Week 7: Seventh Week of Your Baby
Week 7 - How Big Is Your baby This Seventh Week?
Baby weighs 9-3/4 pounds and is 21-1/2 inches long this week.
Baby Care and Equipment
Diaper Rash
Nearly every baby experiences some form of diaper rash. Your baby may be encountering it already. Fortunately, diaper rash is not a serious problem. The best way to prevent it is to change baby’s diapers as soon as she is wet to keep her skin dry.
The most common cause of diaper rash in babies older than 6 months is the ammonia, which forms when bacteria from feces reacts with baby’s urine. Ammonia can be trapped in a diaper against baby’s delicate skin. You’ll be able to smell the ammonia.
Avoiding Burns
One of the worst feelings you can experience as a parent is to know you have hurt or allowed your child to be hurt accidentally, whether by sticking her with a diaper pin or tugging her hair too much when combing it. More serious accidents, such as burning or scalding, fortunately can be avoided in most cases if you think ahead. Here are important ways you can help protect your child from burns.
- Never carry baby and a hot beverage at the same time. If baby jerks or squirms, you might accidentally bump her with the mug and spill some of its contents on her.
- Never cook with baby in your arms. Reaching for back burners or frying foods exposes her to unnecessary risks.
- Place her crib well away from a radiator or heater.
Think ahead. With a little forethought and planning, you can reduce or eliminate some of the hazards that are common around every house. It’s a smart idea to take some safety precautions well before you expect baby to start creeping and crawling. Start by covering electrical cords and putting appliance cords out of reach now.
Diaper Bag Essentials
It’s always best to be prepared when you take ba| out, even if you’re just running to the store for a bottle of milk. Take your diaper bag along; you’ll probably need it if you leave it behind.
Stock up. Make sure the diaper bag is well stocked with clean diapers, baby wipes, a changing pad, extra clothes, a light blanket and a pacifier, if baby uses one. If you bottle-feed, include formula ar bottles for longer outings. You don’t have to worry about these if you breastfeed.
When Baby Is Restless
By this age, your baby is crying less and interacting more. However, she’ll still have periods of fussiness. Because she’s a little older, you might want to try some new tips to help calm her.
- Let her look around her environment to help calm her. Put her someplace safe where she can gaze about, such as near a window so she can see outside.
- While holding her, do vertical knee bends to provide a rhythmic motion. (If you do them correctly, they’re good for you, too.)
- Try having an older sibling or your partner distract baby with songs or stories, or just by talking to her. Sometimes interacting with a different person can distract her.
- Massage her using the techniques already described and those listed below.
- Some devices offer distraction, such as a battery-operated vibrating infant seat or a crib-rocking device.
As you get to know your baby better, you’ll discover what helps calm her. One baby may prefer a technique that another baby does not like!
Baby Massage
Legs. Place baby on her back on the floor or the bed. Put your right hand around baby’s ankle and your left hand around her thigh. Slide your left hand down to her ankle as you gently squeeze her leg. Then move your right hand up to the thigh. Repeat. When you finish, press the bottom of baby’s foot gently with your thumb. Trace a line from the heel to the toe.
Massage if baby’s tummy is upset. If baby has an upset tummy, try the following massage technique. Gently stroke her tummy from top to bottom. Use the outer edges of one hand, then the other. Push her knees to her tummy, and hold for a count of 8. Massage her tummy in clockwise circles, one hand following the other. Walk your fingers across her tummy from one side to the other. Repeat as needed.
It’s normal for your baby to have flat feet at this time. It takes a few years for the arch to become prominent.
Milestones This Seventh Week
Her Senses Are Developing
Your baby’s senses are becoming more coordinated around this time. You may notice that she looks toward an interesting sound-she’s coordinating sight and sound! She may begin to suck vigorously when she sees a bottle or your breast.
Baby’s eyes can easily track a moving object now, beginning from side to side and progressing to up and down, Her focus is adjusting, too. She prefers to watch moving objects. She may be distracted when she’s feeding if she watches what’s going on around her.
She may let you know what she likes to look at, such as bright colors instead of drab ones. She also prefers three-dimensional objects to two-dimensional ones. She’s becoming more sophisticated in what she likes to look at.
Baby Begins to Use Her Hands
She is noticing her hands. She may open and close them, bring them together, wave them around and move her fingers. She may hold a toy for a short time if you put it in her hand. She’ll reach toward a toy held in front of her with both hands. She’ll even bat at something hanging near her.
She Uses Her Mouth to Explore
You may notice that your baby is using her mouth to explore her environment each day. She’ll put many things in her mouth, including hands (hers and yours), toys, a blanket and anything else she can get there. She doesn’t want to eat the things she puts in her mouth; it’s her way of exploring. She’s using her senses—touch, smell and taste—to get information about her world.
Baby Strength Is Increasing
The Baby can raise herself onto her forearms and holds her head more steadily. She can lift her chest off the surface she’s lying on and turn her head from side to side. This gives baby a much better view of what’s going on around her.
She May Need to Suck
Sucking is still very satisfying to her, especially now that she can find her mouth a little more easily. Some babies have an extremely strong desire to suck. Don’t worry if your baby has this need. It may continue for a number of months yet.
Thumb or pacifier? There is controversy about the thumb versus the pacifier for sucking. Some say a pacifier looks like the parent has “put a plug” in their baby. The thumb is better. Others say the pacifier has the advantage of being permanently removable after a certain age and it’s better for baby’s teeth when they come in. Whatever your preference, realize your baby may need something to suck on!
Baby Responds to Sounds
Baby may be more vocal; she listens to many sounds. She may quiet and stop sucking to listen closely to a sound. She may vocalize more in response to what she hears. She still prefers the human voice.
When Baby is Tired
When baby’s tired or bored with interacting with you, she’ll turn away from eye-to-eye contact. This is your clue to give her some quiet time.
At 7 weeks old, baby needs something to suck on.
Feeding Your Baby
Feeding your baby is one of the most important things you do as a parent. With your newborn, you must decide whether to breastfeed or to bottle-feed her. See the discussion in Week 2 of breastfeeding and the discussion in Week 3 of bottle-feeding. As baby gets older, you will begin adding solid food to her diet.
Baby’s Feeding Routine, 0—4 Months
In the first few months of your baby’s life, she settles into a feeding schedule. She feeds about 6 to 8 times a day and takes in about 2 to 5 ounces at each feeding. If she’s nursing, she spends about 5 to 10 minutes on each breast. As she gets older, she may drop a feeding but increase the amount she takes in at each feeding by about an ounce.
By the time your baby is 4 months old, she’s taking in between 25 and 40 ounces a day of formula or breast milk. Around this time, she may be ready to start solid foods. Discuss with your pediatrician, before you make any changes, when and how to introduce solid foods to your baby. In this discussion, you will also cover the amounts of and kinds of solid foods to offer your baby.
What Is Solid Food?
You may be confused about solid foods. When baby starts solids, is he ready for hot dogs and bran cereal? Does it mean she’ll be eating “grown-up” food?
When applied to baby’s diet, the term “solids” or “solid foods” means any food that is not breast milk or formula. Even though you will introduce her to many differenttypes of solid food during this first year, they do not supply her with the nutrients and calories she needs, She will continue to get that from the breast milk or formula you give her. You offer her solid food to help her learn how to move food around in her mouth with her tongue and to learn how to swallow it. You also expose her to different food textures.
Is She Ready for Solid Food?
Some babies are ready to start solids before other babies of the same age. Before a baby can begin eating solids, she must be able to control her neck muscles, sit with support, show when she is full and indicate her wants by reaching or leaning toward something. She also needs to be able to move her tongue back and forth. Most babies can’t do these things until they are between 4 and 6 months old.
What’s Happening This Seventh Week?
Establishing Bedtime Routines
About this time, your baby’s physical development stabilizes somewhat, and she’ll begin sleeping better. Now is a good timett introduce a bedtime routine or ritual. She’ll learn it’s time to settN down and go to sleep when you begin your routine each night.
What is a routine? A routine can include bathing her, dressing her for sleep, feeding her, singing to her or saying her prayers. Place her in her crib while she’s still awake. Offer her something to help her settle, such as a pacifier or her thumb. Keep^ the crib free of anything that isn’t necessary. Don’t give her a blanl or a stuffed toy in the crib.
Should I Give My Baby Water?
Often parents ask about giving baby water as she gets older. Your baby still doesn’t need this extra fluid. Breast milk and formula contain enough water for her at this age. Too much water can dilute! a baby’s blood, which could cause sodium levels and electrolytes to fall, sometimes dangerously. In severe cases, overhydrating with water has caused seizures and coma in an infant.
Until baby begins solids, don’t give her extra water. Be sure you mix formula exactly as directed. After she begins eating solids, 1 or 2 ounces of water each day is OK.
Baby’s Sweat Glands
Your baby’s sweat glands aren’t very active this early in her life. That’s why you may notice she doesn’t sweat, even when it’s hot! A baby doesn’t usually begin perspiring until about 2 months old. You’ll also note that the oil glands in her skin don’t produce as much as an adult’s skin.
Diaper Rash
What it is. Diaper rash is common for babies, but that doesn’t make it any less distressing. When it occurs, skin in the diaper area is irritated and bright red. It often resembles a sunburn when it begins.
What to do. To treat baby’s diaper rash, thoroughly clean the irritated area with mild soap and warm water when you change her. Rub as little as possible. Avoid baby wipes because they might contain alcohol. Then let her “air dry” for a while. Exposing her skin to air helps. Apply a soothing ointment, such as petroleum jelly or zinc oxide, to the area to protect skin from further irritation. Change her as soon as she is wet again.
Diaper options. The type of diaper you choose when baby has diaper rash may help her feel better. (The diapers discussed next are all disposable diapers.) Some diapers contain aloe to soothe and to protect baby’s skin. Some contain baking soda to deal with the ammonia odor associated with diaper rash. Some diapers contain an antibacterial application. Others are superabsorbent to keep urine away from baby’s skin. Another type has a hypoallergenic solution that protects baby’s skin against irritants.
When to call the doctor. Diaper rash needs medical attention if your measures don’t deal with the problem in a few days. Baby’s doctor may prescribe a mild hydrocortisone cream. If the rash persists, your baby may be referred to a dermatologist. To help prevent diaper rash, change your baby’s diapers frequently to prevent irritation.
Hernia
What it is. Some babies develop a hernia; it is most common in baby boys. The main symptom of a hernia is a bulging on either side of the groin. This may include pain or bloating of the abdomen.
What to do. There is nothing you can do to treat the problem, If you believe your baby has a hernia, contact your pediatrician. Surgery is usually recommended to correct it.
Diaper Rash or Yeast Infection?
If you think baby has a diaper rash but the redness appears in the skin creases and has lasted more than 3 days, with no improvement, it may be a yeast infection. Your pediatrician may prescribe an antifungal cream to treat the problem.
Toys and Play This Seventh Week
Continue with many of the games and play you’ve been engaging in with baby. She still enjoys many of the games you play together.
Talk, Talk, Talk!
Encourage your child’s language development by talking to baby as often as possible. Describe what you’re doing as you feed her, bathe her, change her or put her to bed. Show her different articles of clothing, and tell her what they are. Take her on a walk outside, and describe the flowers, plants and trees. Go to a park, and point out the play equipment there. You may feel silly as you carry on this one-sided conversation, but it actually helps baby in learning to speak later.