New Born Baby Facts
Newborns are fascinating but confusing to new parents, from the way the baby looks when it is first born to seemingly incessant crying that she does. Newborns have many reflexes, such as the Moro reflex and the grasping reflex. In the first month of life newborns develop quickly, going from crying to learning to smile. Even the senses of a newborn are different from that of an adult, but they develop quickly as the newborn grows.
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Appearance of Newborns
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A newborn may not always look the way his parents expected, from his head shape, to skin tone to facial features. The skin color of a newborn can be anywhere from dark red to purple. This will fade to a more natural skin color over the first day as the baby begins to breathe air. Because of immature blood circulation, a baby's hands and feet may remain blue for several days. Some newborns have a yellowish tone to the skin, which is known as jaundice. This is usually a normal response to the body removing excess red blood cells, but sometimes can be more serious and should be monitored by a doctor.
Newborns appear to have a cone shaped head following birth. This is because of the soft plates inside of the baby's head pushing together when she came through the birth canal. The head shape of a newborn should go back to normal by the end of the first week of life.
Parents may be alarmed when babies are born covered in hair and a cheese-like substance. The hair is called lanugo, and will fall out. This hair is more commonly seen in premature babies. The cheese-like substance is known as vernix. The vernix is formed on the baby's skin during pregnancy to protect his skin from the amniotic fluid.
Newborn Reflexes
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Babies are born with a number of reflexes that may appear odd to parents but actually act as survival techniques to a newborn. The Moro reflex, also known as the startle reflex, is triggered by loud noises or a sensation of falling to the baby. His reflex to startling is to spread his legs and arms out and extend his neck. Newborns also have a sucking reflex that coincides with their need for nourishment. This will be evidenced by the fact that a newborn will instinctively suck on his mother's breast or the nipple of a bottle in order to eat.
Newborn babies have a grasping reflex, which means that a baby will grasp an object or fingers that are placed in his palms. A fascinating reflex of newborns is the stepping reflex. If parents hold a baby under his arms, supporting his head, and allow his feet to touch a surface he will take steps. A similar reflex is the support reflex, which causes a baby to straighten her legs when parents hold her and allow her feet to bounce on a surface.
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Newborn Senses
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At birth, a newborn is only able to see 8 to 12 inches in front of her face. The baby will be able to recognize the voices of her parents even from birth. Newborns can hear just as well as adults and may even look in the direction of sounds of interest. Babies at birth already have a strong preference for the taste of breast milk and a dislike for foul odors.
Newborn Communication
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Crying is a newborn's main method of communication with caregivers. Newborns cry as a reaction to any need, to let parents know that something is wrong. After spending a few weeks with a newborn, parents learn to tell the difference between cries and what each one means. Newborns are also able to communicate subtly through body language. Just listening and watching parents is a form of communication for newborns. Within the first month of life a newborn may show his first smile or even laugh.
Development of Newborns
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In the first month newborns develop quickly, going from crying all the time to possibly learning to smile. Within the first month a newborn will learn to turn her head from side to side while laying down. She will also start to gain the ability to lift her head while lying on her stomach. By the end of the first month a newborn baby should be able to follow an object with her eyes when parents move it above her face.
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References
- Photo Credit newborn image by Valentin Mosichev from Fotolia.com
