The baby is rapidly developing and becoming physically mature by each passing day after her birth. At 9th week, the baby is awake for comparatively longer durations and has become quite active. This week, the development of baby’s motor skills, muscles, as well as social communication skills are strongly dependent on how the parents interact and play with the baby.
Baby’s milestones at 9th week:

• By the 9th week, the baby measures around 22 inches and weighs nearly 10 pounds, assuming normal length and weight at birth.
• The baby begins cooing and tries to imitate some of the noises often made by the close ones. Her coo’s and goo’s can soon give way to clearer words if the parents continuously interact with the child, tell short stories and rhymes. She also tells you when she is hungry or feeling any discomfort by crying or fussing.
• Drooling is another major development milestone at the 9th week. The baby salivates a lot more than she can swallow and puts almost everything inside her mouth to explore it, so the parents need to be ready with a number of bibs and baby wipes for wiping off the excess drool.
• An important motor development is that the baby begins to roll over from her tummy. When she is placed on her stomach, she may topple over by raising her head gradually. The baby is able to hold objects for brief durations and roll over to her sides. Movements of hands and legs become less jerky and more defined and voluntary.
• Vision becomes more coordinated when and object is moving around. The baby’s eyes begin to follow you if you are moving around when talking to her and her head turns. Another way in which hand and eye coordination can be monitored is how the baby grabs a toy dangling in front of her from the 9th week onwards.
• At this stage, the baby smiles spontaneously and may even begin to laugh or giggle when she is tickled or sees familiar faces. She begins to suck at the sight of a bottle or breast in anticipation of being fed.
• Instead of focusing on objects or parts of the body, the baby is now more interested on the entire individual and focuses on the complete face.
• The baby’s feeding and sleeping patterns are more regular now, and she sleeps through longer durations than the past. The baby may begin to sleep through the night, which is a huge relief for the sleep-exhausted parents.
   

The 9th week: what is required from the parents?
This is an enjoyable time for the parents as the baby has become much more responsive and the cooing and drooling is absolutely adorable. However, some important things must be kept in mind for this week, which include:

• Positive communication with the baby is crucial during this time. The more the parents interact with the baby using a greater number of words, expressions and gestures, the more the baby learns by imitating and memorizing words.
• To ensure safety against SIDS, the baby’s crib must be free from fluffy mattresses, quilts and soft toys. Bumper pads must be done away with.
• Baby’s crib must be kept at a safe distance from radiators and heaters because it manifolds the chances of getting respiratory infections from the hot or cold air of the ducts.

The baby will develop in way that is distinct from other babies. However, there are some symptoms that may indicate delayed development and a pediatrician must be consulted as soon as possible, if the 9 week old baby is not smiling at others, or holding objects and supporting her head to a certain extent by this time.

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