ARRRGGHHH..the soul crushing pain, the humiliation, the tears that will never stop flowing, don’t look at me I’m hideous…yes I can understand your concern, your grievance. A vile act has been committed. I have taken refuge in my Winne the Pooh and I refuse to come out. My parents have cut my hair. Ahh, that’s nothing you say, it will grow back you say. How cruel can you be? You say you understand but you throw these ridiculous attempts at mollification in my face unashamedly. I have been growing my hair for the last year and a half. It’s been tough going I tell you.

Yes I came out with like four strands and Uncle Oscar, whose 80 and I looked like we were identical twins.  But I tried..oh I tried..I drank tons of milk, kept Mum up night and day..couldn’t get enough and by the end of the month, I’d grown like three more strands. Wow did I feel like throwing a party after that accomplishment. The rest of the year was spent in utter determination, my goal was to grow a full head of hair or bust!!!. Each day was tactically planned, more milk, more protein, a balanced diet, equal amount of exercise, grow hair follicles..grow!!!. Yes my hair didn’t fail, come six months, I had bouncing curls, Mum fell in love with me all over again!! I was a bombshell!!!. The hair just kept on growing, Sorry old Uncle Oscar, we ain’t twins no more.

By one year I had soft wavy curls, that bounced along on my shoulders, they were glossy, they tossed in the wind, people ooed and aahhhed at their beauty..hair extensions..pleease I’ve got the natural thing here. Until of course that fateful day. It happened in the safety of our own sitting room, I still remember every second of it, it was October, the monsoon rains had cast a gloomy shadow over the skies which looked like they were going to burst open with the burgeoning rainfall. We had visitors. Some long forgotten school friends of Just Dads’. The friend greets us all and then tells Just Dad what lovely daughter’s you have. Dad’s face fell for a split second, NO one son, one daughter, he’s just grown his hair out Just Dad sheepishly said. Well that was it, that night, the discussions went back and forth. But I love his curls, Mummy dearest goes. YES mum fight for my locks. “Meh”. Just Dad retorts, just cut his hair, he looks like a girl and it might stunt his growth!

So long story cut short, here I sit, sheared like a sheep off his woolly coat, a victum to the number two shaver. Mum says I look dashing, whilst Big Sister laughs in my face. Oh the shame!!!

How much milk would a newborn need?

Every baby is different, so exactly how much milk your baby will need in his first few days is hard to say. However, you'll notice that he starts to take small but increasing amounts of milk as the days go by.

You can get a rough idea of how much your baby is likely to need from this table, which uses average figures:

Your baby's age    Amount of milk per feed     

Day 1 (0 to 24 hours)    7ml (just over a teaspoon)       
Day 2 (24 to 48 hours)   14ml (just under 3 teaspoons)       
Day 3 (48 to 72 hours)   38ml (1.3fl oz)       
Day 4 (72 to 96 hours)    58ml (2fl oz)       
Day 7 (144 to 168 hours) 65ml (2.2fl oz)    

Hair Loss in Babies

It is completely natural for babies to experience some amount of hair loss. Even babies who emerge from the womb with a head of thick hair can have a head as bald. The reasons behind hair loss within babies are mostly hormonal. When a baby is inside its mother’s womb, the infant receives a high amount of hormones from his mother. When the baby is born these hormone levels begin to drop at a fairly rapid rate, which eventually stagnate and the hair enters into a resting phase, which prevents it from growing any more. As your baby’s hair begins a new growth cycle, the old hair will start to fall out and your baby could end up having patchy hair or even no hair whatsoever until the new hair comes through. Typically a babies ‘second round’ of hair is stronger and less ‘cotton wool’ like than the hair he or she was born with. Asides from it growing back a different texture, many infant’s hair also grows back a different color, much to the amazement of the baby’s parents.

By Mayuri Jayasinghe