The unborn child is typically carried in your womb for 38 to 40 weeks. The birth of a newborn is an exciting event, but it can also be a scary one. There are three stages of birth. These include: labor, birth, and afterbirth.

The Labor stage tends to be the longest for women experiencing their first birth. The waiting period may range from 12 to 24 hours, sometimes longer. Usually, the more children you have had the more you know what to expect, and the labor usually doesn't last quite as long. Contractions begin to be consistent and start about 20 minutes apart, then they get closer and closer. Pretty soon they are really close! The second stage, birth, occurs when the babies head begins to protrude through the birth canal. At this time, the mother-to-be will be pushing trying to help the baby through the cervix and the birth canal. She has to continue pushing until the baby is completely out, otherwise there may be complications. For example, the baby may lose the intake of oxygen or experience some effects from the obstetrical drugs, or the mother may tear the birth canal. During this whole time the mother will experience cramping like contractions, but the main thing is that the baby is out. The third stage is the afterbirth. This is when the placenta and the umbilical cord are expelled from the mother's womb. This stage is typically very brief.

Immediately following birth, the neonate is given the Apgar scale. This evaluates the infant's heart, respiratory breathing, muscle tone, reflexes and body color. An average full term baby weighs about seven to seven and a half pounds, and their usual length is twenty inches long. When a baby is born their body is covered with a cheese like substance. When they're all cleaned up, you will notice that they have fuzzy fine little hairs covering their body.
(Life-Span Development, John W. Santrock)

Characteristics of the Newborn

Variability in appearance	Seeing capabilities	Tasting and smelling	Control of stimulation	Variability in physical maturity at birth
Reflexive behaviors	Hearing capabilities	Coping behavior	Soothability	Sex differences among newborns
Sensory competencies	Feeling and moving	Habituation and learning	Individual differences in infant behavior	Individual differences in temperament

(Infancy & Childhood, Newman & Newman)

Infants will lose a little bit of weight after birth. This occurs because newborns have to adjust to feeding. They need to refine their abilities to suck, swallow and digest. Remember it was different in the womb so this is all very new to them. But once they develop their feeding techniques, they grow rapidly. Most babies will gain from 5 to 7 ounces each day. They will double their weight during the first six months and triple it by the age of one.

The sleeping pattern of an infant varies at first, until they get on a schedule. During the first few months infants rarely sleep through the night, instead they might wake every three to four hours. Some infants may sleep more during the day, and stay awake all night. Why do babies wake up? They're usually hungry and want to be fed, burped and held. Remember, you should burp your baby to prevent air buildup which causes them to feel uncomfortable and fussy. As the baby gets older, they will begin to sleep for longer stretches and through the night.

Babies are born with certain reflexes. Reflexes govern the newborn's movement which are automatic and out of the newborn's control. Reflexes are genetically carried and designed to enhance the baby's chance of survival. Below is a chart describing the various reflexes and how long the reflex last.

Reflex	Stimulation	Infants Response	Development Patterns
Blinking	Flash of light puff of air	Closes both eyes	Permanent
Babinski	Stroke sole of foot	Twists foot, fans out toes	Disappears 9 months to one year
Moro	Loud noise, being dropped	Arches back and throws out arms and legs, then closes	Disappears after 3 to 4 months
Grasping	Palms touched	Grasp tightly	Weakens after 3 months, disappears after 1 year
Rooting	Cheeks stroked or side of mouth touched	Turns head, opens mouth and begins sucking	Disappears after 3 to 4 months
Stepping	Infants held above surface and feet lowered to touch surface	Moves feet as if to walk	Disappears after 3 to 4 months
Sucking	Object touching mouth	Sucks automatically	Disappears after 3 to 4 months
Swimming	Infant put face down in water	Makes coordinating swimming movements	Disappears after 6 to 7 months
Tonic Neck	Infant placed on back	Forms fist with hands and makes a "fencers" pose	Disappears after 2 months

Infant's reflexes lead to the development of fine and gross motor skills. Gross motor skills involve large muscle movement, while fine motor skills involve more finely tuned movement.

New motor skills are the most dramatic and observable changes in infants during their first year. Motor skills transform babies from being physically helpless individuals to being able to lift their heads, sit up, and crawl around the house. Around 11 to 13 months babies begin to use motor skills a lot more. Plus, this is when the baby starts walking. Once they learn how to walk its like no stopping them!

During the second year of life babies develop more refined motor skills. They no longer want to be confined to a walker, play pen, or crib. They are more active and want to move around the house to explore their surroundings. Usually by 13 to 18 months a toddler can pull a toy, climb up stairs, and ride in a wagon. By 18 to 24 months they can run, jump, or kick a ball. (The First Three Years of life by Burton White)

It is important for parents to provide new and interesting stimuli for their baby. By doing this, parents will stimulate their infant's development. When a new toy is presented to an infant several times they will pay less attention to the toy each time.This is called habituation. When a baby shows renewed interest this is called dishabituation. When your baby shows habituation to an object, show them a new one.

It is also very important that infants and toddlers receive a lot of affection and nurturing. Erik Erikson argues that during infancy, the child is in the "Trust vs Mistrust" stage of personality development. He suggests that if an infant is well tended to and if their needs are met, they will develop a sense of trusting and liking the world. If they are unattended or their needs are slow to be met, they might develop a sense of distrust or uneasiness about the world. During the toddler years, Erikson says the challenge is one of developing a sense of autonomy or independence, on the one hand, or shame and doubt on the other.
(Life-Span Development, John W. Santrock)

It's good to hug, sing to, read to, play with, and hold your infant. As they get a little older, it's important to create a toddler safe environment so they can explore and develop their sense of independence. This will set the stage for the development of a healthy sense of self.

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