It’s probably hard to imagine, but babies have almost 100 more bones than adults do. Newborns have 300 bones and adults have 206. Bones are made up of living tissue and calcium that continuously changes throughout a babies life. These little bones start to develop before you can even find out whether it’s a boy or girl. Normally around the eighth week of pregnancy, while your little one is still in the womb.
When Aubrey was born most of her bones were made up entirely of cartilage. This tissue is very tough, but extremely flexible. The fact that her little bones are flexible is very important, because once she starts running out of space in the third trimester she needs to be able to curl up in a cute little ball. This helps her stay comfortable in the little space she has left, without causing any problems for herself or her mama. Because she is in such tight living quarters the ultrasound images usually come out a little more blurry then they did in the second trimester. It is totally normal though!
As she grows, her bones will slowly start to fuse together causing her to actually have less bones as she gets older. Cartilage separates certain bones in her little body and those bones will fuse together as she turns into her own little person. Aubrey has “soft spots” all over her body, but the most noticeable one is the one on her head. This might startle new parents, but it is completely normal and this soft spot along with all of the others will harden overtime as her bones start to fuse together.
As her bones slowly start to grow together she is more susceptible to injuries. When she gets a little older and starts learning how to ride a bike make sure she has all the padding and headgear to protect her growing bones. If she falls off her bike, she is more likely to break a bone because as her bones come together they become more fragile. Whereas, if an adult fell off that same bike they would most likely just get a few scratches and bruises.
You can help keep your babies bones strong by incorporating enough calcium into their diet. Calcium, along with other essential vitamins and minerals is in breast milk and formula, so whichever feeding route you decide to take your little one will be getting enough to keep her little bones as strong as possible.
On a side note, the flexible bone/cartilage helps me get these little cuties into all the different positions so I can get the best shots possible.
To learn more about your babies bone growth click here!
If you’d like to know more about me click here!
