Reflexes
Reflexes are involuntary responses . Newborns have a number of unique reflexes . Some are important for survival , while others are not well-understood . Most newborn reflexes go away or change as baby gets older . Your baby ’ s health care provider will evaluate your baby ’ s reflexes during an exam .
Rooting Moro ( Startle )
Rooting helps a newborn with feeding . If
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something touches your newborn ’ s cheek close to the lips , they will turn toward it and
Something that startles a newborn ( like a loud open their mouth . They will also turn their noise or sudden movement ) will cause them head side to side in search of the nipple for to throw their arms out with hands open , then feeding . Newborns often root and put their draw them back in to the body . hands in their mouth .
Other Reflexes Sucking
Newborns have many additional reflexes . As you interact with your baby , you may notice some of these :
The sucking reflex is strong in newborns , and it goes hand in hand with rooting . Baby will latch and begin sucking when something touches the roof of their mouth .
For the first few months , when you see baby ’ s rooting and sucking reflexes , it often means your baby is hungry .
• When you place your finger in baby ’ s hand , they will grip it tightly . Never lift a newborn baby using only this grip , since they will let go without warning .
• Their toes will curl or fan with different touches on their feet .
• When held upright with their feet touching a surface , they make walking or stepping movements .
• They push their tongue out when something touches their lips ( tongue thrust ). This helps with latching while preventing choking .
Newborns also have reflexes that remain into adulthood , such as gagging , swallowing , sneezing , yawning and coughing .
Newborn Appearance and Abilities 17