Newborn to 2-weeks: development milestones & what to expect

Coming into the world is quite a shock for a newborn and the effort of delivery can leave them pretty sleepy for the first day or two. It’s important to keep them warm and give them lots of skin-to-skin contact and plenty of cuddles as they adjust to life outside the womb.

A new baby often looks as though they have no control over their body whatsoever. The startle reflex (also known as the Moro reflex) has your baby throwing their arms out for seemingly no reason at all. This is completely normal and should disappear from about 12 weeks. Some newborns may already have the coordination to suck their thumbs or fingers, while others – even those who were seen thumb-sucking in the womb – may take a little longer to get there.

In these early weeks newborn vision is still very blurry, and your little one won’t be able to focus on objects more than 20 cm away from their face. They are also very sensitive to light in the first weeks, meaning their pupils can look quite small, but this will soon change as their retinas develop.

The biggest physical change you will notice in these first two weeks is in what will become the world’s cutest belly button – but which at first is a little off-putting! The stump of your baby’s umbilical cord will gradually dry, darken, and fall off over the first 10 days. Try to keep it dry and clean. If it starts to look red or sticky, let your midwife or health visitor know.

Your baby’s brain will double in size in the first year of life, reaching 80% of adult size by age 3. These first few weeks are building on foundations already established in the womb, but adding in ‘real-world’ information and building neural connections that will help them develop colour vision, fine and gross motor skills, and speech over the coming weeks and months. This ‘exuberant period’ is a joy to watch as your baby begins to recognise you, use their voice, and communicate with their body.

There’s a lot to learn out in the world and your baby’s brain is taking it all in. If you find your little one is crying a lot – and not soothed with milk, a fresh nappy or some sleep – this might be the reason. Imagine how overstimulating this sensory overload is compared to nine months in utero.

Your little one knows your voice from the moment they are born, and will likely also recognise the voices of other important people in your life. They’ll also recognise you by scent, which is why tiny babies can be so attached to their mums even before they recognise their faces. Plenty of skin-to-skin contact with their other parent will help grow that familiarity, and they will soon have deep attachments with all the key people in their family. If you’re struggling to get your baby to settle with anyone else, try handing them over with worn jumpers or blankets that smell like you to help bring comfort.

For the first 10 days of their life, you and your baby will still be under midwife care and will see them at least once before being handed over to the health visiting team between 10 – 14 days.

Babies are given a newborn physical examination in the first 72 hours after birth and a newborn blood spot test at around 5 days old. This is a quick and important check for nine rare but serious health conditions. If you give birth in a hospital, your little one may also be given their newborn hearing screening soon after birth – otherwise it may be later, but usually within the first few weeks. Between 10 and 14 days, your health visitor will carry out your new baby review.

All of these examinations will be written up in the red book you’re given just before or after your baby’s birth, so it’s important to take that with you to every appointment.

Rest as much as you can while your baby is so tiny and you are still healing from birth. Take advantage of offers of help from family and friends, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself to immediately start doing all the things. It takes a little while for your body to recover, and you’re likely to be tired and emotional.

Hormone surges when your milk comes in can be particularly wild, giving rise to the term ‘baby blues’. This is normal and to be expected, but if you find that you’re not feeling better by the time your little one is 2 weeks old, or if you’re struggling with low mood or frightening intrusive thoughts, speak to your healthcare professional.

Postnatal depression is common – affecting 1 in 10 women – and, crucially, treatable. There’s no need to suffer in silence.

You’ll likely feel some pains in your tummy in the first few days as your uterus contracts. The bloody discharge (‘lochia’) that you have after giving birth can last for up to six weeks. It's best to use pads or period pants to deal with the flow, rather than tampons or menstrual cups while you’re still healing.

When you have a moment between breastfeeds and nappy changes, it's a great idea to do a few pelvic floor exercises. (We know, you probably don't feel like doing these straight away, but they really will help you recover from the birth!).

Above all, be kind to yourself – you just spent 9 months making a baby and now they’re here. It’s a huge lifestyle change on top of all the physical changes you’re going through.

Developmental milestones are guides – not deadlines. If your baby isn’t ‘keeping up’ with your friends’ babies, it isn’t an immediate cause for concern. Every child develops at their own pace. That being said, your health visitor and GP are there to support you with any queries you might have and will always be happy to see you with your newborn if you have any worries.