Growth and Development

 
Infancy - the first year of a child's life - is filled with tremendous growth and development, and many memorable milestones. The baby's development during his first twelve months of life will be extraordinary and will provide great joy and amazement for his parents. The baby will make great strides in terms of his physical, cognitive, emotional, social, linguistic, sensory and motor skill development. The pace and amount of progress made in each of these areas will not parallel that of the baby's fetal growth, but will be just as amazing. In fact the advancements made during the baby's first twelve months of life may be more astonishing because they will be witnessed first hand rather than merely seen through the growth of the mother's stomach.

This section is designed to lead the mother and her partner through the baby's infancy (his first 12 months), highlighting his expected monthly developments and milestones. The section will also provide a discussion regarding what the mother and her partner can expect during the baby's first 48 hours of life. Again, it should be noted and understood that the monthly and weekly developments, and the first 48 hours of life outlined here are merely averages, and will not necessarily completely correspond to the baby's development. What is provided is merely a rough guide that is meant to serve in helping the mother and her partner better understand how the baby is changing while supplying a general idea of what first-time parents can expect from their child during his first year - a time that is sure to be filled with anxiety, uncertainty, and wonderment.

If the baby's development seems to be lagging behind or occurring ahead of the general guidelines provided in this section, the mother should not be overly concerned. Just like the development of fetuses and the growth of their mothers, infants grow and develop at different rates. If however, there seems to be something drastically wrong with the baby, the mother should contact his pediatrician immediately, or raise the issue at the baby's next checkup. Signs of infant illness or problems will be discussed in the HEALTH AND NUTRITION section. To reiterate, development that does not mimic that outlined here, should not be great cause for concern.

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