Week 46
Days 316 to 322 · 45 weeks 0 days to 45 weeks 6 days old · about 10 and a half months
Your baby this week is typically around 73 cm (28.5 in) long and about 8.9 kg (19.7 lb). Babies vary widely, so your baby's own steady curve matters far more than any average. Many babies now stand alone for a few seconds, cruise confidently and may take a first step or two, while others are still perfecting a speedy crawl. Their wish to do things for themselves keeps growing, and so do the frustrations that come with it. For you, this is a good moment to look after parts of your health that are easy to put off. This week covers long-term pelvic floor care, "me do it", early waking, letting go of the dummy, your thyroid, safety in kitchens and bathrooms, and the wobbly look of new walkers.
Day 316 · 45 weeks 0 days old
Your pelvic floor still deserves attention
The early weeks after birth focused on healing. Now, nearly a year on, it is worth checking how your pelvic floor is really doing, especially as your baby gets heavier to lift and you return to more activity.
Leaking a little urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, run or jump is common after pregnancy and birth, whether you gave birth vaginally or by caesarean. Common does not mean you have to live with it. Other signs worth noticing are a sudden urge to pee that is hard to hold, leaking wind or stool, a feeling of heaviness, dragging or a bulge in the vagina, especially at the end of the day, and pain during sex.
Pelvic floor exercises still help when done properly: lifting and squeezing as if stopping wind and urine, then fully relaxing. A pelvic health physiotherapist can check and tailor a program, and is especially helpful before you go back to running or high-impact exercise.
Lifting a toddler, car seat and stroller loads the pelvic floor too. Breathe out as you lift, keep the weight close and avoid holding your breath. Call your care provider if you have a bulge or heaviness in the vagina, leaking that affects your daily life, or pain during sex that has not eased. Try this: Do ten slow pelvic floor squeezes today, holding each for a few seconds and relaxing fully between them.
Day 317 · 45 weeks 1 day old
"Me do it" starts before the words do
Your baby cannot say it yet, but the message is clear. They grab the spoon, twist away from the facecloth, try to climb into the car seat on their own and scream when you help. The urge to do things themselves is a healthy part of growing up.
It is also frustrating, for both of you. Your baby's wishes have run ahead of their skills. They want to fit the block in the hole, reach the shelf, follow the older child up the stairs, and their body will not quite cooperate yet. Frustration often comes out as crying, flinging things or collapsing on the floor.
You can make room for this. Give your baby time to try before stepping in. Offer just enough help for success, such as steadying the cup rather than taking it. Set up some activities they can manage alone, like a low basket of toys they are allowed to empty.
When frustration tips into tears, name the feeling simply: "That's so hard. You wanted it to go in." Then comfort, and help if needed. You read earlier about gentle guidance and early emotional regulation; this is that in practice. A baby who is helped through frustration learns, slowly, to tolerate it. Try this: Next time your baby struggles with a toy, count to ten in your head before helping, and see what happens.
Day 318 · 45 weeks 2 days old
Early mornings and how to soften them
Waking at 5 a.m., bright and ready to play, is one of the hardest baby habits for tired adults. Some babies are simply early risers by nature. But a few things in the day and evening can nudge wake-up time a little later. Light is a strong signal. Morning light tells your baby's body clock it is time to be up, so blackout curtains or blinds help in summer. Keep the room dim and quiet if your baby stirs before your chosen wake time, and wait a few minutes before going in, in case they settle.
Look at the shape of the day. A first nap that starts very early can reinforce early waking; nudging it later by 10 or 15 minutes over a week sometimes helps. A bedtime that is far too late can, oddly, lead to earlier waking, because an overtired baby sleeps less soundly. Going to bed too early can do the same. There is no single right bedtime, but many babies this age do well somewhere between about 6:30 and 8 p.m.
Change is slow, and some babies keep their early hours anyway. If so, take turns with your partner, and go to bed earlier yourselves when you can. Try this: Check your baby's room for early light at dawn tomorrow, and block any gaps around the curtains.
Day 319 · 45 weeks 3 days old
Letting go of the dummy, gently
If you have decided it is time to cut back on the dummy, a gradual approach is usually easiest for everyone. There is no rush at this age; you might begin now or wait until after the first birthday.
Start by limiting where the dummy lives. Keep it in the crib or a set place, used for sleep and real upset, rather than in your baby's mouth through the day. When your baby reaches for it while playing, offer something else to hold or chew, or a song or a cuddle.
Next, think about other ways to settle. A favourite song, a back rub, a sleep sack and a consistent bedtime routine can carry some of the comfort the dummy used to bring. After 12 months, a small soft toy or comfort blanket can join the routine.
When you are ready to stop completely, choose a calm stretch, not during illness, teething, travel or a childcare change. Some families go cold turkey and find a few rough nights are followed by peace. Others drop daytime use first, then naps, then nights. Either way, be consistent once you start; going back and forth tends to make it harder.
Try this: For the next few days, keep the dummy in the crib and notice when your baby asks for it during the day.
Day 320 · 45 weeks 4 days old
Could it be your thyroid?
Tiredness after a baby is so expected that it is easy to miss when something else is going on. One common hidden cause is postpartum thyroiditis, an inflammation of the thyroid that affects roughly 5 to 10 in every 100 people in the first year after birth. It is more likely if you have type 1 diabetes, a personal or family history of thyroid problems, or had it after a previous pregnancy.
It often comes in two phases. First, the inflamed thyroid leaks extra hormone, which can cause a racing heart, anxiety, irritability, heat intolerance, trembling hands, weight loss and trouble sleeping. This phase may be mild and pass unnoticed. Months later, an underactive phase can follow, with tiredness, low mood, feeling cold, constipation, dry skin, weight gain and poor concentration. Many people recover fully within a year, but some go on to need long-term treatment.
These symptoms overlap with new parenthood and with postpartum depression, which is exactly why a simple blood test is worth having. Treatment, when needed, is usually straightforward and safe while breastfeeding.
Call your care provider if you have a pounding heart, shaking or weight loss you cannot explain, or tiredness, low mood and feeling cold that are not improving.
Try this: Add "thyroid test" to the list of questions for your own checkup.
Day 321 · 45 weeks 5 days old
Kitchens and bathrooms need a second look
The kitchen and bathroom hold more hazards than any other rooms, and a baby who stands and cruises can reach many of them.
In the kitchen, the biggest risks are burns and poisoning. Use back burners and turn pot handles inward. Keep hot drinks, kettles and their cords well back from the edge, and never hold a hot drink while carrying your baby. Oven doors can burn small hands, so block access while cooking.
Dishwasher pods and detergents look like sweets and are very harmful if swallowed or squirted in the eyes; store them up high and locked, not under the sink.
In the bathroom, keep medicines, razors, mouthwash and cleaning products in a locked cabinet. Set your hot water heater to a safe temperature, about 49 °C (120 °F), if you can. A toilet lid lock prevents both drowning and dropped toys. Never leave your baby in the bath, even for a moment, as you read earlier.
Save the number of your local poison centre in your phone and post it on the fridge.
Get help right away if your baby swallows a button battery, a magnet, a dishwasher pod or any medicine not meant for them. Call your local emergency number or poison centre at once, even if they seem fine. Try this: Move every cleaning product from under the sink to a high, locked cupboard today.
Day 322 · 45 weeks 6 days old
The way new walkers look is normal
Many parents worry when they watch their baby take early steps. The legs look bowed, the feet turn in or out, the arches seem flat, and their baby walks with legs wide apart like a sailor on a rolling deck. Nearly all of this is part of normal development.
Bowed legs are expected at this age. Babies spend months curled up before birth, and the legs straighten gradually during the toddler years. Later, around ages 3 to 4, many children even look slightly knock-kneed before the legs settle. Flat feet are normal too; the arch is hidden by fat and usually develops over the first several years.
Feet that turn in or out a little often come from the way the shin or thigh bones are angled, and most improve on their own as your child grows. Special shoes and inserts are not needed. Barefoot walking on safe surfaces helps the feet strengthen naturally.
Some things are worth a doctor's look, though.
Call your baby's doctor if the bowing is much worse on one side, seems to be getting worse rather than better, comes with pain or limping, or your baby falls far more than you would expect or seems to have weak or stiff legs. For your partner: Take a short video of your baby cruising or walking this week. It is a lovely keepsake, and handy to show the doctor if you ever have a question.