Every healthy baby starts to gain various reflexes in the 6th week while in the mother’s womb. Some of these reflexes, while keeping the baby alive in the womb; while others are a preliminary preparation to help you in your life after birth.
Today, we will take a look at the reflexes observed in babies that every parent should know.
There’s nothing those strong hands can’t catch
Of course, the reflex that we all know and try most often is the grasping reflex. This reflex, also known as the Palmar Grasp reflex, is acquired in infants at the 6th week in the womb. It is a reflex inherited from apes to humans. Baby monkeys are still protected from the dangers of the environment by clinging to their mothers thanks to the grasping reflex.
What you need to do to test the grasp reflex is very simple. As soon as your finger touches the palm of the baby, babies instinctively hold your finger tightly. While this reflex expresses that the baby’s motor development is healthy, it is abandoned by the frontal (motor development) lobes between the 4th and 6th months.
Reflexes are tested many times, even if parents don’t realize it.
Immediately after birth and up to the 6th month, the reflexes of babies are checked many times by health personnel in the vaccination schedule. If the baby does not show reflexes, it is considered as a sign of a neurological problem.
For example, healthcare professionals who love the palm of a baby’s hand or tickle his foot are actually measuring the baby’s reflexes. Just like hands, babies try to squeeze our fingers with their toes if their toes are touched. This is a sign of a healthy baby.
We can measure your reflexes while loving your chubby cheeks.
Another example of primitive reflex, infantile reflex or infantile reflexes that babies show is that whichever cheek you touch in babies, the baby turns his head in that direction. This reflex continues until the 6th month on average. Thanks to this reflex, mothers breastfeed their babies more easily. With the breast touching the cheek, babies can reach their mother’s breast even without opening their eyes. This reflex is often called the “search reflex”.
Any baby can swim as well as Michael Phelps
Since babies gain the breathing and swimming reflex while in the mother’s womb, they show the breathing and swimming reflex in water until 6 months after birth. Thanks to this reflex that babies show, it is possible to give birth in water. Although experts do not recommend trying it, if you put a baby in the water, they will hold their breath and perform swimming movements using their hands, arms and legs.
Wingless angels’ arms open like a wing as they fall
Although it is a somewhat dangerous test compared to other tests, we need reflex tests to understand whether babies are neurologically healthy, and one of these tests is the Moro reflex, also known as the fall reflex.
In the Moro reflex, the outstretched baby is pulled upwards with both arms and then released. After the release, the baby hugs the hands that pull him up and pulls the hands down. Even if the tester removes his hands, the baby’s hands will remain in the air for a while.
The drop test can also be performed by holding the baby on the lap and pretending to fall suddenly. After this test, the baby will reflexively raise his hands in the air.
Where our baby’s neck is turned, his body will evolve there too.
Applying this test, called the tonic neck reflex, is also extremely simple but important. Whichever way the baby’s neck is turned during the test, the baby’s arms, legs and body should also evolve to that side. This reflex continues until about 6 months, just like other reflexes.
The reflex we learn in the womb to survive
While counting the reflexes that babies show, it would not be possible if we did not count the sucking reflex that provides feeding. While babies are learning the sucking reflex in the womb, they continue to show this reflex after birth. In this way, they reflexively suck the breast, bottle and even the finger that come into their mouths.
We would like to share with you that almost every reflex that babies show is also seen in kittens, but the reason behind this has not been scientifically explained yet.
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