Your baby will actually lose weight as she starts out in life, but she should be back up to birth weight by her two-week checkup. Thereafter she may put on a pound every two weeks, doubling her birth weight by her fourth month. Premature babies sometimes grow a little slower, but most eventually catch up.

Your baby's eyesight is a bit hazy, although she can see you fairly clearly when you hold her seven to ten inches away from your face. Studies show that she knows your voice well from listening to it in the womb, and she prefers to hear it to a stranger's voice.

Your newborn arrives with a variety of natural reflexes or involuntary ways of moving:

Palmar (or grasping) reflex. When you touch your baby's open hand, she'll make a fist around your finger.

Rooting reflex. If you stroke her cheek, her head will turn toward your touch. This reflex helps the bleary-eyed newborn find her food source, and you can use it to guide her to the breast or bottle.

Sucking reflex. Once at the breast or bottle, baby's sucking reflex takes over as she automatically sucks on anything put in her mouth.

Startle (or moro) reflex. When baby is startled, he will thrust his arms and legs out, arch his back, then quickly pull arms and legs in again.

Babinski reflex. Stroking baby's foot makes him spread his toes and flex his foot.

Stepping reflex. Hold your baby up with your hands under his armpits so that his feet are touching a firm surface. He will lift his feet up and down like he is about to take baby steps.

Tonic neck reflex. When placed on his back, baby turns his head to the right and makes fists with his hands.

Blinking. The reflex of closing his eyes when they are exposed to bright light, air, or another stimulus is one involuntary reaction that baby will keep for the rest of his life.