3.3 Developmental Milestones

New Born babies use their senses from the moment they are born, they can already recognise their mothers voice and smell and they have natural reflexes for example the Walking and standing reflex which

Physical Development: Large Motor Skills; Jump with feet together, walk on tip toes Throw a ball with aim and walk up and down the stairs. Fine Motor Skills; painting, threading beads on a lace, gain control over food utensils, use scissors and hold pencil to draw house and

The first hour of life for an infant doing skin to skin contact with their mother provides warmth, protection, and nutrition. The closeness of being on the mother’s chest provides a continuation of hearing the mother’s heartbeat and voice. This is the one place an infant feels most content knowing all their needs are met.

A child’s development can be measured through physical and language milestones, intellectual, emotional and social development.

| By this age the child likes to begin to explore and they are able to respond to the simple directions that they are given, can group objects by category, are able to stack rings on pegs in the order of the size (big to small), able to recognize themselves when looking in the mirror and finally they still like imitating more complex adult actions for example housekeeping play.

Babies at three months have now grown in both height and weight. They are wearing new sets of clothes and have changed in many ways. Some babies have learned the difference between night and day and are able to sleep through the night, which is great help for parents. Babies are also crying less and most parents are getting better at knowing at what their cries mean. Babies are starting to sleep a little less and are far more alert. They may smile quite often and show that they know the sound of their parents’ voices and movements. Babies’ bodies are also developing. They are able to lift their heads up and look about when they are put on their tummies.

Begin to ask questions such as ‘’why?’’. Play imaginatively such as role playing. Notices simple shapes. May move out of nappies and begin toilet training. Start taking interest in other children.

| At birth babies are born with reflexes – such as: * swallowing and sucking * rooting * grasping * startle reflexIn the first few months babies change considerably * gradually sleeping less * looking less curled up and startle less

|Physical |At 24months children can now run safely avoiding obstacles and are very mobile, this has developed from the unsteady first tentative steps taken at around 12 months. | |

Throughout the first year of life, babies will undergo rapid social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Motor control develops from the head, moves down through the arms and then to the legs and feet. Initial movements are reflexive in nature, such as turning the head to the side when the cheek is stroked, which aids in feeding. Babies will start to turn their heads from side to side when lying on the back or belly,this will happen around one month. At three

| Walking, pointing with arms, starting to dress themselves, holding light objects.Interacting with balls, climbing stairs or furniture, using crayons etc with more controlled, starting to run with confidence and feeding themselves.

| * Repetitive play as the baby enjoys doing something over and over again * Crying if they cannot see their parent or carer * Maybe shy around strangers

Days (normal, no sarcasm or mild sense of ‘I’m going jump off a bridge at any given moment’ undertone): Little to no crying, maximum of 2 poopy diapers that her father so graciously changed, no major spit up incidents, no accidental baby punches or scratches to the face and no clumps of hair pulled out by sticky baby fingers and/or toes.

But first of all I would like to tell you that don’t worry if the baby cries, don’t feel uncomfortable, get up if you need, hug and cuddle her, feel free to be dedicated to the baby as if you were in your home. For all of us today and the next few weeks that we will share time together, the most important will be the baby and her comfort.

Meeting a newborn baby for the first time is magical for a mother. The first hour after birth is important to keep the mother and baby together for physiological needs (Crenshaw, 2007, p. 211). According to Crenshaw (2007), mothers and babies who were kept together the moments after delivery significantly improves maternal and newborn outcomes. Infants skin-to skin contact with their mother after delivery promotes healthy breastfeeding, better sleep for infant, and increased self-esteem and confidence for new mothers. Being a new mother is sometimes overwhelming. The transition to motherhood brings many hormonal changes and needs psychological acceptance of self as a mother figure. As nurses, supporting