Apart from being pretty and cute, and an absolute delight to dress up, did you know that baby girls are markedly different from baby boys?
Here are 9 amazing facts about baby girls, and we think you'd be surprised!
1. Baby girls are usually easier to deliver
Apparently, mums giving birth to baby girls have a shorter labour, by as much as 24 minutes! They are also less likely to beg for pain relief along the way. This may be because baby girls are usually smaller than baby boys.
Also, statistically, women carrying baby girls have easier pregnancies than those carrying baby boys. Mothers seem to have a higher risk of certain pregnancy complications like high blood pressure and placenta abnormalities, when carrying boys.
2. Baby girls are usually born later than boys
It's commonly said that baby girls are born later than boys - and it is probably true.
According to this report, boys are slightly more likely to be born premature than girls.
3. Baby girls are usually smaller and lighter than baby boys
Girls babies are generally a little smaller in weight and length, than boys, by about five ounces and a half-inch. On an average, baby boys weigh seven pounds and ten ounces at birth, while girls weigh only seven pounds and two ounces.
4. Baby girls may have periods
You may spot thick, milky discharge from the vagina of your 2-day-old baby girl. And don’t be shocked to see blood in her diaper soon after.
During pregnancy, a surge in maternal oestrogen levels can stimulate a female foetus’s uterus. These hormones build up the lining of the uterus.
Dr Chan Poh Chong, Head & Senior Consultant, Division of General Ambulatory Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, National University Hospital, tells us about baby girl periods, “It is commonly seen during the 1st week as the infant girl’s oestrogen level from her mother drops after birth and a ‘mini-withdrawal’ bleed occurs. They usually resolve in 2-3 days and parents should only worry if the bleeding persists.”
5. Baby girls can lactate
Play of hormones again.
Apparently, it is quite common for newborn baby boys and girls to lactate due to the high levels of mum's hormones they are exposed to, throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
Babies can develop tiny breast buds due to a fall in the level of certain hormones. These buds can contain small amounts of milk, which they will release.
Baby lactation, also called witch's milk, usually subsides around the second week of life.
6. Baby girls may have breasts
It's normal for newborn babies (boys and girls) to have mild or even swollen, enlarged breasts and/or lumps under the nipple. They are usually due to exposure to maternal hormones in the womb.
These lumps and enlarged breasts in the baby may be quite noticeable at birth, and may continue to grow after birth for a while. If you were to pinch them, some real breast milk may be expressed.
The breast tissue should shrink on its own over a few weeks, and eventually becomes quite flat. Occasionally a normal, small amount of tissue remains, but it usually doesn't grow or cause discomfort.
7. Baby girls talk faster than baby boys
Girls seem to understand what you're saying before boys do, start speaking earlier (at around 12 months versus 13 to 14 months for boys), and will continue to talk more through the toddler years. At 16 months, they produce as many as 100 words, while the average boy utters closer to 30.
According to Dr. Joy Lawn of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, "Girls walk sooner than boys. They talk sooner than boys. They develop more quickly..."
Baby girls even gesture more, like waving bye-bye or pointing at stuff they want, and play games like patty-cake sooner.
8. Baby girls are great observers
It has been observed that baby girls are drawn more to people, colours and texture, while boys seem to prefer movement or action, like moving cars.
In fact, studies have shown that, even with babies who are given strictly non-gender specific toys and guidance, boys still gravitate to toys such as cars and trains, while girls will gravitate toward dolls and faces, even with infants.
Baby girls also more skilled at reading emotional expressions; if shown a frightening face, for example, they'll look at mummy or get distressed. Even as babies, girls are quicker to pay attention to other people’s facial expressions and are more empathetic to distress. According to various studies, boys take longer to notice the difference.
9. Baby girls are better listeners
Apparently, research shows that girls are "more attuned to the sound of human voices and seem to actually prefer the sound to other sounds." Meaning, girls might actually show greater interest when you talk to them, as compared to boys.
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore
Baby girl ‘periods’ and other newborn ‘worries’ no one warns you about!