A Guide to the First Month of a Newborn's Life

By Betty Bassett

In the first month of a baby's life, they learn through cuddling, nursing, and sleeping.

Newborns benefit from cuddle time, grins, gazes, and tummy time with their parents.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your baby's growth and development, talk to your doctor or a child and family health nurse.

As you spend time together with your baby, your infant bonds with you and learns to make sense of their environment through sight, sound, and touch. This is a time of exponential brain growth. With each moment their brain is maturing and expanding.

Your infant will most likely be fascinated with faces and might even be able to follow your facial expressions with their eyes. Toys with contrasting colors, such as red, black, and white, or toys with faces or patterns with swirls or checks, are the best options at stimulating a newborn visually. You may move items slowly side to side then away and toward your baby to develop their eyes.

Your one month old baby can hear you and recognize your voice.

The most common method a baby can communicate with you is by crying, but making eye contact is another means of communication. 

In the beginning, your baby may occasionally grasp your finger, but more often than not, they will keep their hands tightly closed.

Facilitating Newborn Growth and Development During the First Month

Read to your child, talk to him or her and tell a story. Sing a song. Doing this will help your baby with language comprehension. Grow your bond with your baby by gazing into their eyes often. When a baby turns away from you, it's because they need to rest.

A baby's entire body responds to your smile because it triggers the release of endorphins. This gives your little one a sense of comfort and safety. It strengthens your bond and connection with one another.

Spending time being playful with your infant is good for their learning and development. As a result your relationship with your baby just grows deeper and deeper.

For a short time everyday remember to give your baby a little tummy time. Even with just one to five minutes it helps develop muscle control in your baby's neck, torso and upper body. Your baby needs to develop these muscles in order to learn how to crawl.

Another great way to connect with your baby is through infant massage. It helps with circulation and promotes brain development.

Skin-to-skin contact is critical to your baby's development. Baby massage will help familiarize your baby with your scent and your touch. Your infant will feel a greater sense of ease with your relationship with them and your bond will be strengthened.

On the occasion that your baby may not be in the mood to participate or engage then perhaps it could be a sign that they may be too tired or hungry at the moment. Your baby will tell you through baby cues to communicate when they may be hungry or tired.

What to do if your newborn is crying

When your infant is crying and you attend to your baby then it gives them a sense of security and comfort.

You may not always know why your baby is upset, but it's important to try to soothe them. Picking them up, cuddling them, and speaking softly to them is soothing and it won't spoil them.

When your baby cries bear in mind that shaking babies can cause intracranial hemorrhaging and, very likely, will cause lifelong brain damage. If you ever feel overwhelmed by a relentlessly crying baby, then it's okay to step back for a while. Put your baby in a crib or in a safe place, find a quiet area and try to clear your mind. Take a few deep breaths. You might reach out to a friend or call the National Parenting Hotline at (909) 474-2818. The NPH provides free emotional support by phone and a safe space to discuss any hardships that you are facing. If, instead, you would like to write out the challenges that you are facing then you can submit your note to: 

www.nationalparenthelpline.org.   

Parenting a Newborn

You and your baby will get a deeper understanding of one another with every passing day. Your understanding of what your baby needs and wants as well as what you can do to help him or her will expand with time.

Your learning about yourself and your baby never stops when you're a parent. Believing in yourself is healthy. Reading and learning is helpful. 

Taking care of yourself is sometimes neglected but really important when you're a parent. The best care you can give your precious, precious baby is to remember to make the time to also take care of yourself. 

Sometimes taking care of yourself means reaching out to friends or family for help especially if you're feeling overwhelmed. It's okay. You can give yourself permission to do that.

At what points should parents be concerned about their baby's growth and development?

You are the one who knows your baby the best. If you have noticed that your one month old:

• is crying a lot to a worrying amount 

• isn't eating normally

• appears excessively tired

• sleeps more than normal for newborn 

• doesn't move their arms or legs

• doesn't visually react to bright lights 

• doesn't make sounds (like gurgling)

• doesn't react to sound (by being startled by unexpected loud sounds or not turning their head towards when something is making a sound).

Finally if you (or even your spouse) is experiencing any symptoms of postpartum depression then it is very important to reach out for help. If you are experiencing sadness, crying for no reason, irritability, an inability to cope, or anxiety, these are symptoms of postpartum depression.

Problems with Progress

Although children tend to mature in about the same sequence, some children may acquire skills earlier or later than others. If you have concerns about your baby's development or you are concerned that something might be wrong, it's important to keep very good notes and to discuss these issues with your baby's doctor sooner than later.