12 Week Old Baby Development

12 Week Old Baby Milestones 👶

This week marks the end of the 4th trimester. (Hooray!) Your little one is now well-adjusted to life outside the womb and has a better understanding of the big world that surrounds him. It’s been quite a journey (for both baby and mama!) to get to this point, but you did it together! Give yourself a pat on the back, mama. You’re doing great!

Now that she’s spent three months earthside, is she getting good, uninterrupted sleep? If she hasn’t already, baby will probably start going to bed earlier at night and sleeping for longer stretches. (And maybe even sleeping through the night?!) This is because your little one is now able to pass through cycles of active REM sleep and deeper sleep states. Babies in active sleep exhibit:

• Fluttering eyelids
• Relatively rapid and irregular breathing
• Occasional body movements
• Vocalizations (such as grunts and cries)

When they pass into a deeper more “quiet” sleep, they may exhibit:

• Slower, more rhythmic breathing
• Little movement
• No eyelid fluttering

This sleep cycle lasts 45 minutes and you may even find her waking up right at 45 minutes, 90 minutes, or about 2 ½ hours after you put her down. It took some time for my son to learn how to put two sleep cycles together (he was the KING of “cat naps”), but it will happen as their brain matures.

If you’re struggling, you can even try bridging two nap cycles together by catching them just as they wake after 45 minutes and nursing or rocking them back down to sleep. I find that babies are less cranky if they have at least one nap that contains two sleep cycles per day.

As baby's sleep improves, take this as your cue to start establishing a more consistent bedtime routine. This will help baby further regulate sleep, as they are creatures of habit. Plus, it'll help free up your own evening. A win-win, if you ask me!

Here are some things you can incorporate into baby's nighttime routine to help prime them for sleep:

• Baby massage
• A bedtime story
• A warm bath
• Lullabies or classical music
• Cuddle time/nursing

Know that there will still be crazy days. Baby won't turn into a champion sleeper over night, but you are getting closer and closer to those glorious all-night stretches!

You at 12 Weeks Postpartum 👩

This is it mama, the last week of the 4th trimester! After all those diaper changes, feeding sessions, and late nights, pregnancy may seem like years ago. Still, you probably feel like time is flyin’ on by.

Because baby is growing so rapidly now, it may seem like all your little one wants to do is eat, eat, eat! I remember wondering if I had enough milk to give. The good news is your supply has likely regulated by now, with plenty to feed your growing babe. Still, there’s a lot you can do to nourish your body as it works to meet baby’s demands:

• Hydrate! It really does make a difference—aim for at least 12 eight-ounce glasses a day.
• Eat nutrient-dense meals. Exclusively breastfeeding moms need at least 500 more calories per day. Make sure these calories come from high-quality food filled with protein and healthy fats.
• Try a calcium supplement. Low calcium stores can hinder milk production. Take a calcium/magnesium supplement between 500 and 1500 mg or make this eggshell calcium.

If you’re beginning to exercise again, be sure to take it slow. Your body has been through a lot—it takes a long time to recover. Not to mention, childbirth changes our bodies! Up to two-third of women experience something called diastasis recti, or abdominal separation, after giving birth.

Though it’s a very common condition, your doctor may not check you for it unless you ask—many doctors aren’t trained to treat or even recognize the condition. The trouble? it's so important to identify diastasis recti before beginning an exercise routine. Some exercises can actually make the problem worse.

Exercising too much too soon can also hinder milk production, lead to muscle strain, or even cause lochia to resume. Check out this article for gentle strategies to lose baby weight. Just remember: It took nine months to gain the weight, so it takes some time to shed the weight. Be gentle with yourself.

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Try This With Your 12 Week Old Baby

• Encourage tummy time for head strength
• Try hand/finger puppets to stimulate visual development