Endocrine System
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The Birth
11.19 For nine months the baby grows and changes shape. The mother feels a pushing inside her when the baby has to be born. This pushing takes the form of a series of contractions. It comes at regular intervals and is known as labour. This is the signal for the baby to be born. The muscles of the mother’s uterus are pushing the baby out into the world. The pushing gradually gets stronger and the mother too applies pressure so that the baby comes out easily. Normally the head of the baby comes out first and then, slowly, the rest of the body. At times the feet come out first. Once the baby breathes the air outside, it cries, as this is hard work for it. Then the doctor cuts the cord that joins the baby to its mother because now the baby does not need it any more, as it can breathe, eat, drink and expel waste by itself. The baby is thoroughly checked by the doctor. The baby’s weight is taken and a record is maintained, since this can tell the parents if the baby is growing well.
An Infant
11.20 When a baby is hungry, it cannot tell anyone about this. It may like to be cuddled, but cannot express it. It may like to walk and talk, but its bones and muscles are very soft. The only way it can express itself is by crying. For the first few months the baby can only cry, drink and sleep. As the baby develops, it acquires skills such as crawling, sitting, standing, walking and talking. The baby starts learning many things about itself and about the world around. For example, the baby recognises its mother and also responds to its name. The baby grows because it is fed regularly with mothers milk .
The Baby and the Adult
11.21 Babies are softer because their bones have not hardened. When babies are born they have few hard bones. Their skeletons are mostly made of a strong, slightly pliable material called cartilage. Later the bones grow to become bigger and harder. A child’s bones are bigger and stronger than a baby’s, but definitely not as hard as an adult’s bones. They will keep growing and getting harder until the child is about twenty-one. The bones should grow in a healthy step wise manner. Generally, if the wrist bones are growing right, then all the bones in the body will grow well. A child cannot do jobs such as lifting weights, which an adult can easily do. The mental capability of the child is limited as compared to an adult.
