Healthy Growth & Development

Look at your Baby

On a day-to-day basis look for:

• A gently rounded tummy.
• Bright eyes and alertness.
• Spend time skin-to-skin with your baby. This encourages attachment and feeding.

Feed your baby

•  Watch for hunger cues/signs of fullness.
• Expect the baby to eat small amounts, often.
•  In the first few weeks, breastfed babies eat 8-12 times per 24 hours; formula fed
  babies eat 6-10 times per 24 hours.

Urine

• Should be pale yellow and odourless.
• Diapers heavy or soaking after 5 days

Bowel Movements

• 0-Day 2: Meconium Stools—black to dark green tarry stools in small amounts
• Day 3-4: Transitional Stools—black to green in increasing amounts
• Day 5 onward: Breastmilk Stools—yellow, soft and seedy in larger amounts

Some babies go for several days without a bowel movement. Watch for signs of discomfort and contact your healthcare provider if necessary

Newborn infants

• Most babies lose weight in the first 3 days after birth. A weight loss of 7% is common; up to 10% is within the normal range.
• Weight gain/loss may be impacted if the mom received IV fluids during labour or feeding is not well established.
• Most babies start to gain weight by day 5 and return to birth weight by 2 weeks.
• Breastfeed babies tend to grow faster than non-breastfed babies in the first 6 months of life and more slowly in the second 6 months.
• Non-breastfed babies tend to grow faster in the second 6 months of life

Typical pattern of length

• Length is a more reliable indicator of baby growth than weight, however, it is more difficult to measure accurately.
•  0-6 months about 1 inch/ 2.5 cm per month
• • 7-12 months about ½ inch/ 1.25 cm per month

Head circumference

• The first year is a time of very rapid brain growth and therefore head growth
• At age 18 months the brain has reached 75% of adult size.
• Head circumference is usually done by a healthcare provider at baby visits.