Your Baby's Development

The word development is used for so many things.

During pregnancy, a mum wants to know if her baby’s growth is normal, the mother of a one month-old baby wants to know about developmental milestones, and at parent teacher meetings, parents want to know if the child is developing atan age-appropriate pace. Since it is used so widely, it is only fitting for me to talk to you about this very topic, here. And the best place to start would be at the very beginning—in the womb.

I am sure you have enough apps and websites telling you about the size of the baby, the fingers and toes, the nails and the hair, and so on, but very few resources are available about the emotional development of your baby.

Your baby’s brain starts forming at conception, a process called ‘neurogenesis’. New nerve cells are created and they form connections, which result in multiple neural pathways. As the baby has new experiences, new pathways are created, and with repeat experiences, the existing pathways become stronger. This is the process of the brain’s growth and development.