Pregnancy
Help Your Baby Become Calm and Attentive
Benefits of touch
For the first few weeks of your baby's life, try to concentrate on his needs for comfort in a new environment. You already have much that he needs to ease his transition from the womb into the world—a warm body, loving arms, and a steady heartbeat. As you cradle him in your arms, or nestle him against your chest, recognize that he's feeling the body warmth and heart rhythms that were familiar to him in the womb. Remember, too, that touching and being touched are new sensations for your baby. His skin is exquisitely designed to receive sensation from his surroundings, and you want to make sure that the stroking he receives from you feels good. Most babies enjoy touch that is tender, but firm. The simple touch of your fingers will not only soothe your baby, it may help him grow! Studies conducted by Duke University researcher Saul Schanberg and his collaborator Tiffany Field appear to indicate that soothing touch releases growth hormones. However, many newborns need to sleep as much as 20 hours a day, so you shouldn't let your loving touches interfere with your baby's need to rest. In later weeks, however, if your child continues to sleep that much you'll want to increase the amount and variety of the touches as well as the sights and sounds you are offering him, to entice him into his wonderful new world. You might consider gently kneading your baby's hands, arms, legs, and feet and see if the baby responds pleasurably to the sensations your hands bring. It seems that loving touch can also reduce the stress a baby may be experiencing. Megan Gunnar of the University of Minnesota has gauged children's reactions to stress by measuring the levels of a steroid hormone called cortisol in their saliva. By the end of one six-week study in which babies were given twice-weekly massages, cortisol levels markedly decreased. The babies also were less irritable and slept better, too. Make sure to let your baby's fingers come into contact with different textures—soft and cushiony, smooth, and bumpy—and see if he brightens up. (Ultrasound research has revealed that babies already have had a lot of touch practice from pulling and squeezing their umbilical cords while they are in the womb.) Offer your infant toys that are easy to grasp. By three months, he may be able to reach toward and latch onto a rattle. His fingers will be unclenched and open three quarters of the time he is awake, and you'll want to offer him interesting objects to grasp as he explores the world around him. Holding, Hugging, Rocking, and Rolling
The way you hold your baby can also have an impact on his sense of security. Some babies curl up like kittens as you hold them against your chest; others flail their limbs or seem stiff-legged and tense when held in that position. Try varying the way you hold your infant to see which position allows him to relax best. How you move while you hold the baby in your arms also affects his ability to focus calmly. Most babies, during the first weeks of life, are overwhelmed by up-and-down jostling that is too brisk or jerky, and are soothed by rocking and gentle side-to-side movements. Try swaying slowly, taking four to five seconds to move from one side to the other and see if the motion lulls your infant. As their muscles develop, many infants enjoy rhythmically bouncing in your lap as you hold them. Most also show obvious delight as you hold them up overhead and smile into their eyes. Other babies, however, seem less flexible and their parents have to be a little more inventive in learning which touches and movements best comfort them. Vary the positions you use when you hold your baby and see which ones allow his muscles to relax the most. Does he show any special pleasure when he is moved horizontally or vertically through space? For most babies, swaddling (gently but firmly bundling the baby's arms and legs in a receiving blanket wrapped around their bodies) is soothing. Other babies enjoy a body massage in which their limbs are gently flexed and extended. Like school-age children who are more attentive in class immediately following recess, these babies seem to need a little sensory and muscular activity to bring them to a state of calm, focused attention. If your baby seems to be distressed by an embrace that seems quite natural to you, remember that he is not rejecting you. Up until recently, scientists assumed that all human beings experienced sensations in similar ways. We now know that individuals perceive the same stimulus very differently. Your feathery touch could feel tickly and irritating on your newborn's skin, while another baby might take delight in the same caress. Naturally, you may feel a little disappointed that your intuitive approach didn't immediately work, but you can experiment and find a touch that feels right for both you and the baby. It may take a while to hit upon the right balance, and you will no doubt feel frustrated and exhausted from time to time, just as your infant does. Always keep in mind that comforting your baby and slowly introducing him to new sights, sounds, and touches in the first few months of life is an inexact, learn-as-you-go process for everyone involved. There is one part of an infant's body, though, that almost invariably provides your baby with a sense of comfort and security. Babies take enormous pleasure in using their mouths, and some suck their thumbs even before they are born. The dense nerve endings around the lip area makes moving their mouths and sucking an especially pleasurable activity. You'll soon become aware of your own baby's sucking style. Some infants seem to suck only when hungry or to ease gas pains, while others do it more often. Some suck with vigor as if they're always ravenous; others seem less involved. If your baby doesn't seem to settle himself and relax while sucking, or has difficulty sucking, be sure to mention this to your pediatrician. Occasionally, difficulties in sucking can indicate potential motor challenges that can be helped most effectively when identified early in life.
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Excerpted from:
Copyright © 1999 by Stanley I. Greenspan. Excerpted from Building Healthy Minds: The Six Experiences That Create Intelligence And Emotional Growth In Babies And Young Children with permission of its publisher, Perseus Books Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.
