Newborns Body

There is much to learn about looking after very new babies and, because they have not yet settled down, caring for them is a very demanding job. It is easy to get so involved in daily care that you find yourself treating your child like a very precious kind of object rather than a developing person, a new human being.

But your baby is human and your baby is developing – every moment of the day. Don’t let night feedings and wet diapers take up so much of your attention that you miss the fascinating changes that are taking place, the signs of your baby beginning to grow up.

Postures and Head Control

Newborns are very scrunched-up looking creatures. Whatever position you put your baby in, he will curl himself inward with his body taking up its position in relation to his head. This is because at this stage of life his head is so large and heavy in relation to the rest of him that it acts as an anchor and a pivot.

Until the rest of him grows a little so that his head becomes relatively lighter, and until he can get some control over the muscles of his neck, the baby’s voluntary movements will be restricted. At the beginning he can lift that head a little and he will always turn it to avoid smothering, but movements of his limbs are restricted by his curled position, while the fact that his head is always turned to one side prevents him from seeing things which are directly above him.

A baby’s muscle control starts from the top and moves gradually downward. When you hold him against your shoulder in the first hours after birth, he rests his head against you. If you do not support his neck for him, that head will simply flop. Within a week he can force those neck muscles to lift the head away for a second or two. A few days later he practices head control so continually that when you hold him it feels as if he were deliberately bumping his head against you: effort-flop-effort-flop, again and again. By three to four weeks he can balance his head for several seconds provided you keep absolutely still. But he still needs your supporting hand whenever you carry him and especially when you lift him or put him down.

Reflex Physical Activities

During the first week of life, this baby, whose muscles are still so incompetent even in balancing his head, exhibits some remarkably mature-looking behaviors which sometimes fool parents into believing that they have produced an infant who will crawl or even walk at a few weeks of age! But these are not voluntary or controlled movements. They are simply reflexes which will die out over a few days and then be re-learned months later as new accomplishments at the appropriate stage of development.

False Crawling

If you put him on his stomach, the baby’s naturally curled-up position leads him to flex legs and arms so that he looks as if he were about to crawl off. He may even “scrabble” so that he wrinkles his crib sheet. The position will be unlearned when the baby becomes able to uncurl himself and lie flat.

False Walking

If you hold the baby upright with his feet just touching a firm surface, he will take quite deliberate “steps,” placing one foot after another while you support his weight. Once again he will quickly unlearn this. By the time he is a week old he will simply sag if you hold him upright.

False Clinging

In the first days of life a baby’s hand grip is incredibly strong. In theory, you could hang him up by his hands and he would cling on tightly enough not to fall. But don’t try it. The ability passes between one day and the next. You might choose the next for your experiment!

But although the baby’s extraordinary strength of grip passes off, some degree of reflex hand grip remains. If you put your finger or a rattle into his closed fist, his hand will grip itself around it. When you try to remove it, his fist will close even more tightly in a reflex attempt to hang on. This reaction to the feel of a grippable object in his palm will remain through all the weeks that must pass before the baby is ready to learn to take hold of objects on purpose. So hanging on with his hands is not something which, like crawling or walking, he has to unlearn and then learn all over again. In this instance the reflex action eventually gives way to deliberate action.

A Reminder to be Careful . . .

If your baby, who would like to cling to you, feels that he is about to be dropped, he produces a violent and obviously distressed reflex which is called the “Moro response.” If you jerk him while you are holding his hands, you will see his arms snatch up at yours and his legs curve convulsively upward as if seeking a body around which to clasp themselves. If you put him down carelessly, so that your hands start to release him before he feels the firm security of the mattress, he will throw out both his arms and legs and then flex them violently; his head will jerk back because the reflex movements have upset his head control; he will probably cry out in fear.

Like other reflexes, the Moro response has lost its direct usefulness to the baby because he does not have the muscle power to save himself from a fall by holding on. But the response is still a useful one. Every time your baby reacts in this violently startled way you will know that you have handled him too roughly, too unexpectedly or without taking enough care to support his heavy head. Moro responses are a hint to parents to take more care.

Playing with Your Baby

Play is more important to babies than it is to adults. For an adult, play is usually a form of recreation; for a baby, it is a means of learning about himself and the world around him. When he grabs and shakes a rattle, gums and chews a teething ring, squashes and squeaks a rubber duck, he is learning that he can make things happen. He learns about himself, as well as about the objects he is playing with.

When you talk, coo, laugh, hug, and kiss your baby, he learns that certain things he does make an impact on you. Learning activities (play) for a baby during an average day might include singing and talking; caressing, touching, and cuddling when changing or feeding him; a massage after a bath; baby exercises; moving to different rooms; games, such as peek-a-boo; and playing with appropriate toys.

Baby Exercise

Much has been written about baby exercise, and some community centers feature classes in infant stimulation and parent-baby exercises. The purpose is twofold: to educate parents about their infants’ physical growth and development, and to teach parents some appropriate and fun ways to play with their babies. By using these simple exercises, you not only play with your baby, but you learn more about his capabilities and limitations.

These exercises will probably not speed up your baby’s development, since growth and development normally occur in an orderly and predictable fashion with or without infant exercise. But you can enhance your baby’s development by giving him the chance to use the muscles he is already learning to control.

The baby exercises (below) are designed for babies one week to three months old. A young baby (one to six weeks) may have tightly flexed legs and arms. If you gently jiggle or pat his hands, arms, or legs, you may help relax his muscles and they will move more easily. Keep your movements slow, gentle, and rhythmic. Try singing songs to him as you move his limbs. After a few sessions, he will relax and seem to anticipate the movements.

Exercise or play with your baby when he is in the quiet-alert state–wide awake, calm, and attentive. If he is fussy, hungry, upset, or sleepy, chances are you will not enjoy yourselves. Unless otherwise noted, do the following exercises on the floor or on a firm surface. As your baby grows older, you may want to do other exercises.

Arm Cross

To relax chest and upper back muscles.

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With your baby on his back, place your thumbs in your baby’s palms. When he grasps them, open his arms wide to the side. Bring them together and cross his arms over his chest. Repeat slowly and gently, using rhythmic movements.

Arm Raising

To facilitate flexibility of the shoulders.

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With your baby on his back, grasp your baby’s forearms or hands. Raise them over his head, then lower them to his sides. Repeat slowly and gently, using rhythmic movements. Alternate arms–while one goes up, the other goes down.

Leg Bending

To facilitate flexibility of hips; may help baby pass gas.

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With your baby on his back, grasp lower legs and gently bend his knees up toward his abdomen and chest. Gently lower his legs until they are straight. Repeat several times. Alternate, bending one leg while straightening the other.

Inchworm

To bring about extension of legs and back.

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With your baby on his tummy, bend his knees under him, holding his feet with your thumbs against the soles. Thumb pressure on his soles will cause him to straighten his legs and move forward like an inchworm.

Baby Bounce

To comfort baby or ready the baby for play.

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Place your baby on his back or tummy on a foam rubber pad, bed, your lap, or any soft, bouncy surface. Slowly and gently press the bouncy area around the baby (or bounce baby on your lap) so the baby rocks up and down. Use a gentle, rhythmic up-and-down motion, and he will relax. You may also try patting your baby rhythmically on his chest, back, arms, and legs.

Baby Massage

Massage is the language of touch. With a massage, you can calm and soothe your baby and communicate your love and care. During massage, keep the following points in mind. A nice way to start is with a bath. Then, after making sure the room is warm, remove the towel or receiving blanket, and put your baby on the floor. (You can also sit with the baby on your lap or kneel in front of him.) Baby lotion and baby oil soak into the skin too fast, so use vegetable oil, massage oil, or cornstarch. Put the oil or cornstarch on your hands first, then rub your hands together to warm them. Tell your baby what you are doing or sing a song. Rub gently during the first month; as the baby gets older, you can exert more pressure. Once you have touched the baby, keep at least one hand in contact with him until the massage is over. Don’t massage your baby’s trunk if his stomach is full. Be sensitive and responsive to his reactions; stop if he is not enjoying himself.

If he is enjoying himself, and he probably is, here are some motions you can try:

• Stroking with your open palms
• Stroking with the thumbs or fingers
• “Raking” with the tips of the fingers
• Tapping lightly with the tips of the fingers
• Massaging arms or legs with a wringing motion
• Doing whatever feels good to you and makes the baby happy