Babies

More input from Wiki s contributors:

• My little guy just started to point and he is 10.5 months.

• My baby started pointing @ about 10 months. Give it some time or ask your doctor.

Based on what I learned from my Life Span & Development Class, Piaget believed that children learn about themselves as well as their environment from birth to about 2 years of age. It is anywhere between Piaget's Sensorimotor and Pre-operational stage. During these stages, which occur in early infancy, the child begins to learn and understand that he is separate from his environment; such as, his parents continue to exist even though they may be out of sight or reach. During the pre-operational stage (infant-7 years of age), children begin to use natural words, body outlines, and equipment which gives him an active role in learning. Hence, your child still has time to learn how to point. Speak to a doctor if it worries and hopefully, they can give you the reassurance that you need.

I couldn't make a good estimate. Babies have different needs other than the obvious ones. Food, clothing, blankets, diapers, crib, high chair, and on and on. Then there is pediatric care, maybe daycare expenses, etc. I believe an insurance company estimated the average cost for raising a child to the age of seventeen, was approx. $200,000+, I don't recall what was included in that figure.

A LOT! All the above mentioned and more - considering housing expenses (there are different needs for a single person and a person with a child), and many other things that come up. If you're wondering, child support doesn't even begin to cover it (considering it's based on a standard of living).

According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it costs a middle-income family $250,000 to raise a child from birth to age 17. And that doesn't include the cost of a college education. In the first year alone, the costs of a baby can reach between $9,000 and $11,000, and most new and expectant parents don't realize the size of the financial burden they are taking on. So how is the money spent?

1. Medical expenses

Medical care for mother and child is a potentially significant expense facing new parents. The cost of delivering a new baby can range from $5,000 to $8,000 for a vaginal delivery to more than $12,000 for a cesarean delivery. If there are complications, those costs can increase dramatically. Even if your child is in perfect health, new babies require numerous well-visit checkups and immunizations. Be sure to check the terms of your health insurance coverage carefully so that there are no surprises when it comes to who is responsible for paying for what portions of your and your baby's medical care. Because many health plans penalize you for using doctors that aren't on the health plan's approved list, confirm that your obstetrician (including the hospital at which you plan to deliver) and pediatrician are "in network." An often overlooked expense is the additional cost to add a child to your health insurance. After reviewing your health insurance coverage, check to see if your employer offers a health care flexible spending account. These accounts can significantly reduce the burden of out-of-pocket medical expenses by allowing you to pay for qualifying expenses with pretax dollars.

2. Maternity leave

Although most short-term disability insurance policies cover the time Mom is out of work due to recovery from child birth (or complications during pregnancy), the average policy only pays a portion of your gross income for a set number of weeks (usually four to eight) after birth. If your maternity leave extends beyond the stipulated time, or if Dad decides to take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), it will be at no pay unless you use vacation or sick leave. Some recommend saving one of the parents' salaries as much as possible before the birth.

3. Child care

If both parents work outside of the home, they need to be prepared for probably the biggest financial shock facing new parents -- the cost of child care. Depending upon where you live, child care expenses can range from $5,000 per year for family day care to more than $20,000 per year for a live-out nanny. Check out day care options during the pregnancy and choose one that you are comfortable with and that you can afford. Check with your employer to see if they offer a dependent care spending account. Similar to health care flexible spending accounts, these accounts enable you to pay for qualifying child care expenses with pretax dollars. You may also be able to claim a child care credit on your federal income tax return, although, if available, a dependent-care spending account is often more advantageous financially.

4. Diapers and wipes

The average baby goes through 10 diapers a day. If you use disposable diapers, that'll cost you about $2,000 by the time your little one is potty-trained! The cost of cleaning their little bottom with a wet wipe or two at each diaper change will add about $100 to your monthly grocery bill. Even cloth diapers can be expensive if you use a diaper service. To save money in this area, you can use cloth diapers and launder them yourself.

5. Formula and/or breast-feeding expenses

The cost of formula shocks just about every new parent. The general rule of thumb is that a baby needs about 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight per day. Breast-feeding can certainly minimize that expense, but there are some hidden costs associated with breastfed babies. For example, you may need to purchase or rent a breast pump, an essential for moms who work outside the home. Nursing bras, breast pads, nursing tops, lanolin ointment and a breast-feeding pillow are also common expenditures.

6. Baby gear

Many new parents don't realize just how much "baby gear" is required to care for and entertain an infant. Crib? Changing table? Rocker or glider? Car seat? Stroller? Baby swing? Monitor? Bouncer seat? Doorway jumper? Most of these items, with the exception of a car seat, can be purchased used.

7. Clothing and shoes

Lisa Collier Cool of Pelham, N.Y., was surprised by how much she spent just dressing her children. "Babies outgrow clothing at an amazing rate, so they need a new wardrobe every few months," Collier Cool says. "Plus, they never get to wear some of the gifts you get because by the time they get to be the right size, it's the wrong season for the clothes!" Shopping at consignment stores and yard sales or swapping baby clothes with friends can save a lot of money. Buying clothes on sale at the end of the season (in a larger size so your child can wear the clothes next year) also helps cut expenses.

8. Baby food

Once babies reach 4 to 6 months of age, they start eating baby food in addition to drinking breast milk or formula. Although it can be time consuming, pureeing your own food rather than buying baby food in jars can be a money-saver.

9. Life insurance premiums and attorney fees

Experts advise couples to review their life insurance policies and increase them so that each spouse has adequate funds to raise each child to age 21, should something happen to one of them. In addition, they should have wills written, naming a guardian for the baby. If there is no will and the two parents die together, do you want a judge to decide who will raise your child without the benefit of your opinion? There's no way to get around the attorney's fees for setting up a will and taking care of your insurance and estate planning, but doing some comparison shopping may help. Ask friends and family members who they used and find legal and financial representation that is reasonably priced. There's no doubt about it, having a baby is expensive.

Day care is another one, so self or family care of baby will cut down on costs. Baby furniture is also extraneous. No one *needs* a changing table, because any flat surface will do - couch, bed, carpet, and you actually don't need a crib if you don't mind sleeping with your new snugglebug - and who minds that? It actually reduces (at first) the famous new mom sleeplessness because when baby needs to feed you just stick her on your boob and go back to sleep. Easy! Car seats can often be had for free from various state public health agencies, and strollers do not need to be the monstrous kind with cup holders and storage and all that you see nowadays. Medical costs are expensive - if you don't have insurance with a decently low co-pay. But some states, like Oregon and Massachusetts, have good health care for low-income people. Further, get a book like the Sears book that has a section on diagnosing problems so you won't be panicked by every sniffle but will know when to take baby in.

When a baby is newborn they will often startle. That's how you now they can hear ok. Does your baby startle? As they get a little older, they should start responding to your voice.

Usually when the child is born, the hospital will do a newborn hearing test. They usually write that on your discharge papers, it will say (newborn hearing test). And it will say : PASS or Needs further screening.

If you would like to do your own test, get something crinkly, and have it make a sound, out of the child's line of vision. If he/she doesn't acknowledge the sound, see a doctor.

A premature baby is an infant born before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Often, the cause of preterm delivery is unknown and not within the mother's control. Sometimes it's caused by the mother's health conditions or lifestyle choices during pregnancy, such as having diabetes, hypertension, heart or kidney problems, an infection, poor nutrition during the pregnancy, or bleeding due to a low positioning of the placenta. Drug, alcohol and tobacco use also contribute to premature birth.

Preterm deliveries occur more often in women younger than 19 or older than 40, and among those with a previous preterm delivery. However, any woman can have a baby prematurely, and many who do have no known risk factors.

Preemies are born with many special needs which is why they often begin their lives in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The NICU is designed to limit stress to the infant and meet their basic needs of warmth, nutrition, and protection to allow proper growth and development.

Due to recent advancements in neonatal care of the preemie - more than 60% of the tiniest (500 grams) now survive and 90% of those who weigh 2 lbs (800 grams) at birth will survive and thrive.

Premature babies lack the body fat necessary to maintain their body temperature. So incubators or radiant warmers are used to keep them warm in the NICU. Keeping babies' temperatures within a normal range will help them grow faster.

Premature babies have special nutritional needs because they grow at a faster rate than full-term babies and their digestive systems are immature. They lack the ability to suck on their own and most premature infants have to be fed slowly because of the risk of developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an intestinal infection - so they are fed by a tube that goes directly to the stomach from the nose or mouth. Breast milk is an excellent source of nutrition and it offers infection fighting antibodies - it maybe fortified with vitamins and minerals to meet the premies special needs.

A common condition is hyperbilirubinemia (newborn jaundice), affecting 80% of premature babies. Infants with hyperbilirubinemia have high levels of bilirubin causing them to develop a yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes. This is treated with special lights that help them to break down the extra blood cells that cause jaundice. Untreated it can cause brain damage.

In the NICU, all premature babies are monitored for apnea - another common health problem - where a baby stops breathing, the heart rate may decrease, and the skin may turn pale or blue. Apnea is usually caused by immaturity in the area of the brain that controls the reflex to breathe. Almost all babies born at 30 weeks or less will experience some apnea but the spells become less frequent with age. Treating apnea can be as simple as gently stimulating the infant to restart breathing, but for some drug therapy or special breathing assistance is needed.

One of the most common (and immediate) problems for a premature infant is difficulty breathing. Many things can cause breathing difficulties in premature infants, but the most common is called respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). This develops because the preemie lacks surfactant which helps to expand the lungs properly. Fortunately, RDS is treatable and most infants do very well.

Infection is always a threat to preemies because they're less able to fight germs that can cause serious illness. Practically any body part can become infected. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics while other medications are prescribed to treat viruses or fungal infections. Frequent hand washing is used in the NICU to reduce the risk of infection.

Parent involvement is another important factor in caring for a premature infant. While it may seem overwhelming to see your baby surrounded by tubes and wires - and under the care of doctors and nurses - he or she is still your baby and nothing else can replace the loving touch of mom and dad.

Born 18 weeks premature, on 7/13/10 at 1 Lb. 9 Ounces and 11 Inches Long

http://preemie.info/cms/modules/news/

Finally, we have two cases at 18 weeks. Note: For a listing of eleven such early survivors, see the 1989 edition of Abortion Questions and Answers (Willke. Hayes Pub. Co. pp. 60, 61).

http://www.christianliferesources.com/?library/view.php&articleid=1253

A number of babies have been born alive after only 18 weeks of pregnancy, research has revealed. Dozens more have survived terminations even though they were younger than 24 weeks -- the upper age limit for abortions.

The study, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, revealed that some of the babies who initially survived terminations were only in the 18th week of pregnancy and more than half were under 22 weeks.

http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0001453/40/

A NUMBER of babies have been born alive after only 18 weeks of pregnancy, research has revealed.

Dozens more have survived terminations even though they are younger than 24 weeks - the upper age limit for abortions.

Some were able to move around, breathe normally and even cry out. Many lived for more than an hour, and one survived for four and a-half hours.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+babies+who+are+born+alive+after+18+weeks-a0134883445