In the last entry in this series we talked a little about Maddy’s case of the fuss and how her doctor recommended a new, easier to digest, twice as expensive formula. That experiment lasted about two days before we realized that it was doing more harm than good. The new stuff was pre-digested so it would be easier on her tummy. Don’t ask me how they pre-digest formula ‘cause I don’t know and I don’t wanna know! As it turns out, pre-digested formula only fills a baby’s belly for about 90 minutes, since there is no further processing needed it would go from bottle to diaper in no time flat. As such she was hungry pretty much all day and all night, and when she’s hungry, she’s fussy. We put her back on the old store brand formula and she’s been as good as ever if not even better.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
So how big is a baby in week 7?
The average baby weighs about 9 ¾ pounds and is 21 ½ inches long this week. We don’t have an accurate length measurement for Maddy but given that she was born on the short side we figure she’s still a little on the short side. When you see her next to Logan she looks a LOT short. We know that she weighed 11 pounds last week so she’s at least three weeks ahead of schedule there.
By now babies should be crying a lot less and interacting a lot more. Her crying time should be around 90 to 100 minutes every day with additional, slightly less fussy periods and because she’s older now she will likely require new calming techniques. The most effective are a change of scenery (looking out a window, going outside, interacting with a different person) and motion (going for a walk in the stroller or sling, going for a drive, sitting in the swing.) In Maddy’s case the crying is pretty much nonexistent. She has her moments but nowhere near 90 minutes a day. “Hungry fuss” is about all she does. Her interacting is definitely up and it’s probably up a LOT more than we realize because we see it every day.
Hands are becoming more of a focal point now. Babies will often open and close them, bring them together, wave them around, wiggle fingers, maybe hold on to a toy for a short period, reach two handed for something in front of them, and even bat at toys hanging near them. It is about this time they become thoroughly fascinated by their hands and may stare at them for long periods. Maddy’s not doing too much opening and closing, she almost always has her hands balled into fists. She does wave them around a lot and usually winds up punching herself in the eye, nose, mouth, tummy, even the back of her head! And she’s really getting good at knocking her bottles and pacifiers out of her mouth. She’s also getting good at swatting at hanging toys when she’s in her gym or under her friend Emelia’s toy bar.
Babies now start using their mouths to learn about their environment. They’ll put many things into their mouths now including hands (their own and those of others), toys, blankets, anything that gets within range. They’re not trying to eat these things, they’re just exploring, using three senses, touch, taste, and smell to gather information about their surroundings. Maddy likes to put her hands into her mouth, typically in the form of a fist, and she’ll suck on her index finger. She’s also a big fan of tasting the shirt sleeve of whoever is holding her, especially when she starts to get hungry!
It’s never too early to start helping a baby develop language skills. This is done by talking to her as often as possible. Describe what you are doing as you are feeding her, bathing her, changing her, and putting her to bed. Show her different objects and tell her what they are. Take her for a walk and describe what you see. Be mindful of over-stimulating her though. Being too loud and/or too close can be frightening. If she turns her head to break eye contact with you or starts arching her back and flailing her limbs she may be done interacting for the time being. If you think this is the case you should stop immediately so she’ll feel that she has some control of the situation.
That’s all we have for this week.
Once again, come back tomorrow for more pictures
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