9 Interesting Baby Facts You Probably Didn¡¯t Know
Parents of newborns lose about 6 months worth of sleep in the first 2 years of their babys life. Most new parents get less than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night because of the babys crying. The chance of having twins is much higher than it was 30 years ago.
Sure, babies are adorable, but did you know that they have more to teach us than we originally thought? The following facts about babies will make you think more about the miracle of life and see your own kids a little differently.
Fact #1
Parents of newborns lose about 6 months worth of sleep in the first 2 years of their baby's life. Most new parents get less than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night because of the baby's crying. This great sleep debt results in mood swings, depression, anger and even relationship break-ups.
Fact #2
From birth to toilet training, a baby goes through an average of 8,000 diaper changes. The average diaper change takes 2 minutes and 5 seconds by mothers, while fathers time in at 1 minute and 36 seconds.
Fact #3
Newborns can't shed tears. Sure, they scream and bawl for what they want or need, but they can't technically cry. Newborns can't produce or release tears until about three weeks in. However, it isn't uncommon for babies to shed their first tears at four or five months.
Fact #4
Newborn babies can see only black, white and gray, and can only focus about eight to 12 inches from their face. It is only after the first few weeks after birth that they begin to see in colour.
Fact #5
The chance of having twins is much higher than it was 30 years ago. The birth rate for twins has increased 76 percent since 1980.
Fact #6
Germany, Denmark, Iceland and a few other countries have official rules about what a baby can be named. These countries have an approved list of names new parents have to refer to.
Fact #7
During pregnancy, if the mother experiences organ damage, the baby in the womb transfers stem cells to repair the damaged organ. This medical discovery could explain why almost half the women who suffer heart weaknesses during or just after pregnancy recover unexpectedly.
Fact #8
As late as 1985, doctors were under the assumption that babies didn't feel pain, so they conducted surgeries on them with no anaesthesia. The belief was that the expression of pain in babies was reflexive and, due to the immaturity of the infant brain, the pain could not really be experienced.
Fact #9
Newborn babies recognise their mothers' voice at birth. It's also the only sound they are able to recognise while they're in the womb. They respond to this sound above all others.
*Image courtesy: Shutterstock & Giphy
