When you visit your doctor for confirmation of pregnancy, she will determine your due date by adding 40 weeks to the beginning of your last period. Those 40 weeks are known as the gestation period, a time of rapid fetal growth and development. Fetal movement is one of the most exciting events during this process.

Newborn babies go through a lot of diapers. You may be tempted to run out and buy several economy-sized boxes of diapers before baby comes to stock up to save a little money in the process.

A bottle sterilizer uses steam, instead of the traditional method of boiling water, to sterilize your baby bottles and accessories. The sterilization process helps to prevent the spread of bacteria or germs when feeding your baby, since she has not developed her immune system.

Massage or touch therapy has several benefits for a baby, including positive weight gain, decreased anxiety and improved motor development. The use of extra virgin olive oil for baby massage has become increasingly popular.

Getting adequate nutrition is crucial for proper physical and mental growth and development in your infant’s first year of life. Although general guidelines exist explaining what to feed a 7-month-old baby, you should treat each infant as an individual in terms of readiness to begin eating new foods.

Sleep plays an important role in your baby's growth and development, according to Glade Curtis and Judith Schuler in "Your Baby's First Year."

When a baby dies in the womb, this is either a stillbirth or miscarriage, depending on when the death takes place during the course of a woman's pregnancy.

A changing table allows you to change your baby's diaper without having to bend over at an uncomfortable angle. Most changing tables include shelves to hold diapers, wipes, powder and other supplies you need. But once your baby outgrows diapers, you're left with a piece of furniture you can't really use.

For many parents, baby formula is a life-saver. The ease and convenience of giving your baby infant formula can be a huge relief, particularly when you're away from home.

In order to grow and develop properly, babies need to gain an appropriate amount of weight. Underweight and overweight babies are at risk for health problems, and abnormal growth may signal underlying health conditions.

Babies make all kinds of noises, from contented sighs that melt your heart to high-pitched wails that pierce your eardrums. Grunting is part of each baby's audio repertoire, a sound that can mean anything from a cheerful desire for communication to a sign of serious illness.

Speculation about what contributes to a child’s IQ or intelligence quotient looks at the roles of nature versus nurture, parent’s age, breast feeding versus formala, music heard in the womb and educational videos for babies. Tests for babies assess their cognitive skills.