Baby

7 amazing facts about newborn babies

Anxious about bringing home your baby? Take a moment away from your to-do lists and worries to refocus on what really matters – the sweet bundle of joy waiting for you at the end of your pregnancy journey. He or she is even more incredible than you can imagine. We have seven ways your newborn baby is sure to amaze you:

Newborns know what to do

A 1987 Swedish study coined the term the “Breast Crawl” after determining that a brand new baby can find his or her way to the mother’s breast to feed. Once baby was born, cleaned and dried, nurses would lay him or her on the mother’s chest and, each time, the baby would crawl its way to mom’s breast to nurse on its own. Way to go, baby!

Newborns know mom

The outside world can be scary and overwhelming, what with all the new sights and sounds to take in. While baby is going to take some time to develop, he or she always recognizes mom’s voice and scent immediately after birth.

Newborns don’t have tears

Don’t get us wrong – there will be a whole lot of crying, but for the first months, baby won’t shed a tear. His or her tear ducts are certainly working, but they will only lubricate enough to keep baby’s eyes comfortable – not to produce tears.

Most Caucasian newborns have blue eyes

The vast majority of Caucasian babies are born with sky blue eyes, regardless of genetic makeup. Look for the color to change in the first six months of life. Hispanic, Asian and African-American babies are largely born with dark-colored eyes that won’t change color as baby grows.

Newborns are nearsighted

Here’s a sweet fact – on average, newborn babies can see up to 10 inches away. That’s about the distance from your baby nursing at the breast to your face.

Newborns don’t have kneecaps

Babies are born with cartilage that resembles a kneecap, but the actual kneecap won’t develop until 6 or 7 months – just in time to start crawling.

Newborns have extra bones

Babies are born with almost 300 bones, whereas we adults have 206. As baby grows, those extra bones will fuse together.

Babies sure are incredible, aren’t they? What items from this list were new to you? Did anything surprise you? Share in the comments below!

By Lizzie Goodman

Lizzie Goodman is a writer living in the Midwest. Since becoming a mom, she’s learned to do everything one-handed, often while letting her baby daughter pull her hair and poke her in the face. She believes in the strength and power of women – and really enjoys writing about pregnancy and motherhood.