9 wks old
Your baby is growing stronger
every day. She may now be able to lift
her head, chest, and shoulders off the ground when she's on her tummy. Your
Superbaby will look so proud and happy while she's "flying" this way.
If she's especially strong, she may be able to push herself up using her arms
while lying on her stomach. She won't crawl
until at least 6 months, but these precrawling motions are her way of
developing the necessary muscles.
10 wks old
Your baby is an excellent
listener. He recognizes your voice, and he'll show you his pleasure by
smiling at the sound of your greetings. He's also excitedly using all five
senses to learn about the world. You can actually see how hard he's working to
assimilate the new information he's exposed to every day. If something grabs
his attention, notice how hard he focuses on it and stares. He's taking it in
on many levels.
11 wks old
Your baby is becoming very
handy. Although she's already aware of her hands, she's now inspecting them
like Sherlock Holmes. She turns them around, the better to look at her fingers
from all sides. She opens and shuts her fists, watching each finger as it moves
up and down. To help your baby develop her blossoming hand-eye coordination,
try dangling a toy just out of reach so she has to grab for it.
12 wks old
Your baby is probably able
to sit upright when propped up by blankets or pillows. If he can do this
for short periods without slumping forward or immediately toppling to the side,
by all means let him enjoy the new views that come with sitting upright on the
floor or next to you on the sofa. (Take care not to leave a propped-up infant
unattended. Even a seemingly stable pre-sitter can topple over.)
Baby D able to roll from her
back to stomach, back and forth, creeps forward and backward, sliding around
her tummies while pushing against the floor. She also able to rise up on hands
and knees and rock back and forth. Today is day 3, I let baby D having her
mashed banana, she just loves it. She opened her mouth for a spoon and closed
her lip over spoon. She was super excited and made all the funny faces.
5 wks
old
Baby
D is learning that she has hands and fingers and feet and toes. She's also
starting to talk more. Not with words, of course, but by cooing — with
increasing goos, gurgles, and grunts. This marks the beginning of her language
development. Talk to your baby often. You'll be able to keep her attention
by shifting from a low to a high pitch — the singsong style that parents in
every culture tend to use when speaking to a baby.
6 wks
old
At 6 weeks, about half of all
babies can recognize their parents, and many of those babies are so delighted
that they welcome Mom or Dad with an excited, gurgly grin. This is one of the
first signs that your baby is developing an ability
to socialize. In fact, it's called a "social smile," and it's one
of the more emotionally gratifying milestones you'll see your baby reach.
7 wks old
Your baby's hands should be
mostly open now and ready to reach out to the world. Although your baby can't
grab objects just yet, she can grasp things placed in her hands. And once she
wraps her hands around something, she might not let go so easily. She'll also
try to bat at objects, so keep potentially dangerous items far from her reach.
This means not holding hot liquids or sharp objects while you're holding her.
8 wks
old
Coos are your baby's way of
expressing delight, as well as exercising his vocal cords. You can carry on a
"conversation" with your baby now. When he gurgles or coos, say
something brief or coo back at him. Then wait for him to "say"
something back to you. This kind of conversational turn-taking may not sound
like much to you now, but it's actually the beginning of learning
how to talk.
1 wk old
Baby D sleeps most of the day and feeds every two to three
hours. Babies are born with many automatic reflexes that help them make the
transition to life outside the womb. Stroke her cheek, and she'll turn her head
toward my finger and move her mouth as if groping for a nipple. If I hold her
upright, she'll move her legs as if walking. Most of these automatic reflexes
disappear within weeks of birth. (content excerpted from Baby Center)
2 wks old
A whole week has passed, but it seem more like a lifetime.
As I am adjusting to feedings and getting by on less sleep, baby D is also
adjusting to her new world. She sleeps in short naps, wakes to feed, and spends
some time quietly alert before drifting off to sleep again. Babies' eyes focus
best on objects between 8 and 15 inches away – not coincidentally, the distance
to your face when held in your arms.
3 wks old
Every baby has a unique temperament. Some are placid and
agreeable, while others are more sensitive. One thing all babies have in common
is that they communicate with you by crying. Sometime in the first month,
you'll begin to hear another kind of sound. That's when most babies find their
voices. When your baby is calm and alert, you may notice she says a little
"ooh" or "aah" when she sees you or hears you approaching.
4 wks old
Baby D can probably focus on and track moving objects now.
Try giving her new skills a workout by slowly passing a toy in front of her
face or by having a little "staring contest" during which we walk
slowly back and forth in front of her. Watch how her eyes lock with yours and
follow along with your movement. This skill is a building block for hand-eye
coordination, which will come later.
I
crave for something cool, sweet and refreshing today. This is also an easy to
make dessert. Just mix in aloe vera, seaweed, longan, medjool dates (usually I used red
dates but I ran out of this item, so I switched them with medjool
instead), candied winter melon, honey, fresh lemon juices, cool water/ ice cubes.
Placenta grades are number values assigned to a
placenta on the basis of its appearance on an ultrasound examination. They reflect the
placenta's age and level of maturation at the time of the exam and can provide
important information about when the baby is due. A placenta that matures too
quickly can be a cause for concern, as it may indicate a pregnancy complication
that could threaten the health of the developing fetus.
At each ultrasound session, the technician should note all findings in a report
that goes into the patient's chart.
The placenta anchors to the uterine wall during fetal development and provides
nutrition to the developing fetus. As the fetus grows, the placenta's
characteristics will change. It initially has a very homogenous appearance, but
will become dappled with dots and shadows over the course of the pregnancy.
Calcifications start to develop and will show up as white marks on the
ultrasound. The appearance of the placenta provides information about how old
it is, and placenta grades offer a uniform way for recording information.
Grade 0 : Placental body is homogeneous. The amniochorionic plate is even throughout. Late first trimester-early second trimester.
Grade I : Placental body shows a few echogenic densities ranging from 2-4 mm in
diameter. Chorionic plate shows small indentations. Mid second trimester
- early third trimester (18-29
wks).
Grade II : Chorionic plate shows marked
indentations,creating comma-like densities which extend into the placental
substance but do not reach the basal plate. The echogenic densities within the
placental also increase in size and number. The basal layer comes punctuated
with linear echoes which are enlarged with their long axis parallel to the
basal layer. Late third trimester (30 wks to delivery)
Grade III : Complete indentations of chorionic plate through to the basilar
plate creating cotyledons (portions
of placenta separated by the indentations) . (39 wks)
