Up to 10 weeks
This is a time of very rapid and crucial development-your baby quadruples in size. The embryo is lying in the center of a large placental cocoon, and is still very tiny. As it develops, its cells are constantly changing to make new structures.
Your Baby’s Progress
Inside the tube that will eventually become your baby’s brain and spinal cord, the cells multiply at an amazing rate, then move away to the areas where they will become active. Nerve cells that will form the brain travel along pathways that are being laid down glial (glue) cells. These cells allow the nerve cells to move toward each other, connect, and become active.
Your baby’s head is growing rapidly in order to make room for the enlarging brain, and the body is becoming less curved. A neck begins to develop and the primitive tail disappears.
The skin now starts to develop into its two layers, and the sweat glands and sebaceous (oil-producing) glands begin to form. Hair then starts to grow from the hair follicles so that the skin becomes downy. All the major organs develop. The heart achieves its final form and beats strongly. The stomach, liver, spleen, appendix, and intestine develop. The intestine becomes so long it forms a loop the circulatory system is established, and most muscles begin take on their final form.
Facial features Under the skin on the baby’s face, a primitive bone structure has developed, and these bones are now fusing together. One of these goes down between the eyes and ends on either side of the nostrils, thus forming the nose and the middle of the upper lip. Two others appear under the eyes, forming the cheeks and sides of the upper lip. Two more grow under the mouth, fusing to form the lower lip and chin. All this provides the framework to which the facial muscles become attached, which then allows the face to move.
There’s already some pigment in the eyes, which are covered and very far apart. The inside and outside parts of the ears begin to form and the taste buds start developing. The tooth buds of all nonpermanent teeth are now in place.
Arms and legs Embryonic limbs continue to develop. Wrists and fingers appear on the arm buds, which become longer and project forward. The arms become bent at the elbow. Touch-pads form on the fingertips. Leg buds sprout, then develop three distinct sections-thigh, calf, and foot. Toes start to appear. At this stage, your baby’s arms and hands grow faster than her legs and feet.
This trend will continue after your baby’s been born-she’ll be able to grasp objects long before she’s starts walking.
Bottlefeeding
It’s perfectly safe and healthy to bottlefeed your baby with an infant formula, instead of breastfeeding, but you must follow the manufacturer’s instructions very carefully. When you feed your baby, give him plenty of warm, loving attention and eye contact.
Preparing Formulas
Infant formula products range from relatively inexpensive dried-milk-based powders to ready-to-use but expensive liquid milk products. Infant formulas are enriched with vitamins and iron, and are carefully formulated to make them as close as possible to human milk. They’re usually based on cow’s milk, but there are soy-based formulas for babies who cannot digest, or who have an allergy to, ordinary milk. If you’re unsure which product to choose, ask your health care provider to recommend one. Whichever formula you use, it’s essential to keep all the bottles, spoons, measuring cups, and nipples absolutely clean, because a newborn baby is very vulnerable to infection. It’s also very important always to wash your hands thoroughly before making up formula or bottlefeeding your baby.
Keeping Everything Clean
You’ll quickly develop your own routine for cleaning bottles and nipples. For sterilizing, you can use the hot cycle on your dishwasher, but be aware that rubber nipples will deteriorate quickly in the heat of a dishwasher. You can also sterilize equipment if you put it in a large pot, cover it with water, and boil for 10 minutes. All items must be fully submerged during the boiling period. Use tongs to remove the hot bottles and allow them to cool before filling. Sterilize all feeding equipment until your baby is 12 months old.
Before sterilizing, wash the feeding equipment in hot, soapy water or, if you have one, in a dishwasher. Scrub inside the bottles with a bottle brush. Clean nipples carefully, and rinse everything thoroughly
Measuring And Mixing
Follow the instructions on the can or package exactly when preparing a feeding. Never make the formula “more nourishing” by adding more powder than specified your baby will get too much fat and protein and too little water. And if you always add extra water to the powder, because you want to make the formula more thirst-quenching, you run the risk of undernourishing your baby.