myBabySweepstake

Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adult we have only 206 in our bodies. The reason? Some bones fuse together later.
Children born in the month of May are on the average 200 grams heavier at birth than children born in any other month.
A newborn baby's head accounts for about one-quarter of it's entire weight.
A fetus in the womb can hear. Tests have shown that fetuses respond to various sounds just as vigorously as they respond to pressures and internal sensations.
The average child will eat 15 pounds of cereal in a year.
Did you know that every three seconds a baby is born?
The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69.
The first child ever born on the continent of Antarctica was born in 1978.
From 1725-1765 a Russian peasant woman gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets and 4 sets of quadruplets.
The average stay in a hospital to give birth was 4.1 days in 1970. It was 2.6 days in 1993.
Babies are born with very poor vision but can recognize their mothers almost right away.
Babies are born with a swimming reflex and can naturally hold there breath. But they shortly lose this instinct.
Babies are always born with blue eyes, within a few moments of delivery their eye color can change.
Newborns usually double their weight by six months.
By the end of the first year, a newborn normally will triple their weight.
Reading to your child (at ANY age) will increase their knowledge.
Puzzles are not only fun, but they promote your child's development in a variety of ways.
Babies don't have kneecaps when they are born. They only develop during the latter half of the first year
The average toddler takes 176 steps per minute.
Babies eyes don't produce tears until the baby is between 3 and 6 weeks old.
At 7 days a baby can distinguish his mother's voice, by 14 days he can recognise his father's voice.
Babies gradually develop a preference for the sounds of their native tongue.
In the second half of the first year, babies start paying less attention to subtle differences in pronunciation and more attention to whole words and phrases.
The rhythms of speech become attractive, helping them remember words they hear frequently.
Babies who hear lots of words will understand more words and perhaps begin to speak sooner.
"Sign language" is emerging as another way for babies to communicate, even if they don't have hearing or developmental problems. Read Baby Signs, by Dr Linda Acredolo and Dr Susan Goodwyn or go to www.babysigns.com.
Babies have a define preference for high contrast images, like geometric shapes in black, white and red.
A newborn baby focuses best at 25cm from the bridge of his nose- the distance from his mothers breast to his mother's eyes.
Visual stimulation can produce developmental advantages including enhanced curiosity, attentiveness and concentration.
Newborn babies have an acute sense of smell, which enables them to recognise the natural scent, or pheromones, from their mother's body.
Too much sensory input can make babies miserable. During the first six months of life, babies start co-ordinating the use of their senses. If sounds collide with movements or vice versa, it's difficult for the baby to sort out the confusion. When he can't make sense of it, the baby gets annoyed.
During pregnancy your heart grows - Progesterone softens the joints. Your ribcage stretches out and, as your uterus grows, everything else in your body shifts about. Organs, such as the heart and live, enlarge too, due to their extra workload.
During pregnancy your bones soften - High levels of the hormones oestrogen and relaxin cause ligaments throughout your body to relax, including those in your back. The extra strain on the muscles and joints of the lower back area can cause back pain. Help your body - Bend your knees when picking anything up and avoid twisting.
During pregnancy your body can swell anywhere - Extra fluid circulating can sometimes cause swelling (oedema) throughout your whole body, but more commonly in the ankles due to interstitial fluid building up. Help your body - Put your feet up higher than your hips at the end of the day for 15 minutes. Increase your fluid intake to keep your kidneys functioning well.
During pregnancy your skin changes - Hormones mean skin can dry out. Extra collagen in your skin tears when it stretches, causing stretchmarks. They won't go after the birth but may fade. Help your body - Use a body moisturiser to improve the condition of your skin.
During pregnancy blue veins appear - Some people are genetically predisposed to varicose veins, some aren't. Light exercise and support tights may help. Help your body - Avoid heels as this pushes weight to the front of your foot, worsening the problem.
During pregnancy your womb holds a pint of water - At the start of pregnancy, your uterus is the size of a small Conference pear. By the end of the nine months it's more like an oversized watermelon, holding a baby and at least a pint of water, so it's not surprising you feel twinges as it grows, especially as it will be touching the bottom of your ribs. At 16-20 weeks you may feel slight pain caused by some ligaments beginning to stretch. Help your body - Ask your midwife about Optimal Fetal Positioning (OFP). It's a method of trying to ensure that the baby lies in the uterus in the best position for labour through the use of lifestyle habits and exercises.
During pregnancy your hair's thicker - Your hair becomes glossy and thicker due to the oestrogen receptors it contains. It is thicker because growth has slowed down and hair loss is reduced. Help your body - Don't worry if your hair falls out after the birth. It's only the hair you would have lost during the previous nine months. It's also a myth that breastfeeding prevents this loss.
During pregnancy you'll need the loo more - During your first trimester you'll need the loo more often as your uterus expands onto your bladder. Higher progesterone levels and tubes from your kidneys being swollen and dilated mean you're more prone to urinary problems. Help your body - Cut down on tea and coffee and drink water or diluted fruit juice, like cranberry.
During pregnancy you're more stretchy - To prepare your body for childbirth, the hormone, relaxin, reduces cartilage and ligament density, so you can stretch parts of your body a lot more than normal. Help your body - Go gently. Avoid exercises like sitting cross-legged and pushing your knees to the floor as they strain your muscles.
During pregnancy your hands can tingle - Numbness and tingling may be a sign of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - pressure on a nerve where it passes into the hand at the wrist. Anyone can get it, but you're more at risk in pregnancy. It usually disappears after birth. Help your body - A physiotherapist may offer splints.
During pregnancy you produce more blood - Your total volume of blood is 50% higher than usual and cardiac output (the amount of blood pumped out with each heartbeat) increases by 40%. You manufacture 20% extra red blood cells to carry more oxygen around your body. It's normal to feel out of breath at times in the later months. But breathlessness can be a sign of anaemia so if you're concerned, ask your midwife to check your iron levels. Help your body - Aerobic activities, such as walking or swimming, will help to keep your heart healthy, but avoid taking up any form of exercise that you're not already familiar with.
During pregnancy your sense of smell is stronger - Changes in food likes and dislikes in pregnancy are connected with your sense of smell and not your sense of taste. Ninety per cent of your ability to taste is actually connected with sense of smell. Help your body - Be prepared for certain smells to make you feel physically sick.
During pregnancy your baby gets food before you - It's important to eat healthily in pregnancy. The baby will take all the nutrients he needs, but this can leave you lacking, especially in iron. Your GP can provide iron tablets if you're anaemic. Help your body - Vitamin C in a glass of orange juice helps your body absorb iron. Most breakfast cereals are fortified with iron, too.
During pregnancy you breathe deeper - As your uterus grows, the diaphragm is compressed, It seems difficult to breathe deeply, but you actually breathe more air. Help your body - Don't fight the tendency to hollow your back. This counteracts the increased weight at the front and opens up your ribcage to let more air in.
During pregnancy your pelvic muscles stretch - Incontinence caused by childbirth is decreasing as women get better at doing pelvic floor exercises. Help your body - Clench the muscles round the back and front passages, "lifting" your internal muscles. Hold for a count of four, then release. Repeat whenever you can.
During pregnancy your face darkens - The 'mask of pregnancy' is caused by a change of pigment in your skin across your nose and cheeks in a butterfly shape. It only seems to affect some women, but no-one knows why. Help your body - It isn't unsightly, but you can disguise it with makeup. It will fade after birth.
During pregnancy your tummy develops a line - Some women develop a dark line on their abdomen in pregnancy. This is known as the linea nigra and is caused by higher melatonin levels, but it's not known why it develops. It tends to affect women with dark colouring more than those with fairer complexions. Help your body - Relax. It's not harmful and it will fade.
During pregnancy your boobs keep changing - Many women worry unnecessarily that breastfeeding will ruin the shape of their boobs. In Fact, MonthRelevance any change in shape is actually caused by the pregnancy itself and not by breastfeeding your baby. Proper support at this time is vital to support the muscles in your chest wall as there's no muscle tissue in your breast. Help your body - Get re-measured and fitted for a good quality support bra during your first trimester as this is the time of the biggest changes. However, you will feel your size changing as your pregnancy progresses.
During pregnancy your teeth need extra care - It used to be said that a woman lost one tooth for each of her pregnancies. Thankfully, that's no longer the case for women who have a healthy, varied diet. But your gums are vulnerable now and gingivitis, or bleeding gums, is very common. It's important to make the most of the free dental treatment you are entitled to (up until your baby is 12 months old) and see your dentist and hygienist regularly. Help your body - Use a softer toothbrush and make sure your diet is rich in calcium. Drink plenty of milk, but try to make sure it's semi-skimmed. This gives you all the calcium you will need without the extra fat, too.
During pregnancy your digestion slows - Progesterone slows your digestion early on so your body can absorb more nutrients to pass to your baby. It can cause constipation. Help your body - Have plenty of fluids, fruit and vegetables. Light exercise will also help digestion.
During pregnancy your blood clots faster - Your blood clots more easily now, a protective mechanism so you don't bleed to death when the placenta is delivered. There's a concern that a clot in the calf may fragment, and cause clots elsewhere, particularly if you've had thrombosis or are overweight
The youngest mum ever is reported to be a five-year-old girl in Peru called Lina Medina who gave birth to a baby boy by C-section in May 1939.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the biggest baby ever born weighed 23.12 lb (10.8 kg) and died 11 hours after birth. The baby was born to Canadian Anna Bates in 1879.
The smallest surviving baby ever born is tiny Rumaisa Shaik. She weighed just 8.6 oz and was only 10 inches long when she was born on September 17, 2004.
A Russian woman who was known only as ‘the wife of Feodor Vassilyev’ from the village of Shuya, reportedly gave birth to 69 children in the 18th century during 27 pregnancies. She popped out 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four quadruplets.
In January, Nayda Guiterrez gave birth to octuplets in just five minutes in California, only the second time in history octuplets have survived more than a few hours.
In June 2008, the world’s first preganant man, Thomas Beatie, gave birth to baby girl Tracy Lagondino in America. The thirty-four-year-old man-mum had a sex change 10 years ago, receiving hormone treatment and getting his breasts removed. He kept his reproductive organs because his wife nancy had a hysterectomy in the 1980s.
dentical quadruplets Preana, Audreana, Natalie, and Melody Khamsa were delivered just minutes after midnight on March 27, 2002, in California to couple Ornsee Khamsa and Verek Muy. The girls are genetically identical, originating from a single egg fertilized by a single sperm, doctors said. Although there are about 500 sets of quadruplets born in the US every year, hospital officials estimated the birth of identical quadruplets happens only once in 11 million deliveries.
In March 2004, a Texas woman gave birth to two sets of identical twin boys. The boys were named Jacob and Jacoby, Jason and Justin, and weighed between 2lbs 5 oz and 3 lbs 4oz.
In May 2003, twins were born in Jerusalem from 12-year-old frozen embryos. It’s reported to be the longest human cryopreservation. The boy and girl born weighed five pounds each.
The Hanselman sextuplets were born in just one minute in Ohio in February 2004 to Jennifer, 29, and Keith, 30. Isabella Jean weighed 2 lbs 10 oz, Sophia Ivy 1 lb 9 oz, Kyle Allen 2 lbs 6 oz, Logan James 2 lbs 8 oz, Alex Edwin 2 lbs 8 oz and Lucy Arlene 2 lbs 1 oz.