are hugging themselves. This is a completely normal reaction and disappears on its own after 3-4 months.

• Grasping reflex: If you place your finger in their tiny palm, you will see how tightly they grip it. This movement is one of the most beautiful ways to build that warm bond between you.

2. World of senses: Seeing, hearing, and smelling

Your baby's sensory organs are not fully developed at the moment of birth; they adapt to the outside world over time.

• Vision: Newborns cannot see far. The distance they see best is approximately 20-25 cm. This is the distance between your face and their eyes while they are breastfeeding. In other words, they are programmed just to see your face clearly! Initially, they can only distinguish between white, black, and contrasting colors.

• Mother's voice and scent: They recognize your voice from the womb, and when they cry, your soft tone of voice can soothe them very quickly. At the same time, babies are very sensitive to smells. The scent of their mother and breast milk makes them feel safe.

3. Sleep routine: Why are day and night mixed up?

In the first months, the issue that exhausts mothers the most is the sleep routine. Although babies sleep 14-17 hours a day, this sleep is usually in short bursts.

• Noisy sleep: While sleeping, your baby may frown, smile, make strange sounds, and frequently startle. This is called "active sleep" and is very important for the baby's brain development.

• The difference between night and day: Newborns cannot distinguish between night and day because the sleep hormone (melatonin) is not yet fully secreted in them. You can help form their biological clock by keeping the house bright during the day and completely dark and quiet at night (this process usually begins from the 2nd month onwards).

4. Nutrition and tiny stomachs: Why do they get hungry so often?

"Why does my baby want to suckle constantly?" is a question that occupies the minds of almost all mothers. There is a very simple anatomical reason for this:

• In the first days, a baby's stomach is only the size of a cherry.

• When they are one week old, it reaches approximately the size of an apricot.

Because their stomachs are so small and breast milk is digested very easily, it is completely normal and natural for babies to get hungry frequently (every 1.5 - 2 hours).

When to consult a doctor?

Although every baby's growth rate is different, special attention should be paid to certain situations in the first month. If you observe the following, be sure to contact your pediatrician:

• Body temperature of 38°C or higher.

• The baby being very sluggish or consistently refusing to suckle.

• Difficulty breathing or the chest sinking in more than normal while breathing.

• Jaundice on the skin or eyes gradually increasing and spreading to the abdominal area.

Follow your baby closely with Anacan

Tracking these rapid changes in your baby's first months can sometimes be tiring. You can use the Anacan app to remember feeding times, sleep durations, and diaper change intervals. Gathering all the information in one place will both relax you and make your work much easier during doctor visits. Don't forget that these days will pass very quickly and you are learning something new with your baby every day!