Babies are so damn cute! (Well… ok. Most of them). They are these teensy-tiny, helpless, dependant, cuddly little beings whose day-to-day demands for the first 6 months seem pretty darn simple… Eat. Sleep. Pee. Poop. (Repeat). We think that it’s up to us, the parents, to keep them safe, teach them about life and introduce them to the world. Without us, these fragile creatures would be completely lost … but that’s not entirely true!! I was stunned when I had Veronica to learn how many primal and instinctive "things" she came pre-programmed with in order to ensure her survival… (Thanks Mother Nature).
**(Apologies in advance to all you practicing Catholics, but the rest of this blog refers to evolution… or hairy Adam & Eve’s… or whatever lets you sleep at night.)**
I’ve learned since being pregnant that babies are born with 5+ major ‘reflexes’. (But I’m just going to focus on my 5 favorite ones because they’re the most fun!)
#1: The ‘Rooting Reflex’ or the baby’s natural instinct to hunt for FOOD (aka: the boob). When Veronica was first put on my chest after my C-Section I was shaking uncontrollably from a mix of exhaustion, adrenaline & drugs. I couldn’t feel anything below my neck, let alone move my arms. (Man, it’s all such a blur!) The nurses kicked everyone (except Brad) out of the room and placed my baby skin-to-skin and told me to “nurse” her. I told her in some drugged up / exhausted way “I simply can’t” and she shrugged and said ‘yes you can’. And sure enough, my little baby started squiggling her way towards my breast. We had never met before, and she sure had never SEEN a boob before, yet she knew what she needed and how to get it. I started to cry. (Mind you, there was a lot of crying though during that first month!)
#2: The ‘Suck Reflex’ (again… food). Well, a woman may not produce much milk in those first 36 hours but that doesn’t mean your baby stops trying to get it!! Every 2-3 hours like clockwork Veronica was hungry… but thank goodness for those pre-natal classes that taught me not to stress about breastfeeding. Our instructor told us: “Human beings are the only creatures to actually doubt that they are producing enough milk to feed their babies…” and that totally stuck with me. So I just chillaxed about it… and we fed when we fed & I trusted that I was giving her what she needed… she latched eventually & man did she suckle!
#3: The ‘Step Reflex’ where the baby appears to take steps or dance when held upright with his/her feet touching a solid surface. Apparently the brain is coded to give the baby a reward of "happy" chemistry if it learns to stand. (Wow, cool right??!) A baby has this reflex even in the womb and it’s this reflex that the baby uses to push against the walls of the womb during the birthing process. I felt Miss V use this reflex about 5 bazillion times/day when preggers. (She tried - I’m sure - to use it in order for us to have a vaginal delivery, but unfortunately she got stuck in my pelvis.) And at about 7 weeks old she started to use this reflex out of sheer boredom I think. As she gets older she needs more stimulation, and sitting up / standing on my lap seems to do the trick! She's going to be a famous ballerina or gymnast (but not the f'd up kind..) I'm sure of it.
#4: The ‘Grasp Reflex’: where stroking the palm of a baby's hand causes the baby to close his/her fingers in a grasp. Pretty self-explanatory and I don’t really have a specific human example of this, except there is nothing like feeding your baby and having her grab at your hand or boob or finger. This reflex goes along with #5…. And back in the day as monkeys, the baby would rely on this reflex to hang on as Momma Monkey flew through the trees away from danger!
And… lastly…. my personal favorite…
#5: The ‘Startle Reflex” (aka “The Moro Reflex”). ‘The reflex response of an infant in which the limb and neck muscles contract when the infant is allowed to drop a short distance or is startled by a sudden noise or jolt’…. and it’s SOOOO funny!! Nothing was worse after cutting through my ab muscles than making me laugh… and V’s startle reflex was BEYOND hilarious!! We wound up lovingly calling it “SPROINGGGG” ‘cuz it looks like she’s throwing her arms and legs out of her body like they’re loaded springs.
The poor things appear to grab on to thin air for dear life. According to my online research, the baby is experiencing: “a newborn version of an adrenalin rush, similar to what an we experience on a roller coaster ride.” Other sites call it “An alarm reflex... A kind of sensation that she is all alone in the world for a split second, and her reaction (instantaneously grabbing for something to hold on to) is a protective mechanism, akin to the ‘fight or flight’ response.” This totally makes sense when you think of us as monkeys. (À la #4), when Momma Monkey is fleeing for safety, she needs something to hold on to so baby’s limbs go “SPROING!!”
With V, it happened more in the first few weeks-- at any abrupt noise, (crinkling paper and her own little farts were my personal favs ;p)… but it was the slamming of doors, SPROING! Whenever she was laid on a bed, (even softly!) SPROING! When the dogs started to bark, SPROING! When the vacuum cleaner started, SPROING! … Apparently it’s all to show that the baby’s muscles, hearing & reflexes are all working properly.
Whatever it is, it makes me laugh. So much that I have edited a video of various startle reflex footage I found online! (None of which are of my baby ‘cuz I can’t seem to predict when she’s going to do it anymore…)
Enjoy!
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