Newborn behaviour
If you concentrate on your baby and observe him carefully over the first two or three days of life you will become familiar with normal infant behaviour and will become accustomed to your baby's idiosyncrasies. It is essential that you learn to understand his signals; stay with him as much as possible, to watch him, nurse him, and play with him.
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If you watch him closely you may notice that he does several unexpected things: he may shiver quite suddenly for no reason; he may make such snuffling noises that you wonder if his nose and air passages are blocked; he may even stop breathing all together for several seconds. None of these is abnormal. In the first weeks of life your baby will be given a hearing screening test by the hospital.
Sounds made by your newborn
Breathing
A newborn baby's lungs are small and breathing will seem shallow when compared to ours. When you first go to your baby you may be unable to detect that he is breathing. Don't be frightened by this because the breathing will get stronger each day.
All newborn babies make strange sounds when they breathe. Sometimes the breathing is fast and noisy and at other times it may be irregular. Your baby may snuffle with each breath in and out and you may think he has got a cold. This is not necessarily so. In most babies it is because the bridge of the nose is low, and the snuffling noise is caused by the air trying to get through the very small nasal passages. As your baby grows older the bridge of the nose will get higher and the snuffling sound will gradually stop.
On the other hand, if you find that the snuffling interferes with your baby's freedom to suck then you should talk to your midwife, health visitor or doctor, as he may need treatment with nose drops before feeding. Nose drops should only be used under medical supervision.
You should, however, be concerned about your baby's breathing if it ever becomes laboured, especially if you notice that the chest is being sharply drawn in with each breath and the breathing rate has risen to 60 or more breaths per minute. Any of these signs warrants immediate medical attention (see Breathing).
Sneezing
Babies are very sensitive to bright lights and sometimes sneeze whenever they open their eyes for the first few days. This is because the light stimulates the nerves to the nose as well as to the eyes. (You can try this out for yourself the next time you feel a sneeze coming on: if you look into a bright light you will find that you are able to precipitate the sneeze.)
Even if your baby is sneezing quite a lot it doesn't necessarily mean that he has a cold. The lining of a baby's nose is very sensitive, and sneezing is essential as it clears out the nasal passages and prevents dust from getting down into the lungs.
Hiccups
Newborn babies hiccup quite a lot. This is normal, too, and it shouldn't bother you. Hiccups are caused by sudden, irregular contractions of the diaphragm and are a sign that the muscles involved in respiration, those between the ribs, the diaphragm, and the abdomen, are getting stronger and trying to work in harmony.
Reflexes and movements of your newborn
All newborn babies have reflexes that are instinctive movements designed to protect them. These reflexes last until voluntary movements on your baby's part take their place, generally around three months old. Two of the most easy reflexes to elicit are those to protect the eyes and to maintain breath-ing: your baby will close his eyes if you touch his eyelids and will make struggling movements with his hands if you gently hold his nose between your thumb and forefinger.
The rooting reflex
If you gently stroke your baby's cheek you will find that he turns his head in the direction of your finger and opens his mouth. He makes this rooting movement when he is searching for your breast to start feeding (see Giving a breast-feed).
The sucking reflex
Every baby is born with the reflex to suck and yours will begin to do so if something is put in his mouth or if you press on the upper palate just behind the gums. Sucking movements are extremely strong and they last for quite a long time after the stimulation to suck, like a finger or a nipple, has been removed. If you want to breastfeed it is important that you put the baby to the breast as soon after delivery as possible. Your baby has to get used to the actual technique of breast-feeding, just as you do, so it helps if he has the powerful desire to suck as a stimulus.
The swallowing reflex
All babies can swallow when they are born so they can swallow colostrum or milk straightaway.
The walking reflex
A newborn baby will move his legs in a walking action if you hold him upright underneath the arms and let his feet touch a firm surface. This is not the reflex that encourages a baby to stand upright and walk. If you hold your baby upright and let the front of his legs gently touch the edge of a solid object he'll automatically bring his foot up in a kind of stepping movement.
The crawling reflex
When placed on his stomach your newborn baby will assume what appears to be a crawling position. This is because his legs are still curled up towards his body as they were in your womb. When your baby kicks his legs he may even be able to shuffle in a vague crawling manner and may actually move up his cot slightly. This “reflex” will disappear as soon as his legs uncurl and he is able to lie flat.
The startle or Moro reflex
If your baby hears a loud noise close to him, or if he's been roughly handled, he will throw up his arms and legs with fingers outstretched in an attempt to catch on to something. He'll let his limbs fall back slowly towards his body and will then bend his knees and clench his fists. This is a large or “gross” response to a stimulus and many newborn responses are like this. For instance, when your young baby sees you he uses the whole of his body to greet you. It's only when he gets to about eight or nine months old that he simply smiles and reaches out his arms to you as a more mature greeting.
The grasp reflex
A newborn baby will automatically tighten his fingers around anything that is pressed into the palm of his hand. He can grasp very tightly, and immediately after birth this reflex is so strong that his whole weight can be supported if he grasps onto your fingers. This reflex is generally lost by the time he is around three months old. If you touch the soles of your baby's feet you will also notice that his toes curl downwards as if to grip something.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
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