Amazing Talents of Your Newborn

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AMAZING TALENTS OF YOUR NEWBORN

A Guide

for Parents

and Caregivers

States of

Consciousness

The Senses

Temperament

Attachment


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2006, 1998, Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C.

PREFACE

Every child deserves a healthy start in

life. For almost a decade, the Johnson

& Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C.

(JJPI) has been devoted to improving

the lives of children and their families.

From their first breaths through their

early years, children are challenged to

survive and thrive in the world. Every

country, every family and every child

face unique obstacles to the promise of

a healthy life. At the forefront is JJPI

continually addressing the challenges

and priorities in childrens health.

A commitment to mothers and

their babies has been at the heart of

Johnson & Johnson for over 100 years.

Reinforced by the Johnson & Johnson

Credo that states, We believe our first

responsibility is to the doctors, nurses

and patients, to mothers and fathers

and all others who use our products

and services, JJPI was established in

1998. Its mission is to save babies lives

and contribute to a healthy environment

for children.

Collaborating with worldwide

leaders from government, medicine,

nongovernmental organizations and

industry, JJPI identifies the needs of

local children and their families.

With our partners, we develop

high-impact educational programs to:

Ensure mothers have safe and

healthy pregnancies

Improve care for babies from

birth through the early years

Resources for professionals and parents

is a vital part of the Johnson & Johnson

Pediatric Institutes programming. We

hope you find the following educational

material a valuable resource.


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CONTENTS

Introduction ......................................... 1

Infant States of Consciousness .......... 3Sleep States ........................................... 3

Waking States........................................ 4

The Senses ............................................. 5

Hearing................................................... 5

Vision ...................................................... 6

Touch ...................................................... 6

Taste and Smell......................................7

Breastfeeding ........................................ 7

Temperament ........................................ 7

Attachment ............................................ 8


A Guidefor Parents

and Caregivers


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I N T R O D U C T I O N

1

Marshall Klaus, MD


At one time, we believed that

newborns were not active participants

in the parent-infant relationship.

Today, we know that newborns greet

the world with finely tuned senses.They have an eager enthusiasm to

establish contact with their parents.

Many parents are still surprised to

learn how well a newborn can see

and hear. They can recognize your

face and voice and are even able toimitate facial expressions.

This booklet covers some of this

exciting information. This knowledgecan help you to enhance your

relationship, improve the quality

of care you provide and enjoy the

individuality of your newborn. It is

important to understand that, for the

newborn infant, there are six different

states of being or acting. You can

learn to recognize each one. By

identifying the different states and

realizing when they occur and what

the expected responses are, you can

get to know your infant. And, you

will be able to better provide for

his needs. Of course, the more you

understand about your new baby, the

more prepared you will be to enjoy

this early time.


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Infant States of Consciousness

Your newborns behavior depends

on his level of arousal. Through

careful study, researchers have

classified infant consciousness. They

have divided it into six different states

of arousal. These states are based on

the infants degree of wakefulness.

You will see your baby moving up

and down through these levels of

arousal. You will begin to recognize

the specific behaviors associated with

her states of consciousness. These

states include quiet sleep, active

sleep, drowsiness, quiet alertness,

active alertness and crying. The

better you understand which state

your baby is in, the more able youwill be to read her signals and respond

to her needs.

Sleep States

Sleep gives your newborn a chance

to recharge. If you think your newborn

spends a lot of time sleeping, you are

right. Young babies require a lot of

rest and sleep as much as 20 hours

each day.

There are two distinct patterns

of sleep for newborns. These two

patterns alternate about every 30

minutes. During quiet sleep, your

newborn will lie very still. Heart and

respiration rates are very regular and

his face is relaxed.

The other sleep pattern is called

active sleep. This is marked by the

same kind of rapid eye movement

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(REM) that adults experience. Your

newborn may move his arms and legs,

and a wide array of expressions may

play across his face.Drowsiness

Drowsiness is an intermediate state

which occurs while your baby is

waking up or falling asleep.

Waking States

When your baby is awake, you will

notice 2 different waking states.

The most rewarding waking state is

called the quiet alert state. Newborns

only spend about 10 percent of every

24 hours in this highly receptive state

during their first week of life. Theseprecious and wonder-filled moments

provide the best opportunity for you

and your baby to begin building a

relationship. Newborns in the quiet

alert state look directly into their

parents eyes. Their eyes are open

wide and their faces shine with a

sparkling look. There is little body

movement and breathing is regular.

Many infants have a prolonged

period of quiet alertness right after

birth. During the first hour of life,

newborns may look directly intotheir mothers and fathers faces and

respond to their voices. In this state,

your newborn makes her first attempt

to understand the world and to

interact with you.

The active alert state is verydifferent. In this state, your newborn

will exhibit frequent, rhythmic

movements of the arms and legs.

These movements will often get your

attention. This state helps to promote

a natural interaction between you and

your baby, since it appears when he is

ready to eat or is fussy.

Crying

Crying is one of your babys

ways of communicating her needs.

Your baby will cry when hungry or

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uncomfortable. As you respond to

your babys cries, you will learn to

distinguish between different types

of crying. Many parents find that

they can move their babies out of

the crying state by picking them up,

soothing them and putting them over

their shoulders.

At the University of Minnesota,

scientists have completed a study

on infants and stress. They showed

that babies who received warm,

responsive and consistent care were

better able to handle stress at the end

of their first year. This tells us that

they become better at facing lifes

challenges as they get older. They

also improve at achieving secure

attachment.

The Senses

The senses help your baby develop

an understanding of the world around

him. Even before birth, your baby is

able to sense touch and motion. He

can notice different tastes and odors

and recognize his mothers voice.

Hearing

Your newborn is immersed in

the world of sound as early as the

sixth month of pregnancy. Studieshave shown that newborns who are

frequently exposed to the same music

while still in the womb can be calmed

almost immediately when they hear

that music after birth. They can also

recognize the voice of their mother.

The rhythms and melodies of your

culture are becoming familiar to

your baby.

Studies have shown that babies

in the first few weeks after birth can

differentiate their mothers voice.

They also actually prefer it. Given

a choice, your newborn will choose

the familiar and comforting tones

of his mothers voice. Interestingly,

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newborns prefer the higher pitch of

the female voice. This may explain

why many fathers use a higher pitch

when talking to their babies.

Hearing your voice is essential to

your babys language development.

Parents around the world talk to their

newborns the same way. They speak

in high-pitched voices, stretch their

words into long syllables and use

short sentences. This is how your

newborn begins to learn language.

When you talk to your newborn, you

are teaching him the building blocks

of human conversation.

Vision

Both sound and motion attract

your newborns attention. They help

stimulate her brain. She will enjoy

watching your face, focusing first on

the edges and then exploring the eyes,

nose and mouth. In fact, newborns

instinctively seek out the high-contrast

areas of a human face.

Your baby is best able to see objects

that are 8 to 12 inches away. She will

also be able to follow moving objects,

first with her eyes and then by moving

her head.

Amazingly, newborns have a natural

ability to imitate the facial expressions

they see in their mother or father.

Try sticking your tongue in and out at

your newborn every 20 seconds. Be

sure he is in the quiet alert state and

looking at your face. It may take a

minute or two, but you may soon seea tiny tongue sticking back out at you.

Touch

Of all the senses, the power of

touch is perhaps the most important

for a newborn. In the womb, your

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When you talk to your newborn, youare teaching him the building blocks ofhuman conversation.


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baby experienced the light pressure of

fluid. Now he will be comforted by

caresses and light touches. Stroking

that is firm enough not to tickle your

baby reduces his restlessness and

promotes sleep.

Parents around the world naturally

lift, hold and stroke their newborns.

This produces a variety of physiologic

and emotional responses that relax

and soothe. When you touch your

baby, you can also boost her growth

hormones and immune system.

Taste and Smell

Your newborn has a keen sense of

taste and can distinguish between

sweet and bitter. A breast-fed baby

will be exposed to the flavors of the

food his nursing mother eats.

Smell is another sense that takes

on an important role in survival.

Research shows that your baby

quickly learns the scents associated

with her family. She can distinguish

the scent of her mother over those of

other mothers. And, she can do this

after only a short period of exposure.

A mother can also identify her own

babys scent soon after birth.

Breastfeeding

During breastfeeding, a newborn

grows close to his mother. He feels

the rhythm of her heart, sees the shapeof her face and experiences her taste

and smell.

Your baby is born with a remarkable

readiness to respond to you. Some

parents have experienced a very

dramatic example of these astonishingnatural talents. A newborn, if left

quietly on her mothers stomach after

birth, may crawl to the breast, find the

nipple and start to suckle. This ability

reminds us that babies are born with a

unique instinct to survive.

Temperament

Babies are individuals with likes

and dislikes from the first days of

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life. Some babies need very little

stimulation to reach a state of quiet

alertness. Others may need a bit

more before they will open their eyesand return a smile.

The ease with which babies

transition through different states

defines them. So too does the

degree to which they react to sights

and sounds. It also describes the

boundaries around which a loving,

caregiving environment is created.

One of the challenges in those first

days of life is to learn who your baby

is and what best soothes him and

makes him most comfortable.

Dr. Nathan Fox is a researcher at

the University of Maryland. His work

has shown that from the early days

of life there are biological differences

in how infants react to the world.

The key is to understand the way

in which biology and the parenting

environment interact. Parents can

help their baby define his or her

individuality, says Dr. Fox. Parents

who know how their baby reacts to

different levels of light, noise or touch,

may be able to modify the babys

environment. This will help her feel

safe and secure.

Attachment

The first few days and weeks

following birth are very important in

developing ties. But, this is only the

beginning of the process by which you

and your newborn become attached

to each other. The more time that you

can spend with your newborn during

the first few days, the better youll be

able to recognize and meet her needs.

Being close to your newborn is betterfor you, too.

Newborns require nurturing, but

so do new parents. As a new parent,

you face as many challenges as your

newborn does. The intensity of your

parental feelings grows deeper as you

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learn more about your newborn. It is

often the private, quiet time that you

and your newborn share that brings

out these loving and unique feelings.Simple acts like nurturing, feeding

and caring for your newborn, feeling

the touch of his skin and the warmth

of his body, solidify your growing

attachment. Experts describe the

process as gradual for most parents.

It can take a week or longer following

birth for parents to feel confident in

the feelings of responsibility and love

for their child.

So do not worry if you do not feel

as if the newborn is yours right away.

For some, the feeling begins during

pregnancy. For others, feeling that

your newborn is not a stranger

can take a week or more. Give

yourself and your newborn time to

grow together. The experience will

last a lifetime.

As a new parent, understanding thebehavior of your newborn can help

you provide the best care. When you

see your newborn and hear how she

responds, you will instinctively react

differently. And when your newborn

sees you respond to her needs, she

feels secure in your care.

The first days and weeks following

birth should be a special, private

time for you and your newborn.

It is your time to nurture, grow close

and begin to develop a relationship

for a lifetime.

Use and enjoy this time. Become

aware of your newborns amazing

array of natural abilities to learn and

to communicate.

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The intensity of your parental feelingsgrows deeper as you learn more aboutyour newborn.


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VISIT: www.JJPI.com

EMAIL: [email protected]

PHONE: In US (toll-free) 1-877-JNJ-LINK (565-5465) Outside US 001-570-368-7303

FAX: In US (toll-free) 1-877-JNJ-FAXX (565-3299) Outside US 001-631-208-9253

MAIL: Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute, L.L.C., Customer Care, P.O. Box 579,Calverton, New York 11933 USA

FOR MORE INFORMATION


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AN06-B1

NEWBORN CARE: Other Resources

www.JJPI.com

The materials available in our Newborn CareProgram provide professionals and parentswith guidelines and suggestions for infancy.For related information during pregnancy, pleasesee materials in our Pregnancy Program. Thisunique program is supported by research that isreviewed in these materials and translated forpractical application. For downloadable

versions, see www.JJPI.com.

Taking Your Baby HomeA Parents Guide

Amazing Talents ofthe NewbornProfessional Monograph

Amazing Talents of Your Newborn

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Transcript of Amazing Talents of Your Newborn