Mile 253: Newborns of Wonder

Above: If you come at the right time, Chicago will welcome you along with many, many others.

WE JUST CAN'T KEEP SAYING
BABIES ARE OH, SO CUTE!

6:15 AM - Stuck between two trucks in the middle lane of the Stevenson expressway, I'm glad I have my music lineup ready to stay entertained for my drive to the hospital. I've got my Spyro Gyra, David Benoit, and Phish albums (one of these things is not like the other?) queued for the morning drive. I've now become a member of what used to be called the "rat race" - nowadays it's "commuting," or the "morning rush." We're required to be at the hospital at 7:15 AM, and I live out in the suburbs. So, I could either risk hitting a traffic jam but get some more sleep, or just take it easy on the drive and start the trek early. For the past week, I've been waking up at 4:45 AM to prepare to do the latter...

The group of students that I rotate with has come to a great conclusion: we love babies. Our attending expects us to know how to examine a newborn by the end of 3 weeks, and with lots of opportunities to practice, I've learned that I actually love interacting with them. I'll be honest, I didn't think babies and me went together, but with the several that I've interacted so far, my confidence with working with them has increased. I've learned that I have this tendency to have an imaginary conversation with the baby, sometimes late-night-talk-show-host style.

(But... one problem I gotta fix: I keep referring to the babies as "hombres" or "bros." Yes, even if it's a girl. As much as I'm into bro-hood, I gotta respect the female gender.)

A Try This at Home Moment.
Some of my favorite facts I've learned have come from the neurological exam of a newborn. If you know someone who has an infant within 12 months of age, you might want to try these reflexes on them. It's just really cool how these behaviors are instilled and can be triggered by simple stimuli from you. Many of these reflexes occur due to portions of the brain still in development at their age. In case you were asking: Yes, you can have someone attempt to trigger these reflexes in you (but if you notice you're pulling off these reactions involuntarily... that's not exactly a good thing!).

Just note: 1) that the sooner the better if you have a newborn (most of these reflexes will disappear within the range of 4-9 months of age, with the exception of the Babinski below) and 2) these reflexes are best shown when the baby's awake and alert.

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1. Palmar Reflex - If you place an object or a stimulus in the palm of their hand, the newborn will go ahead and grab it, no matter what it is.

2. Glabellar Tap - Go ahead and tap the area right above the space in between the eyes. Initially, adults blink and then will stop blinking as the tapping continues. For newborns, they will keep on blinking no matter how long you keep tapping.

3. Babinski - Your turn. Take off your shoes and socks, sit down on a chair where your feet just dangle and close your eyes. Now have the person trace the sole of your foot from heel to toe, following the outside edge of the sole (it should be somewhat like a C shape). Note which way your foot points (it should go down). Now pull it off on an infant or a newborn (their feet should point up). What's really cool is that development of just a tract that controls the foot (which isn't developed in infants until 12 months of age), is what causes a simple difference in the reaction to this stimulus.

4. Rooting Reflex - Newborns love their moms. They love 'em so much that they have a reflex to be nurtured. Stroke the newborn's cheek with their finger. The baby should move their head to the side where the cheek was stroked. From what I've read, this reflex works to help the baby find the mom when they are breast fed. This reflex works best if the baby hasn't been fed in the past hour or two.

5. Suckling Reflex - Touch the newborn/infant by the upper lip with your finger (or slightly insert it into the mouth - wash your hands!). The baby should start sucking on your finger.

6. The Moro (Startle) Reflex - I've saved the best for last! Three ways to pull this off. There's a mild, medium, and a risky way to do this.

- The mild way is to simply startle the baby with a clap right above their head or surprise them with a loud pre-recorded sound.
- The medium way is to take the newborn/infant and pull them up by the arms, until sitting up and then let go to have them fall back.
- The risky way is to support the baby by the head neck and back and pull them away from where they were lying down. Next, simulate a drop by keeping support and lowering the baby quickly about 2 feet. It's fun, but one needs to be careful here and support the baby properly.

In both cases, the baby should extend their arms and legs outward (looking somewhat like an X) in response to the startle (as if they're looking for something to grab on). The baby may then pull back their arms/legs (flexing them) and perhaps they cry. They're just so adorable when they pull this off!

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And with that evidence, the intellectually derived conclusion is: I think babies are cool. Not just because they're cute, but there's a lot more to them than most people think.