Babies are very fascinating little creatures. Aside from being very tiny, they’ve also got several other fascinating things going on for them. One of those very fascinating things happen to be the reflexes they have. What’s more, these reflexes are something you can only elicit for a specific period of time.
One of their reflexes, the Moro reflex, is one of the few that you can actually notice a lot. So much so that it can be concerning for their mamas. However, this reflex is something that is expected. What’s more, it’s something that you should be happy to see in most cases.
However, what exactly is this reflex? What does it mean and why is it there in the first place? Lucky for you, we’ll take a closer look at this reflex and help you understand it better. So, if you’ve been curious as to why it looks like your baby’s seemingly been getting startled, read on and learn more about why this is so!
Reflexes and Your Baby
From the day your baby gets birthed into this world up until the weeks (or months) following this, your baby will have a number of reflexes that are normal during this stage in their life. These reflexes, also known as primitive reflexes, are signs that your baby’s nervous system is still in the process of developing. This is because, as they grow older and their brains develop, these reflexes eventually disappear.
However, while they are still newborns, these reflexes still help serve some purpose. These reflexes are what help ensure that they’re able to perform actions that are there to help them survive. Their rooting and sucking reflex, for example, help with breastfeeding. More specifically, these help babies turn their heads towards the tactile stimulus on the stimulated cheek and help them suck and swallow.
Aside from helping with their survival, these reflexes also become a reference for other things as well. If these reflexes are absent, you could say that there may be a problem in their nervous system. If it isn’t the nervous system, there could be a problem with their little muscles. Whatever the case, these reflexes can also help tell a lot about how your baby’s general state of health is. This only helps solidify their importance.
More on Moro
If you’ve ever picked up your baby while they were busy lying down or tried to change their diaper, you may have noticed that it looked like they got a little surprised. What’s more, it may have looked as if they felt like they were falling. As a mama, if you’ve ever seen this happen, chances are you might feel like you’ve given them a little scare. You might even feel bad that you might have frightened your baby.
However, while that may seem like the case, this is a completely normal occurrence in all newborn babies. This is because this is just their Moro reflex manifesting itself, which is another one of their primitive reflexes.
What Is It?
Also known as the startle reflex, this can occur for several reasons. Some very common reasons include sudden changes in position, unexpectedly tapping or touching your baby, and even loud sounds. Just about any sudden stimuli may elicit this reflex, even their own cry. So, you could say that babies startle very easily. What’s more, you can attribute this to their Moro reflex.
What’s It Look Like?
When a baby’s Moro reflex kicks in, it looks a lot like how you’d react if you dreamt about falling. First, your baby’s arms and legs are outstretched, with the fingers opening up. Then, your baby brings their limbs closer together. Because it looks a lot like the jerking reaction one has when they think they're falling, it’s easy to overlook.
Its Importance
However, while it is easy to overlook, it’s still important to try and pay attention to it as much as possible. More specifically, it’s important to note whether it’s present (or absent) and how the reflex looks on your baby. This is because an absence of it would be a sign that there may be a neurological problem. If the movements are rather slow or asymmetrical, it could also be a sign of a neuromuscular problem.
Also, as this reflex should start to disappear by 2 months, and be gone completely by 6 months, its presence beyond that timeframe could also mean something. In this case, it could mean that there’s a developmental problem going on in your baby.
Knowing all this, as a mama, you can see how important it is to pay close attention to your baby. This is because there are many ways to check if your baby’s doing okay. In the case of the Moro reflex, eliciting this by startling them occasionally may be a good way to see if they have any neuromuscular problems. Of course, this isn’t to say you should just go around scaring children. What this does mean is you should at least see if the reflex changes every now and then too. At least, that way, you’re keeping tabs on your child’s development somehow too!
