9 Week Old Baby Development

9 Week Old Baby Milestones 👶

Baby is becoming more and more alert everyday. You may notice baby smiling when you smile at her. She may also begin to suck at the sight of your breast or a bottle. At the same time, as her movements become more controlled, you may notice that some reflexes begin to fade away. The moro reflex, in particular, will begin to fade soon (if it hasn’t already).

You may also begin to understand your baby’s cries a little better than before. She may exhibit different tones in crying when she is hungry, tired, or in pain. For example:

• Hungry: Cry might be rhythmic and intense. It may also be accompanied by gnawing at their hands, or rooting for the breast.
• Tired: Cry may start low and build up to higher intensity. It may be accompanied by rubbing of the eyes.
• Gas/Colic: Cry may come on suddenly and with intensity. Cry will continue until gas has passed (For mamas dealing with baby reflux, check out some helpful tips here).
• Scared: Cry may be higher pitched and screechy. You may notice a startled look on your little one’s face as well.

(For a deeper dive into cries, including the specific sounds of cries, see this post.) Learning to decipher your baby’s cries will help you figure out her needs a little better and can help you establish a schedule based on those needs throughout the day.

Sweet sleep

Baby may also be starting to go to bed earlier as she consolidates her night sleep. Hopefully, she’s going to bed between 6 and 8 p.m. and waking up fewer times at night. Though it can be tempting to use this time to catch up on your to-do list, take advantage of the downtime—you need the rest, too!

You at 9 Weeks Postpartum 👩

It’s been 9 wonderful weeks staying home with your little one, but at this point, working mamas may be getting close to the big return to work. While some mamas find themselves prepared and ready for this, others may be filled with many different emotions about leaving their baby and returning to work. (Understandably so!) Other moms may be excited about getting back into a routine, being intellectually stimulated, and having adult conversations.

To help ease the transition of going back to work, it’s important to find a trusting caregiver who can offer good, open communication. When looking for the perfect fit, I like to create a Clarity List. Here’s how you do it:

• Grab a blank sheet of paper
• Write a little prayer or intention on top of page about your desire to find the perfect place/person for your little one
• Think about 5-10 things you need this place or person to be. Try to look at all angles— commute time (if it’s a facility outside of home), temperament, communication style, etc.
• Write down the top 5-10 non-negotiable qualities you desire in this caregiver. The key is to be specific without being too anal…

As you go through the process of interviewing places and people, keep your list handy as a good “sounding board” for what your heart’s deepest desires are for the situation. Sometimes, our emotions can say it’s a bad fit, but when we go back to our Clarity List, we can see it’s actually a good candidate. And vice versa!

Trust that you’ll find the perfect person or place for your little babe. And be sure to freshen up on our ultimate guide to breast pumping to help you on your way! You may also want to check out the best bottles for breastfed babies. You’ve got this, mama!

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Try This With Your 9 Week Old Baby

• Play peek-a-boo often—it helps baby develop object and person permanence, plus it stimulates that social smile