Your 7 Week Old Baby
You officially have a 7 week old baby!
At nearly two months old, you and the baby are getting to know each other’s schedules — or, more like, you are getting to know your little bean’s schedule. You’re probably also getting some gummy “social” smiles from the baby as he’s learning how to control her reflexes and begins to show emotion. Don’t worry if your little one hasn’t smiled yet, babies reach this milestone at different rates.
Your 7 Week Old Baby’s Development & Growth Milestones
By now you’ve probably noticed that your baby’s movements are getting less jerky and uncontrolled and more deliberate. He can hold his head up and look from side to side, and does adorable mini push-ups when he’s on the floor. He can also track objects with his eyes and will soon begin reaching for things, although he can’t quite grab them on his own just yet (but don’t worry – you’ll be prying your stuff out of his greedy little mitts soon enough, and the phrase “we can’t have anything nice” will come into play).
At the seven-week mark, your baby should still be getting a total of 15-17 hours of sleep a day. From birth to 6 months, your baby will grow about 1/2 inch to an inch a month and gain 5 to 7 ounces a week.
With more alert and awake time, you now have ample opportunity to play on a mat or during tummy time, have a two-sided conversation with lots of coos and gurgles, and snuggle your little bunny.
Your 7 Week Old Baby’s Physical, Social, And Cognitive Milestones
Your little one is really developing at an amazing rate, which means he’ll be spending a lot of time absorbing the world around him. This is prime time for the two of you to communicate: he will respond with smiles and gurgles when you talk to him, so use every opportunity to socialize. It doesn’t matter what you say – he’ll still think you’re the most awesome person EVER.
If your baby cries without clear reason, and you’ve established that they’re not colicky, it might be a case of sensory overload – so check the noise level in your house. Think about how overwhelming it can feel when the TV is loud and the dog is barking and people are talking (or in the case of kids, yelling) and the microwave is beeping and your phone just keeps getting Instagram notifications and you want to scream “SHUT UUUUUUP!”
… Yeah. Only multiply that times a bazillion, because you’re more accustomed to it than your baby is. So if he’s getting upset, turn down the volume and see if that helps.
Your 7 Week Old Baby’s Health
Your little one may be going through a growth spurt, often dubbed the six-week sleep regression, this phase can seep into week seven as well. You’ll notice a shift in your baby’s sleep patterns and milk or formula consumption. Unfortunately, more food also means more gas. Ease your baby’s discomfort by gently bringing their knees towards their chest and with bicycle kick exercises. Baby farts are music to your ears.
Checking in with mom
Are you crying too, Mom? It’s normal to feel out of whack when your postpartum hormones are in flux. (Plus, hello! It’s hard having a newborn!) You might be upset that your body doesn’t exactly look like you thought it would at this point. But if your despair is reaching dangerous depths, postpartum depression is a real possibility and it effects your entire family – so please don’t hesitate to mention it to your doctor!
This article was originally published in 2015.
Read More:
The Top 10 Post-Pregnancy Bodily Surprises
10 Things To Know When Struggling With PPD
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