The first week of your baby's life will be one of enormous change. Instead of having its every need catered for, your baby now needs to function in a semi independent state. Its breathing, digestion, elimination and communication will all be very different to the way they were through the long months of gestation. But your baby will still rely on you for all of its physical and emotional care for a long time to come.

The first stage of Baby Weeks is usually the longest part of the birthing process by far. With your first child, Baby Weeks is generally longer than your second and subsequent births, with an 'average' Baby Weeks for first-time mothers around 12-14 hours, although anything from 2-20 hours is pretty normal.

Your baby has been with you for a few weeks now and, in some ways, looking after them will be getting easier. Many of the tasks associated with their care will be becoming more familiar to you. Feeding, settling, changing, and looking after their needs will continue to occupy a lot of your time.

You will probably find that your 4-week-old baby is looking more unique with every day that passes. The mottled skin, puffy eyelids and peeling skin should all be settling down by now. Your baby will also be moving more actively and stretching out their limbs more than before. It is still too early for your baby to have control over their limb and body movements, but they won't always adopt the once-familiar foetal position like before.

Congratulations! You've passed the one month stage and the business of caring for your baby is likely to be getting a little easier. Some parents refer to the baby's age by the weeks; others by the month. It doesn't really matter either way, but weeks tend to be more precise.

6 weeks of age is seen as a milestone by many parents. The initial newborn-period for your baby is over and family life tends to have settled down a little. You might find it difficult to remember life before you had your baby, and even wonder just what you did with all your time.

Your baby may be changing in their facial appearance, from having less of a newborn look to developing more unique characteristics. Your own genetic influence, as well as your partner's, may be very obvious in some of baby's features.

Your baby is just at the end of its 2nd month, a time full of development and changes. You will be closer to establishing a routine now and have worked out what is realistic for you as a family and what isn't. Small little rituals such as bringing your baby into bed with you for a cuddle in the mornings, daddy being in charge of bathing, going for a pram walk with other parents are all popular.

This is a lovely, animated stage of life for your baby. They will be a constant source of entertainment and do their best to help you fall in love with them all over again, every day. You'll have to compete with their hands though, because these will become your baby's new best friends. They still won't be able to control them but that will come with daily practice.

Getting easier? Perhaps not. It may feel as if the last 10 weeks have passed in a blur, leaving you wondering just where each day has gone. Babies absorb an incredible amount of time and energy, much of it repetitive and even tedious. Newborn babies are wonderful, but they are also very vulnerable and dependent. It is only with time, maturity and careful nurturing that they will learn how to care for themselves independently.

Your baby is getting closer to their 3rd month of life, a time of even more change and development. You will have noticed them growing out of their tiny clothes and you may need to go shopping for ones in the next size up. Most parents don't need too much persuasion to do this and if you have been lucky, you will have been given lots of clothing as gifts.

Your baby is officially 3 months old. The first 12 weeks of life can be challenging for new parents and their babies. Getting to know each other and becoming familiar with what works for you both can take a few months of trial and error. If your baby has been wakeful and prone to fits of crying, feel reassured that there are probably easier days ahead. You'll notice a steady improvement in unsettledness from now on; at this age babies tend to be a little easier to handle. It's unlikely though you'll wake up one morning this week and find they are just less demanding. Change can take a little time.

Welcoming your baby into your family has changed your life. Each day is passing in a blur and it will be a challenge to find time to do anything other than to tend your baby's needs. At 1 month old, babies still want to feed frequently and are unpredictable with their sleeping patterns. Many are still fairly sleepy and, apart from short wakeful periods of feeding and being alert, are sleep for at least a couple of hours in between.

If you feel as if you're investing a lot of energy with very little return, this month may turn the tide. The early weeks of parenting can be a very one-sided affair, with lots of input and not much feedback from your little one to let you know how they're doing. Now is the time when your baby will be more animated, and will really start to connect with you.

The magical 3 month period has arrived and with it a whole new range of developmental changes for your baby. If the last few weeks have been heavy going and your baby has been more than a little unsettled, then this month could be the turning point.

Your baby is really becoming their own little person at 4 months and will be showing you they truly have their own unique personality. You may already be seeing character traits which remind you of someone you know, perhaps yourself or your partner being replicated in miniature form. But maybe your baby is totally different from what you are familiar with and will keep you guessing all the time.

Something really starts to become obvious by around 5 months, when babies love to socialise and spend time interacting with other people. They know just how to get the best responses and even the most serious adult can warm to a baby's charms. Apart from being a strong survival skill, these early attempts at engaging others' attention are building blocks for learning social skills. Try not to see the hours you spend with your baby as being wasted. Babies have brains which are literally moulded by the love and stimulation they receive.

Before starting on a programme of trying to increase your milk supply, it's important to make sure that this is what you need to do. Many mothers assume they don't have enough milk to feed their baby or even that their milk is too “weak” or of poor quality. In fact, one of the most common reasons given by mothers for ceasing breastfeeding is because they feel they are not producing enough breast milk. But for the majority of breastfeeding mothers, milk supply is not the real issue.

Placing your baby on his tummy is an important activity for building strength in the head, neck, shoulder and back muscles – those that will help him crawl, roll over and learn to explore his world. Tummy time can also prevent the back of your baby's head from becoming flat (positional plagiocephaly).

A baby's skin is pure and incredibly soft to touch. Most babies will encounter some type of skin condition during their early months - despite mum and dad's best efforts! It is perfectly normal and occurs more often than you might think. We have some simple baby skin care tips that can help to keep it that way!

Getting enough of it, surviving on too little of it, there's no denying sleep is a hot topic in parenting. We know your baby is an individual with their own quirks and unique personality, so what works for one child won't always work for another. But we've worked with some experts in the field to provide you with the best advice and support to ensure that your household is getting some decent sleep.

What will happen in those first few hours after birth, when your baby has arrived?

Will you have a calm, relaxed period when you and your partner can gaze at your little bundle in awe and start they long journey of parenting your child in a loving, warm atmosphere? Or will you and/or your baby be whisked off by doctors for urgent treatment?

Congratulations – you are a parent! No matter how perfect the moment, sooner rather than later you will have to register that little bundle of joy. Alsa, you can't escape the paperwork.

Every mother worries about the health of their newborn baby. Although they're small, most newborns are very healthy. However, you should be aware of a few symptoms that may warrant taking your baby to see a doctor.

Babies need routines for many things in life like eating, going to the bathroom, playtime and then some. These routines are useful as babies are most comfortable when they know what is going to happen next.

Leaving moisture against a baby's skin can increase the chances of nappy rash. Keeping them drier will help to prevent such irritation and, more importantly, will keep them more comfortable.

Huggies Newborn Nappies are the only nappies that are clinically proven to help prevent nappy rash. This is because they have a Breathe Dry® cover, which allows fresh air to circulate around your baby's bottom, allowing skin to stay drier.

“I guess I’m kind of silly,” the mother of a 6-week-old said sheepishly. “I know she can’t understand a word I say, but I can’t help talking to her anyway.” It's true that very young babies don't understand words, but that doesn't mean it's silly to talk to them. Way before they know what you're saying, babies are fascinated by the sound of your voice. Here are 3 simple ways you can start the foundation for good communication skills:

It’s been a bit rocky... but you’ve made it to a milestone that’s going to get you giggling no matter how tired you are. Baby will start giggling away before they can speak, it becomes a powerful way to communicate and connect with your little one.

In the first few weeks, it may seem that your newborn isn't doing much of anything except sleeping and eating. Don't be misled because a lot is going on!

Babies are able to connect and interact with you from birth, and when they reach the smiling milestone it will get the whole family smiling too. Read all about baby’s smiles and when to expect them here.

Young babies seem to grow even as you watch them. Not only does their birth-weight double within about five months, their ability to interact with their surroundings develops equally as fast. Indeed, growing babies seem to be reaching out to their parents and the rest of the world with all their senses.