Table of Contents
How to deal with your little one’s first cold, a low breast milk supply, and the ever-increasing diaper rashes. Don’t worry, we got your back through all the firsts!
Your baby's tenth week after birth
When your little nugget is around 10 weeks old, they are all about their hands. They want to look at them, chow down on them, and reach out with them. While your baby is on their belly and grasping light toys, they’ll lift their head and shoulders and even shake them. Nowadays your little one is fascinated by bright colors and new textures because their brain is still developing at an exponential rate. It’s time to bring in some fun toys! Make sure your living room doesn’t look like a toy store took a dump on it. You can utilize common household objects as it has fun new textures and shapes that your baby can explore. Keep an eye on them and make sure there are no sharp corners or little pieces.
Your 10-week-old baby's development and physical growth
Let’s look at what’s happening with your baby and in their body in terms of their physical development in the tenth week after birth:
1. Your baby’s weight:
- Your baby will considerably weigh more than what they were at perhaps 4 or 6 weeks.
- If you have a baby girl, their average weight should be 11.3 pounds and if you have a baby boy, their average baby boy should be 12.3 pounds. Moreover, the average height for girls should be 22.5 inches and for boys should be 23 inches.
- Their growth is fueled by the all-liquid diet that your little one is still on. They could be on formula, breast milk, or a combination of both.
2. Your baby’s sleep:
- As your little one is 10 weeks old, their sleeping pattern and sleeping style will fall into the realm of predictability. Your child will more often fall asleep at specific times without fail. So, you’ll notice a slight schedule has begun to emerge.
- Moreover, if your baby tends to wake up early in the morning, they’ll most probably fall asleep after the first feed of the day, or having a nice bath and first feed could energize them.
- Although, one key problem mothers are more likely to face is putting their babies to sleep during the afternoon, as they’re desperate to catch a small nap themselves.
3. Your baby’s diet:
- Your baby will need a lot more food because of their growth spurts.
- At this age, on average they need 5 to 6 feeds over 24 hours.
- A good guideline that you can follow is 150 to 200 ml per kilo of their weight.
- Also, don’t worry about overeating because your baby will know how much they need.
- If you’re breastfeeding, continue to follow their lead because they will know best!
Your newborn and 10-week-old baby's reflexes
- You will start to notice that your baby’s coordination is developing.
- Your little one might be able to grab onto the things that you’re dangling before them. This means that their hand-eye coordination is developing.
- With practice, your baby will soon be able to reach for their favorite toy or your eyeglasses.
- Remember that it’s too early for your baby to master the ability to grasp and hold the object they want. This is a big developmental milestone because they are reaching for what they want and putting two senses together.
- During playtime, you can introduce them to fun hand-eye coordination toys.
- Moreover, they love listening to music right now. You might notice some notable different reactions depending on what type of song you are playing.
- During bedtime, you can sing to them and play gentle lullabies.
- Put on some fast-paced songs to notice their excitement, you might even encourage more smiling and dancing!
- To improve their auditory senses, you can even use musical toys, soft rattles, and crinkly stuffies as they will seize your baby’s attention.
Your newborn and 10-week-old baby's health
Vaccines:
- During your baby’s eighth week, you have to administer important vaccines.
- Their first dose includes the 5-in-1 injection against whooping cough, diphtheria, polio tetanus, and Hib (Haemophilus influenza type B). Also, they’ll receive PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine), rotavirus vaccine, and meningococcal group B.
- There are no vaccinations to be undertaken at this stage if you have administered them successfully.
Cold:
- Even if you try everything you can to protect your baby from any potential illness, sooner or later, they are bound to catch a cold.
- Babies with immature immune systems tend to catch more illnesses (on average six colds a year).
- Sadly, at best, most infant cold medicines are proven to be ineffective, and at worst, harmful.
- Usually, you have to let the illness run its course and this can take from a few days to a few weeks.
- However, if your baby is younger than 3 months, keep your doctor in the loop.
- In very young babies, colds can quickly develop into pneumonia or croup.
- Here are some at-home soothers to help your baby feel more comfortable while:
- A bulb syringe – It will unstuff your baby’s stuffy nose. To suction the mucus right out, gently insert the syringe into your little one’s nostril, compress the bulb, and release it slowly.
- Saline nose drops – When you squeeze the drops into your baby’s nasal passages it will thin the mucus.
- Humidifier – It keeps the air in the nursery moist and soothes irritated nasal passages. It also helps break up some of the congestion.
- Contact your doctor as soon as possible, if your baby seems to get worse, clearly uncomfortable, crying more than usual, or has a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees or above.
Postpartum baby tips: Week 10 after birth
Understanding your baby’s bowel movements
- If you’re breastfeeding, your baby should fill between one to ten nappies a day, or even once every few days.
- Take note if your baby is passing poo easily and is not in pain.
- You need to see a doctor if your little one doesn’t poop enough, or they look uncomfortable while going because your baby might be constipated.
Understanding flat head syndrome
- Your baby might be at risk of developing Flat Head Syndrome if they spend a lot of time on their back and don’t typically prefer tummy time.
- When there’s continued pressure on one spot on their head, it can lead to a flat spot appearing.
- So, let your baby spend more time on their tummy during playtime.
- It will reduce the likelihood of this syndrome and will also strengthen their neck muscles.
- We would recommend you to wear your baby in a sling as it will do two things:
- Lessen the amount of time they spend on their backs, and
- Increase your bonding.
Understanding Colic
- If your baby is suffering from colic, they’ll suddenly start crying for no apparent reason.
- It has no apparent cure and it will pass with time.
- It’s a combination of baffling behavior and commonly occurs in roughly 1 in 5 infants.
- Sometimes your little one will be fussy for hours and it can go on late into the night.
- As we said, it will start to settle in a couple of weeks.
- However, contact your doctor if you’re still struggling, or your baby seems to be more tearful than normal.
The mother's body after childbirth: What is happening in your body in the tenth week after giving birth?
Your first-time breastfeeding in public
- Do not be afraid to breastfeed in public as it’s nothing new.
- It has become increasingly accepted and even encouraged.
- So, no matter how many negative stories you see on social media.
- You just need to remember that you have the right to feed your baby anywhere you want.
- Especially, if you feel comfortable doing so.
Your first post-pregnancy sex
- Both you and your partner need to make time for each other.
- You must miss the intimacy that came before you started this new journey.
- You just brought life into this world together, so let your bond grow!
- If there are any changes in your sex life, do not worry it’s completely normal and extremely common.
- So, ask your family or friends to babysit and take some time out to reconnect with your partner.
- However, if you or your partner (or both) aren’t emotionally or physically ready to have sexual intercourse, that’s okay too. Take your time and talk to each other.
- Also, you should look for other ways to be intimate with each other.
Your postnatal depression
- During your baby’s first year, postnatal depression can occur at any time.
- You might want to consult your healthcare provider and talk about the possibility of postnatal depression.
- You might sometimes feel an overwhelming sense of guilt or failure, or you might feel like everything could go wrong and everything is your fault.
- One in ten women deals with postnatal depression.
- Remember that you are not alone!
Final Thoughts
It’s kind of mind-blowing that it’s already been 10 weeks! When you introduce your baby, you can start talking in months instead of weeks. Also, as your little one is growing by leaps and bounds you might want to unpack the three to six-month baby clothes. This is a bittersweet moment to watch your tiny baby grow up so fast. Moreover, great job! You are doing so well! It might’ve been a rough couple of weeks but you are right on track now! So keep it up! You are almost pro at parenting now!
FAQs- Your 10-Week-Old Baby: Development, Growth, Health, Postpartum, New Baby Tips & Recommended Products
1. What can a 10-week old baby see?
By now your little one might recognize your face. At 10-weeks babies can still only see what's 8 to 12 inches in front of them. The good news is that your baby’s attention span might have gotten longer as now they’ll be able to hold their gaze for up to 10 seconds.
2.How do I play with my 10-week old baby?
At 10 weeks old, your baby will be getting ready to roll. You can even start exercising their muscles because they’ll need them for crawling. Your baby might start doing some baby planks because they’ll push up on their hands.
3. How do I stimulate my 10-week old baby??
Here are some fun and engaging activities for your 10-week-old baby:Cuddle time. Exploration through touch. Family get-together. Move around. Reading. Talk to your baby. Tummy time. Wiggle toys.
Reviewed By-
Nimrat, Pediatrics
Dr. Nimrat S Sidhu is a practicing pediatrician for about 5 years now and holds an MD pediatrics degree. She was the topper of her batch, has always had a keen interest in her core medical field, and is specially trained for neonatal resuscitation.
