The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; A Study in HygieneGalbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Science
The Four Epochs of Woman's Life; A Study in Hygiene
Galbraith, Anna M. (Anna Mary)
Women -- Health and hygiene
A new-born baby cannot probably do any more than distinguish light
from darkness. Up to the sixth week there is an inability at
coordination of the ocular muscles; after this time the eyes begin to
move in an orderly manner, and they will follow a bright object moved
slowly in front of them. At about the end of the second month rapid
movements are perceived, as is evinced by the child's closing its eyes
quickly on an object suddenly approaching it. At three months the
child begins to recognize colors; the first recognized are yellow,
red, pure white, gray, and black. But the faculty of distinguishing
between colors is not perfected till the third year. The mother is
recognized about the third month. Hearing and a sense of smell develop
rapidly after birth; loud noises in its vicinity will cause a child to
start during the first day after birth. By the time the child has
reached three months of age it shows signs of having a mind of its
own, and is capable of exercising thought. It grasps for objects, and
indicates its likes and dislikes. At from eight to ten months it can
utter several syllables, and at the age of one year should be able to
say mama and papa; at two years it should be able to frame short
sentences.
Weight of the Baby.-- By the end of the sixth month the child's weight
should be double what it was at birth; that is, about fourteen pounds;
at the end of the twelfth month be three times as much as at birth, or
about twenty pounds.
Muscular Action.-- Muscular action in the new-born infant is entirely
involuntary, there being no voluntary acts until about the end of the
third month. Sucking and licking are largely instinctive. The
movements of the arms and legs are impulsive acts, and occur during
sleep, just as they did in the intra-uterine life. The act of raising
the head, which is attempted about the fourth month in healthy
children, is volitional, requiring not so much added strength of
muscle as power of coordination. As volition develops the power of
coordination gradually increases, and the child learns to perform
voluntary or purposeful acts. Voluntary grasping is done after the
fourth month. As the child learns to balance its head, it attempts to
sit up. This act is not successfully accomplished until about the
fortieth week; the child sits firmly alone when ten or eleven months
old. Before this time it is necessary to support the head and spine of
the child with the hand. By the third or fourth month the infant
should be able to grasp things. The child begins to creep about the
ninth month. The clothing should be so arranged as to allow entire
freedom of motion.
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