Getting to know your newborn baby

Baby blue eyes
All babies are born with blue eyes because the pigment melanin, which makes eyes and skin darker, only develops after she’s born. Her eye and skin colour can begin to get darker from as soon as a few minutes after birth and continue to change until she’s six months old. Melanin is what protects her from UV rays too, so keep her sensitive skin and eyes shaded even on autumnal days.

Staring contest
Your newborn will love looking at your face because it’s shapes, colours, and movements will fascinate her. She can locate your eyes just a few hours after she’s born, so hold her gaze as much as possible, especially when you’re feeding her. It’ll help you develop a tight bond.

Miracle grow
Your baby’s growing much faster than she will at any other time in her life, doubling her weight between birth and six months old. Breast milk is full of nutrients, fat, and proteins, which she uses to grow, so she’ll probably be crying out for food a lot. She’ll be a special fan of kips during growth spurts too. If she kept growing at this rate she’d weigh over 1000lbs by the time she was five - Phew!

Happy days
Your baby prefers happy faces from birth. When she starts smiling, she’s not just imitating you, as blind babies smile around this time too. It’s a reflex to feeling contented and happy and has even been spotted in antenatal scans at 26 weeks. Smiling releases serotonin, a feel-good hormone that makes you more cheerful, so get grinning!

Adorable aroma
Everyone knows babies have a special smell, but do you know why? Your baby has such sweet-smelling breath because she hasn’t grown any teeth yet. Smelly breath is down to the bacteria which collects between your teeth. It’s a shame her nappies don’t smell quite the same way.