The desire to have a child should be meaningful on the part of both parents. It is useful for the expectant mother not only to know about the upcoming changes in the body, but also to read as much information as possible about the prenatal and postnatal periods of the baby's development.
Before birth
The prenatal period, or intrauterine development, which lasts an average of 280 days (40 weeks), is usually divided into three stages:
- The initial stage. This is the first week of development from the moment of fertilization to implantation in the mucous membrane of the uterus of the embryo.
- The embryonic stage. Over the next seven weeks, the formation of all systems and organs. The main food for the baby are substances delivered with the mother’s blood. In the third week, blood vessels, pronephros (the kidney) and the heart are laid. After another seven days, the formation of the liver, stomach, lung, pancreas and endocrine glands, as well as the primary kidney, the beginnings of the legs and arms, is completed. In the fifth week, the embryo continues to develop lungs and bronchi, and the rectum and bladder form. After two weeks, intensive head growth is observed, you can make out ears and eyes, fingers and toes.
- The fruitful stage. From the ninth week of pregnancy until the moment of birth, the child gains weight and increases in size, the maturation and development of systems and organs continues.
Classical Concerts
Until recently, the idea of counting the age of a child from conception seemed completely insane, but today scientists are no longer so skeptical.
Research results show that the baby can learn in the womb. The best way to stimulate is to play classical music to the embryo.
Almost immediately after conception, the baby's brain begins to develop, and by the end of the fifth month the number of brain cells is formed, which will remain unchanged throughout the postnatal period. With intrauterine development, cells grow with the help of intercellular compounds.
Stimulating cells through classical music increases the likelihood of developing intelligence. In addition, in the postnatal period, such children are easier to learn and even begin to speak several months earlier than their peers.
After birth
The postnatal period is called the time from birth to death. In pediatrics, it is customary to distinguish the following stages of postnatal development:
1. The first month after birth is the neonatal period.
2. From the second month to a year - infancy.
3. The second year of life - late infancy.
4. From two to six years - younger children's age (preschool period).
5. 6-10 years (girls) and 6-12 years (boys) - the school period.
The first month
During the first 28 days of the baby's life, cardinal changes occur. We will detail the features of the neonatal period :
- Physiological weight loss. Pediatricians consider weight loss of up to 10% in the first five days the norm.
- Immediately after birth, babies have a search, sucking, motor and grasping reflex.
- During the first month of life, the muscles are in good shape, and the body automatically takes the fetal position. Hypertonicity usually disappears after two to three months.
- The number of bowel movements directly depends on the frequency of feeding. The first two days from the intestine secreted meconium.
- Most of the time, newborns spend in a dream - they can sleep up to 22 hours a day.
The separation of mother and child during childbirth, of course, affects the psychological state of the baby in the early postnatal period. However, while maintaining constant contact, this stage passes without serious consequences.
In terms of food, WHO and pediatricians around the world consider breast milk an ideal diet, especially for infants. The amount and frequency of feeding is best left to the discretion of the baby.
Month to year
Imagine the daunting task facing the child in the first year of life. First, the baby learns to hold his head, then crawl and sit down, get up, walk, grab things. The formation of motor skills in children in the postnatal period of development allows them to get as much information as possible about the world around them.
The first attempts to capture and hold the item appear already in 3-4 months. For such training, light and noisy rattles are suitable. At this age, children begin to understand the relationship of certain movements and the sounds that appear at the same time.
At about 6-7 months, babies discover an independent way of moving in space - crawling. After some time, they try to get on their feet and take the first steps, and the active participation of adults will certainly benefit this complex process.
At the end of the infant period, the child tries to imitate adults in manipulating objects: brings a cup to his mouth, rolls a typewriter, knocks on a drum.
Two years
During the first year of life, the baby is attached to the mother, but development in the postnatal period adds self-confidence. At 12 months, the baby already knows how to walk and strives for independence with all his might. Parents are surprised to find that moment when the child ceases to obey their will and becomes a person with their desires.
The development of the baby during late infancy is accompanied by the formation of character and is proceeding at a very fast pace. The little researcher is calm only at the time of sleep, and the rest of the time he literally does not sit still.
Up to two years, the child accumulates a passive vocabulary and learns to understand spoken language, so that after a while he begins to speak independently.
It's no secret that children can develop in different ways. However, there are cases when the principle “everything has its time” is better not to apply in the postnatal period. Be sure to contact a specialist if the baby after one and a half years has not started to walk or does not play simple games, after two years does not say a word or does not respond to the long absence of the mother (an adult caring for him).
From 3 to 5 years
The postnatal period of a child’s development is often accompanied by crises, and the first begins in three years. The position of “we” is replaced by an independent “I”, which changes the attitude of the baby to everything around. Instead of the world of objects, the main interest is now the world of people.
At a younger preschool age , the development of communicative activity, social perception and speech functions, as well as imagination and imaginative thinking.
In the sixth year of life, we can appreciate the personality and character of the baby. With the help of imagination, a child literally paints his life with bright colors. Experts believe that children's drawings at a young preschool age are a connection with the inner world of a young artist.
Closer to the school period, the child is well oriented in time and space, in household things and in relations between people.
From 6 to 10 years
The manifestation of the crisis of 6-7 years speaks of social readiness for school. The child is trying to realize his place in the system of complex social relations, there is a separation of the external and internal world.
In primary school age , memory and perception undergo significant changes. Doctrine is becoming a leading activity ; other duties and daily routines appear.
Schoolchildren show individuality and interest in competitions. They are active, full of energy and curious. It is important for children to see a good example before their eyes: the love of parents, the atmosphere of friendliness, the willingness to help and mutual respect.