Your Baby – July 2019

JULY & AUGUST 2019 | 45

BREATHING

A baby’s first breath is pure reflex.

It takes a huge amount of effort and

results in his lungs filling with a great

deal of air. After a few minutes,

your baby’s breathing system will be

up and running, and you’ll see his

colour change from mottled blue to

a healthy, vibrant pink.

FEEDING

The strongest reflex at birth is the

sucking reflex. Touch your baby’s

cheek, and his rooting reflex kicks

in as he turns his head towards the

stimulation, while the sucking reflex

causes him to “hone in” on the nipple

to begin feeding. This instinct is at its

strongest during the first 30 minutes

following birth. To help your baby

latch effectively, gently tickle his feet

to engage the rooting reflex, as he

will instinctively open his mouth that

much wider to find the breast.

BRACING

Have you ever wondered why

newborns can be attached to their

mothers’ backs with a blanket? The

bracing reflex enables your baby

to support himself briefly when your

hands are around his chest. He can

even support his own head this way.

GRASPING

This reflex affects both your baby’s

palms and feet. His fingers or toes

will curl inwards when you touch his

palm or press the inside of his foot.

STARTLE

Also known as the Moro reflex, it

occurs when your baby is startled

by loud noises or sudden movements.

He will stretch out his arms and

legs like a spider, and then slowly

retreat back into a foetal position.

Swaddling is a tremendous source

of comfort for newborns and helps

to minimise the effects of this reflex,

which can wake him when he

is asleep.

SMILING

Until six weeks old, a baby’s smile is

simply to exercise his facial muscles.

Thereafter, he will smile broadly

when he recognises you.

WHAT IS AN APGAR TEST?

Done immediately after birth and

again five minutes later, this test

determines your baby’s ability

to survive independently. He will

receive a maximum of two points

for each of several key elements,

including breathing, movement (or

muscle tone), heartbeat, skin colour

and reflex.

This is normal and will right itself as the

muscles in your baby’s eyes strengthen.

EARS

Babies can recognise their mothers’

voices immediately after birth. Your

gentle, soothing voice has a calming

effect on your baby.

MOUTH

This area is exceptionally sensitive, and

your baby may even sport a sucking

blister on his lip. This will heal by itself.

BODY

The protective white-grey substance

covering your baby’s whole body at birth

is called vernix.

Don’t be in a hurry to wash it off,

as it’s great protection for his very

sensitive skin.

If your baby is premature, he may be

covered in soft, downy body hair called

lanugo; you may even find it on his ears

and forehead, but it will disappear.

LEGS

Your baby will prefer to be curled up in

the foetal position rather than having his

legs out straight. This may be because

he’s been curled up into a tight ball for

several months. Bear this in mind when

he resists a nappy change!

HANDS

Your baby’s nails may be very long at

birth and appear to be paper thin. They

are razor sharp.

Keep his nails short, so he does not

scratch himself – babies’ arms flail

around a lot. Gently hold your baby’s

hand to tear off the nail. YB

AFTER BIRTH, everything about your
newborn is so new. He’s wrinkled,
probably crying lustily and seems so
tiny. Very soon, he’ll smooth out and
become a round-faced cherub – but don’t
be surprised if your baby doesn’t meet
your expectations when he arrives.

HEAD
As delicate as he looks, your baby’s head
is surprisingly strong, and he’ll turn it
to gaze at you shortly after birth. Notice
the fontanelle or diamond-shaped “soft
spot” on the top of his head? This is
where his skull bones have not closed
completely. It’s nature’s way of ensuring
an easier passage down the birth canal
as the skull “plates” are able to move
to overlap one another, making the
head smaller. The fontanelle usually
closes completely by around 18 months.
The back fontanelle, which is triangle-
shaped, will close at about three months.
Babies are born with either very dark or
blond hair, and they may have a lot or
almost none. Whichever it is, your baby’s
hair is likely to change dramatically
within weeks or months as it falls out.
Don’t worry if the hair falls out in
clumps or if he develops a bald patch
in the spot where his head meets the
pillow. It will all grow back.

EYES
Your newborn focuses at a distance
of around 20cm, which is the perfect
distance between his eyes and yours
while breastfeeding, as this allows him
to focus only on you. His eyes may be
swollen, puffy and possibly bloodshot
from the birth. Black and Indian babies
have either dark grey or brown eyes that
may darken. All white babies begin life
with blue eyes, but this is no indication
of what colour your baby’s eyes will
eventually be. It takes four to six months
for your baby’s eye colour to change.
Do not worry if your baby has a slight
squint at first.

Survival ref lexes

Newborns are a miracle of nature. Your baby comes equipped

with survival strategies that gradually disappear as he masters

the corresponding skills via his intellect