You may have heard of the fourth trimester on social media
Firstly, it doesn’t work out mathematically and secondly is it actually a real thing or just something doing the rounds on TikTok?
Not everyone has heard of it, but every parent and their newborn baby will experience it in some capacity or another.
What is the fourth trimester?
Put simply, it’s a time of great physical and emotional change as your baby adjusts to being outside the womb, and you adjust to your new life as a parent.
It’s commonly defined as the first 12 weeks after you welcome your newborn.
The term is believed to have been coined by Dr Harvey Karp, a paediatrician who theorised that human babies are born about three months too early.
After those nine months of pregnancy have passed, the thinking goes, that fetuses’ brains are so big that babies may not fit through the birth canal if they stuck around in the womb much longer.
Even so, they’re still not quite mature enough to leave their cosy, cushy space — and it takes about 12 weeks for them to adjust to life on the outside.
What to expect
These first months are so important for your baby as they learn how to use their senses and adjust to the big wide world.
At this time they’re also completely dependent on you to meet their needs and make sure they’re taken care of.
On top of this, they’re going to get their first taste of independence as they learn new skills such as
- Making their first noises
- Supporting their head without help
- Focusing on objects
- Using their muscles
- Smiling
On top of this, your latest addition will need 14 to 17 hours of sleep each day, even though their sleep schedule won’t be predictable.
They will also need to be fed every 2 to 3 hours because their little body is growing so quickly.
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