Stunning facts to know about newborns

Newborns have approximately 70 reflexes, some of which disappear between three to six months. Others are replaced with more intentional behavior as the babies grow.

For around three weeks, newborns don’t shed tears when they cry because their tear ducts are not completely developed.

Babies are born without kneecaps. Instead they have a structure of cartilage which develops only after six months.

They are born with around 10,000 taste buds, which is much more than adults (2,000-4,000). Apart from the tongue, baby taste buds are also found on the back, roof and sides of the mouth.

Infants have 300 bones which slowly fuse together as the babies grow to form the 206 bones every adult human has.

Approximately 80 percent of babies are born with birthmarks, which are of two categories – vascular and pigmented. The former occurs due to tiny blood vessels under the surface of the skin and latter is caused from an abnormal development of pigment cells. Some common birthmarks are port wine stains and stork bites. They can either be permanent or fade away with time.

Till around seven months, babies can swallow and breathe at the same time. Also, they can take more breaths than adults – a baby’s breathing rate is 40 times per minute, while an adult’s is between 15 and 20.

When their mothers are around four months pregnant, babies develop a mustache of fine hair that spreads to the entire body. This hair, which is called lanugo, falls out before birth and is consumed by the baby. The digested hair is excreted in their first poop.

Newborns cannot taste salt until they are four months old. Babies start to smile only four to six weeks after birth.

Newborns are nearsighted; they can only see objects and people about eight to 12 inches away.

Before their vision develops fully, which takes around four months, they see mostly in black and white and shades of gray. However, they can spot bright colors and big geometric patterns.

A newborn does not have a proportionate body – their head makes up a quarter of the body. The brain constitutes 10 percent of the total body weight. As they grow, rest of the body catches up.

A baby’s resting heartbeat is 130 to 160 times per minute, which is much faster than an adult (70-100).

Babies double their birth weight in just five months. They grow half to one inch (about 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters) every month and gain five to seven ounces (about 140 to 200 grams) every week.