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MrRoundtree17 t1_jdugj8e wrote

Not really an answer to your question, but a fun fact. In order to stand upright, human legs have to connect directly downward from the pelvis. This means the opening which baby’s pass through during childbirth is smaller than in 4-legged animals where the legs connect at an angle to the pelvis. In order to fit the baby through the narrower passage, we evolved to give birth earlier when the baby is smaller. See, most mammals have a similar gestation period relevant to their life span. The human gestation period should be around 14 months. So that’s why newborn babies are such helpless potatoes when they’re born at 9 months.

Edit: I kept saying tailbone when I meant pelvis.

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vsmack t1_jdv9p85 wrote

They're also helpless potatoes at 5 months, but a lot more pulled together. Perhaps coincidentally that's also around when they start not being a complete nightmare wrt sleep.

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MrRoundtree17 t1_jdvcxl5 wrote

Yeah, they’re definitely still helpless. But anyone who’s been around a newborn can attest to how shockingly fragile and vulnerable they are. At 6-7 months babies can crawl, sleep through the night, have more weight on their bones, etc.

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vsmack t1_jdve42t wrote

Totally, like many of them can't even hold their necks up. We're expecting our second in a few months, and I can't even imagine how much easier it would be (lol as a parent, not as a pregnant mother) if the baby was 5 months older when it was born. You'd avoid the first sleep regression - I do wonder if the first sleep regression happening around 4 months means they're "supposed" to have gone through it before they're born.

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MrRoundtree17 t1_jdvhy35 wrote

Haha, yeah not for mothers lol. Those first 3 months are rough with a newborn. I have two myself (second is now 8 months) and it was almost like clockwork that at 3 months old they started sleeping through the night and it felt like we got past the super vulnerable phase. Best of luck to you and family.

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BeforeTime t1_jdzs2nt wrote

A 5 month old has a significantly higher tolerance to siblings than a newborn.

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IlexAquifolia t1_jdvdzmc wrote

The evolution of communities and culture may be related to this - since our babies are helpless potatoes, we need help keeping them alive.

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