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2-Week-Old Baby Development  Can anyone say “growth spurt”?  At two weeks, many babies have their first major growth spurt, says Amy Verlsteffen, APRN, Senior Director of Clinical Transformation at TytoCare. This growth spurt can take parents by surprise and may make feeding more difficult for some time. Verlsteffen explains that breastfeeding parents, in particular, may find their baby’s growth spurt challenging. “[They] may feel overwhelmed at the increased frequency of wanting to eat,” she says. “My advice here is to make sure mom is drinking plenty of water and eating well also to keep up with the baby’s nutrition demands.”

At two weeks, your baby still has many of their newborn reflexes intact. These include the rooting reflex, where they will look for the breast or bottle when their cheek or mouth is stroked, and the startle reflex, where they will involuntarily startle if they hear a sudden sound.

Although your baby will still be sleeping much of the day, they will also have more periods of alertness, says Natasha Burgert, MD, pediatrician and Philips Avent spokesperson. With that, they may also have more periods of fussiness, she adds.

One of the most difficult aspects of parenting a baby of this age is when they cry, and you are not sure what the cries mean. Often, babies fuss and cry when they are hungry, but sometimes they cry for other reasons, such as when they are uncomfortable, tired, or overstimulated.

In time, and through trial and error, you will understand better what your baby’s cries mean, but keep in mind that your baby’s cries are their way of communicating. After investigating all the potential physical causes (hunger, needing a diaper change, or even having a strand of hair caught on a finger or toe), your best bet is to hold and console your baby. Rocking, shushing, singing, walking, swaddling, or wearing your baby in a baby carrier, all work great at this age.

Your baby will likely not do a lot of significant growth this week. Instead, they should be working their way back up to their birth weight. After losing weight after birth, most babies should be back to their birth weight by about two weeks, and then start to gain about one ounce per day.

However, with their two week growth spurt coming up, you should start seeing some weight gain very soon. Starting at about 1 month until about 3 months, your baby will gain 1 to 2 pounds a month and grow about 1 inch taller. Your baby’s head will grow about ½ inch each month as well.

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