Knowing if your baby measures up to the average length and weight of a newborn baby is something most parents are curious about. While many moms and dads are eager to hold their baby, they are also curious about the health and size of their newest addition.

Depending on how early delivery occurs during pregnancy, a premature baby can have different characteristics than a full-term baby. Over time, the characteristics become less noticeable.

It's often difficult for novice parents to accurately judge whether their newborn baby's behavior falls within the range of normal. Even perfectly normal newborn movements, sounds and behavior can seem odd to nervous first-time mothers and fathers.

Without a fully developed immune system, you newborn runs the risk of catching whatever bug is currently ailing you. Although spreading an illness to your infant is likely during close encounters such as feeding, bathing changing or simply rocking your little one, you can reduce the risk by taking a few basic steps.

If your baby has dry, hard stools, she may be constipated. Babies follow their own schedules for defecation; you cannot identify irregularity by comparing your baby's bowel movements to a typical schedule for other children. However, if your baby defecates less often than is usual for her, she may need to see a doctor.

For young parents, few things are more distressing than having a sick toddler. However, one of them is having a sick toddler at the same time as you have a newborn. Managing to care for both children, while minimizing the risk to your infant, is a tall order.

Around 3.6 million babies are born each year, according to psychologist John Gottman. While the birth of a baby is generally a happy time, it also brings many changes and, often, a lot of stress. For some couples, the extra stress can lead to increased fighting.

Contrary to your dreams of what your baby will look like, a newborn is not always pretty. Skin discolorations and eruptions, including bruising, are common in newborns and most of the time, are nothing to worry about. Discuss concerns about your newborn's bruising with your pediatrician.

In some ways, bottle-feeding is easier on new parents than breast-feeding; you can tell how much formula the baby is taking. Still, you may worry that the amount your baby takes in too little or too much. Babies, like adults, vary in the intake from day to day and even meal to meal. A little variation is no problem.

Newborns frequently strain while having bowel movements, particularly in the first few weeks of life. It often takes babies several months to learn how to properly push out bowel movements while relaxing their sphincter muscles, according to Parkside Pediatrics.

Trying to calm a fussy newborn is one of a new parent's greatest challenges. You may feed your baby, burp her, change her diaper and cuddle her -- and find that she still won't stop crying. When nothing else works, offering a pacifier can help calm a distressed baby.

As a new parent, it's easy to worry if you're doing your job right. If your baby doesn't seem to eat enough, you worry that you're underfeeding him. But if he eats too much, you may worry that you're overfeeding. It's good to be a vigilant and caring parent, but when it comes to overfeeding, you can relax.