Your Baby and You: Week Twelve
YOUR BABY
Physical Development: I'm watching you!
About now, you may start to notice that your baby's eyes will follow objects that are moving around in front of them - about 6 inches (15 centimetres) away from their face. If you move the object from left to right, you will see your baby's eyes move along with it all the way from one side to the other. Your baby is able to follow you with her eyes as you move around the room too.
Social/Emotional Development: I know you!
All your hard work will really start paying off now, as your baby will start smiling when he sees you: he is recognising the person that gives him those lovely cuddles, talks to him, changes his nappies and is there for him all day long.
Feeding: Time to grow
It is very common for babies to go through a growth spurt at around 12 weeks of age. You may notice she seems much more hungry than normal and starts cluster feeding. Babies going through a growth spurt will demand more frequent feeds for between 2 to 7 days. This can be very exhausting, particularly if you are breastfeeding, but remember it will pass and things should settle down soon. Growth spurts are completely normal. If you are breastfeeding, don't start to worry that your milk supply is too low: the long and frequent feeds are your baby's clever way of getting your body to produce the milk and nourishment she needs to grow.
Care Advice: Moving to a cot
At this stage you may be thinking about moving your baby into his cot. Normally the decision to make the move is made when your baby becomes too long and/or reaches the weight limit for his first moses basket or crib. Or he may have started kicking around or trying to roll over.
Cots should have high sides so that when your baby starts standing, or trying to climb, he won't be able to topple out. To help get your baby used to the idea of sleeping in his cot, you could start off by putting him down for naps and sleeps at night in his crib placed inside the cot. Current guidelines suggest that your baby should sleep in the room where you sleep until at least six months of age. Read Where Should My Baby Sleep? for more information.
Care Advice: Turn it down
Your 12-week-old baby loves listening to music. Your baby will have been able to hear the rhythms of the music you listened to while she was in your womb - you may have even felt her kick to the beat. Just bear in mind that your baby's ears are very sensitive at this young age, so avoid having your music turned up too loud. If your baby has an older sibling, try to prevent them from shouting, singing loudly or enthusiastically playing with loud toys too close to your baby's ears.
Don't forget: Time for my close up
It is very hard to resist grasping every photo opportunity of your gorgeous little one. All those cute (or embarrassing) outfits, first smiles and funny faces have to be captured. You may worry though, are you hurting your baby's eyes by taking photos all the time? The answer is: probably not. There is no scientific evidence showing that a camera flash will cause damage, but it may startle your baby. So for their own comfort, there are some precautions that sensible to follow. Try to avoid using a flash: whenever possible take photos in daylight or turn the flash off of your camera. If you do use the flash make sure that you are not too close to your baby and try not to point the flash directly at your baby's eyes.
THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR BABY THIS WEEK
Ways to Entertain Baby: Mobiles and mirrors
Your baby will be fascinated watching mobiles go round and round. He will also enjoy looking at himself in the mirror (although at this age he doesn't know it is him yet!) It is wise to limit the time your baby spends doing these activities to no more than around 20 minutes. Although he will be having a lot of fun, you don't want him to become over-stimulated and over-tired.
ALL ABOUT YOU THIS WEEK
Your Relationships: Date night?
When was the last time you and your partner had some quality time together? It's time to plan a date - even if it is just time to pop out to lunch together. Can a family member or friend look after your baby for a few hours?
Time For Yourself: Getting ready for date night
So the date with your partner is planned. Can you squeeze in a bit of time for you to enjoy getting ready? It doesn't need to be extravagant, even time for a bath and to do your make-up and hair can be a treat in itself.
YOUR WEEKLY CHECKLIST
(Helping to keep you organised!)
Baby's Health: 12 week immunisations
12 weeks marks the time of your baby's second lot of jabs. No parent enjoys this experience but we all know how important it is. You can help your baby by trying to stay as calm as possible throughout - she will pick up on any tension. To soothe your baby during and immediately after her injections you can try giving her a feed, or take her soother or favourite toy along to help distract her from any discomfort. Some medical research has shown that swaddling, putting the baby on her stomach, gently swinging her, shushing into her ear and giving her a dummy to suck on really helped to comfort babies after immunisations. Ask the nurse for current advice on giving paracetamol (such as Calpol) after injections.
Common or Serious Ailments: Meningitis
Meningitis is when the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord become inflamed. There are different causes of meningitis, but the two most common are bacteria and viruses. According to the Meningitis Trust, meningitis kills more children under the age of five than any other infectious disease in the UK.
Babies and young children have the highest risk of getting meningitis and septicaemia (they often happen together). Knowing the signs and symptoms of meningitis, trusting your instincts and seeking medical help without delay can save lives.
Call an ambulance straight away if your baby:
- Has fever, cold hands and feet
- Has pale, blotchy skin and a spotty rash that doesn't fade when you press it with a glass
- Refuses food and is vomiting
- Has an unusual cry or is moaning
- Is fretful and dislikes being handled
- Is tense and has a bulging fontanelle
- Is drowsy, floppy and unresponsive
- Has neck stiffness and dislikes bright lights
- Has rapid breathing or is grunting
- Has convulsions/seizures
Symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia can appear in any order. Some symptoms may not appear at all.
