Table of Contents
Your baby’s sleep regression (again!), introducing eggs and your body at 9 months into motherhood.
Your baby's thirty-sixth week after birth
Your baby’s 36th week or the 9th month after birth is going to be a phase for a lot of firsts. A baby’s first possible steps, first ‘actual’ words, and the first time they’ll have to deal with a ‘no’ from you, the parents. A baby’s 9th birthday also means that it’s now been nine months into parenthood and we’re sure it’s been a hell of a ride, eh? Let’s learn what is happening with your baby’s development and growth in week 37.
Your 36-week-old baby's development and physical growth
Your baby's first words
All the ‘bah,’ ‘bahbah,’ ‘pahpah,’ sounds that you were hearing and assumed were mamma, pappa will transition into real words around this time! Apart from these basics, your baby will now also bring out similar sounds for other proper words like ‘bah’ for the bottle, ‘peas’ for please, and perhaps, even ‘up’ when they want you to pick them up! While perfected words will still take a couple of months and there’s still time before they actually start ‘talking’ to you, these little milestones are important because this marks where your baby starts asking for things, albeit in their own made-up, easy-to-say words.
Your baby's first steps
By the 36th week, your baby may begin to stand up on their own, albeit with a little support from you or from furniture around the house. Some babies may even graduate from just standing to walk with the help of the wall’s support or various other pieces of furniture on their path. It is very much possible that your baby has not started walking or even standing yet as expected but watch closely, they may be trying and it is OK because all babies have their own growth curve. Crawling and sitting will also become more comfortable for most. Just encourage them with your words and they’ll be good!
Your baby's feeding habits
By the time your baby hits 9 months old, be prepared to struggle to feed them because, for all you know, your baby might not at all enjoy foods that they otherwise loved before anymore. As a growing baby, they may not appreciate the same old and hence, it is time for you to mix up things. You can perhaps feed them with a nice, consistent mixture of multiple solids in one. Pureing and mashing is also always an option. Whatever you do, make sure that you spend some time figuring out what your baby likes and do not force anything on them as it may create eating problems for them at a later stage. It is also important to note that babies should not be introduced to cow’s milk and should be continuedly fed with breastmilk/formula milk at least until 12 months of age.
If you are breastfeeding your baby, you mightoften find your toddler distracted during the feed, making the whole process difficult for you to achieve. To overcome this trouble, you might want to feed your baby either early morning or right before they fall asleep at night as this will keep them from being distracted and fidgety.
Your baby's sleeping habits
Your baby’s sleep pattern and habit will go for a toss yet again once they hit the 9th-month mark. Prepare yourself to deal with a baby on highly erratic nap patterns and hence, a highly cranky baby who’ll most likely be junk sleeping (sleeping at wrong and random times like right before a meal or even during playtime). Their daytime naps might also be divided into two or three parts now. At this point, when there is so visible sleep pattern whatsoever, it is best suggested that you practice co-sleeping to be able to keep an eye on them.
Your baby's reflexes
Your baby’s grasp will become tighter and precise by week 36 and to stimulate the grasp, you can offer them finger foods to grab and to hold on to. However, make sure that whatever you offer is baby-safe and does not pose a choking hazard.
Your 36-week-old baby's health
Tests and Vaccinations
Your baby will not have to take any shots or vaccination in week 36 unless there’s any they’ve missed out on earlier. As for tests, your pediatrician might have your little one crawl on their office floor to assess how far has their movement and grabbing advanced.
Final Thoughts: Introducing your baby to eggs and a quick talk on what's happening with your 9-month post-pregnancy body
Eggs may seem like a win-win for both, parents and the baby because eggs are nutrition-packed as well as easy to eat/feed. Though eggs have huge health benefits for babies, eggs, along with other foods like soy, wheat, and peanuts, are considered highly allergenic foods, and hence, it is recommended you be cautious while introducing eggs to your baby.
When you first introduce eggs to your baby, feed in a small portion and look out for the common signs of allergic reaction like rash, respiratory problems like nasal congestion, a troubled stomach, or even anaphylaxis in rare cases. It may also be noted that some pre-existing conditions like atopic dermatitis (aka eczema) or established family history can increase the chances of egg allergy in the baby.
Your Body at 9 months in/ 9 months out
You’ve been non-pregnant for the same number of months you carried your baby for, already! Now can does it feel like it? You might still be feeling very pregnant-like because your old pair of jeans may still not fit you well but come on mommy, do not beat yourself down! Losing baby weight is not as easy as it seems and neither is the effort required same for all mothers. A lot of mommies begin exercising soon after the delivery to get rid of the baby weight but might still be squishy and wide for longer than expected. Give your body the love it deserves and understand that your body has gone through quite a lot! And hey, you may have some baby fat but could you ever carry a baby stroller up the stair in one hand earlier? Or how about functioning on just 5 hours of sleep every day? Congratulate your body for all that it has done for you!
