"Value Disorganization!": Good Advice for New Parents!

It is a bitterly cold January day in Boston. I'm musing over the question of why Bostonians face this weather hatless, as I jump on a local bus heading to The Children's Hospital and Touchpoints training. I am here to study with the renowned pediatrician, Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, and his able staff for a full five days. My excitement over this opportunity creates nearly enough heat to thaw my feet!

Dr. Brazelton is the creator of the NBAS (Newborn Behavioral Assessment Scale), a marvelous tool used around the world to look closely at babies in order to understand an individual infant's amazing capabilities and important challenges. (Brazelton, T. B. [1995]. Neonatal behavioral assessment scale. Suffolk, United Kingdom: The Lavenham Press Ltd.) His book, Touchpoints, gives parents important insight and practical tips for successful parenting.(http://www.touchpoints.org/)

Over the years I have sat in huge audiences captivated by the way Dr. Brazelton shares just how much a baby can communicate! The audience cackles as he screws up his face to imitate an infant trying to wake himself up, a baby attempting to put herself to sleep, or a newborn tuning out the energy of an exuberant parent. Dr. Brazelton has the gift of helping new parents (and those who care for them) appreciate the potential of each interaction with a baby.

This week in Boston I am presented with a new parenting slogan, "Value Disorganization." During these five days we discuss the challenges of early parenthood. Instead of hoping parents will not feel overwhelmed by this experience, Dr. Brazelton suggests that this sense of disorganization may actually fuel the passion and offer the energy needed for early parenthood. "Value the chaos, give parents the support they need, and teach them how to 'read' their baby" are phrases repeatedly echoed during this week in training. These concepts are gifts to me that cold week in January.

As a nurse practitioner I find great joy in sharing with new parents the temporary disorganization of early parenthood. Once new moms and dads settle into the idea that feelings of confusion and fatigue are normal, and perhaps even helpful, life may suddenly seem more manageable.

I recently spoke with Dr. Brazelton about The HUG, the DVD I developed to help parents understand the behavior of their newborns (see www.hugyourbaby.com). I was delighted to conclude the DVD with this credit:

"Jan Tedder gratefully acknowledges the research, teaching, and clinical approach of Dr. T. Berry Brazelton. His NBAS and Touchpoints training are the single greatest influence on her work and the development of The HUG.

Dr. Brazelton: “The HUG captures important elements of the NBAS and offers parents another way to understand their baby.”

"Value disorganization" - the phrase encourages new parents, and me (their nurse), to take hold of the insights we gain during challenging moments as well as during peaceful times. Surely life has much to teach us from both!

"ME do it!" the Two-Year-Old Shouts!

Two-year-old Sabrina is exploring the exam room with gusto. Doors are opening and closing, magazines stacked and unstacked. The exam room's rolling stool spins around as Sabrina explores the boundaries of time, space, and relationships. Just as she is about to dump the basket of toys, she glances up to make sure her mom hasn't missed a thing. Mom's scowl is just the fuel the child needs to launch a full-scale delivery of all items to the floor. When Mom ask Sabrina to help pick up the toys, the child throws herself to the floor with shrieks of "No, me do it!"

"I don't get it," Mom sighs heavily. "Sabrina wants to be in charge of everything these days. On the other hand, she ask me to carry her down the stairs like a baby and to hold her cup of milk as she drinks. Does she want to be a baby or not?"

Sabrina's behavior says it all. She is moving from the dependent days of the first two years of life toward the independence of the toddler years. Many professionals believe the conflict a child feels as she balances the security of those early months with this internal drive for independence creates the tension some call the "terrible twos." How marvelous (and necessary) is this stretching of personality! While she wants to demonstrate the newfound power of "me," Sabrina also feels insecure about independence, and that insecurity causes her to regress to younger behavior. If Mom pushes her to "be a big girl" all at once, Sabrina will probably feel less secure and her tantrums may increase.

Mom delights in making a connection between these two sets of behavior. I suggest that Mom play "baby time" with Sabrina. In a playful way Mom puts the child on her lap and cuddles and kisses her while giggling, "You are my little baby girl." For a week or so Sabrina revels in this attention. Then, she suddenly seems bored with the game. Sabrina jumps down from Mom's lap, and is off to conquer the world again. She walks herself down the stairs and shouts "ME do it!" when Mom hands Sabrina her cup of juice. Mom feels a tug in her heart as she realizes that her daughter is not a "little baby girl" anymore!

The Baby Looks "Out of It"

The young woman felt on the verge of tears. She had just watched the new video from the Guatemalan orphanage where her soon-to-be-adopted eight-month-old was now living. Though the government papers were promised to be complete in "just" three more months, Tonya worried that by then it would be "too late" for her to bond with her baby.

On Tonya's trip to Guatemala, she had met Sofia, a beautiful, robust six-month-old. The baby had watched attentively as Tonya reached out to take her from the caretaker's arms. Sofia had playfully pulled Tonya's hair and had giggled when the new mother had shaken the purple and green rattle she'd brought from Kansas. Sofia seemed ready to take on a new mom, and Tonya was sure ready for her baby.

But the new video had troubled Tonya. Sofia had looked slightly frightened as the camera lens captured the caregiver lifting her from the crib. The bulky camera equipment and the hustle and bustle of several camera people seemed to cause Sofia to look "out of it," Tonya had told her friend and mentor at the local school of nursing.

The nursing professor was reassuring as she explained how newborns and even older children can protect themselves from overstimulation with a temporary "shutting down" maneuver. The professor had just taught a class about the normal coping strategies children have and how these actions can signal a baby's competencies rather than deficiencies. She sent the new mom a DVD which depicted these very behaviors in hopes that Tonya would be reassured. (See: www.hugyourbaby.com)

Tonya called several days later to report that she had looked at the DVD and then at the Guatemalan video again. She had noticed that as the filming progressed Sofia snuggled close to her caregiver and smiled up affectionately at her. Of course, Tonya knew that there would still be questions to ask about the bonding process of an adopting family, but today she felt more confident. Sofia would use her body language to show her new mom how to make those new and important connections, and Tonya was ready to learn!

Birthing a Breastfeeding Mother

Alyse looked embarrassed. "I just needed someone to talk to about this," Alyse whispered tentatively to me in the exam room one day. In my line of work I've learned to expect anything! Imagine my surprise when she asked, "My friends and family think I'm nuts 'cause I want to have natural childbirth and breastfeed my baby. Do you think that's a really silly idea?"

I confess to being shocked that our childbirthing culture had come this far backwards--that a pregnant woman might feel ashamed of her desire for a natural childbirth. With only a little encouragement from me Alyse was well on her way to discovering just how much the process of birth and early newborn care contribute to breastfeeding success (or failure).

During early pregnancy Alyse had already noticed that her breasts were getting larger and the areolae were darkening. "Makes an easy target for your baby's mouth," I explained. By the fourth month her breasts occasionally leaked a little of that amazingly rich, potent, and concentrated colostrum getting ready to nourish a baby, even if born early.

Alyse's determination to have the birth she wanted for her baby and herself really paid off.

When labor began, surging levels of oxytocin created strong and effective contractions. This high level of oxytocin caused a release of Alyse's endorphins, a natural pain killer, which helped her cope with childbirth. As her baby passed through the birth canal, catecholamines were released, giving Alyse just the boost of energy she needed right then! (Catecholamines later caused her baby to alert at birth, while a hit of mom's endorphines relaxed the newborn, making the baby both eager and ready to meet her mom!)

When the baby was delivered and placed on Alyse's chest, her baby instinctively crawled toward mom's darkened nipple. In this skin-to-skin position, the baby pulled her head back, opened her mouth wide, and began to nurse. Her suckling caused the release of prolactin, sometimes called the "love hormone," which helped Alyse melt at the sight and feel of her precious newborn. This hormone told Alyse's breasts to start making milk. Surging oxytocin told Alyse's breast ducts to eject the milk into her baby's mouth. The same hormone also told Alyse's placenta to separate from her womb and her womb to contract in order to prevent further bleeding.

Birth interventions have become so "routine" in "developed" countries that medical providers and patients can forget (if they ever knew) that pitocin does not elevate endorphins like oxytocin does, that epidurals reduce oxytocin levels, and that without high levels of these two hormones the energizing catecholamines do not increase. Taking babies immediately off the mother's chest (for bathing and testing) reduce levels of these milk-making hormones. And C-sections can wreak havoc on all these natural hormone interactions. Modern medical interventions are important to sometimes save lives, but used routinely they threaten breastfeeding success and may produce a less responsive mother and baby.

An article by Judith Lothian puts it well: "In a very real sense, the birth of a baby is also the birth of a mother - the birth of a breastfeeding baby and mother."**

Alyse couldn't have agreed more as she stroked the fuzzy head of her newborn, delighted that she chose to give herself, and her baby, the gift of a natural birth!

**[Lothian, J.(2005). The birth of a Breastfeeding Baby and Mother. Jo of Perinatal Education 14(1) p 43.]

"Am I Awake or Asleep?" My Baby Wondered.

He was a big baby. Jerry was born by emergency c-section two weeks early when his mom started to bleed during early labor. Although he was a full 9 lbs 3 ounces at birth, his entrance into the world a few weeks early presented him with a few extra challenges.

Jerry seemed to "never know what he is doing," his mom explained. He would fuss and appear ready to eat. He'd get to the breast, take a few sucks, then fall back asleep. Mom's breasts were full, so she would pump while Jerry slept. Jerry would wake up in forty-five minutes, cry inconsolably, and Mom would have to give the pumped milk since her breasts had not filled up again. In one hour the process started again. Mom's milk supply was down, the baby seemed hungry, and Mom's nipples were sore. It was time to stop this downward cycle before Mom gave up on breastfeeding.

Mom's story suggested a baby who had not yet developed clear "Resting" and "Ready" Zones (see http://www.hugyourbaby.com/skills.html). It is common for a baby born early to need his mom's help to figure out whether he is really awake or asleep. In addition to needing this help, Jerry was also a baby with VERY active, "Active Sleep," which was being misunderstood by his mom as waking up to eat.

I had hoped to see this behavior in action, and I wasn't disappointed. As Mom and I spoke, Jerry started to stir on the exam table. He cried suddenly and began to jerk his arms about but never opened his eyes. Since he had just eaten one hour before, I swaddled him and spoke quietly to him instead of putting him immediately to Mom's breast. He squirmed and fussed for a full five minutes. Then Jerry relaxed and fell back into a deep, peaceful sleep for another hour and a half. Now he stirred again and repeated his performance. However, this time Mom swaddled him and spoke quietly to him; he calmed down, opened his eyes, and started to root around. He was now in the "Ready Zone," ready to eat. Mom put him to her breast, where he nursed a full twenty minutes and became calm and content as he gazed up at his mother.

It's normal for new parents to feel confused as they attempt to read an infant's early body language. Howver, learning to help a baby in "Active Sleep" calm back down and sleep a bit longer can be crucial for breastfeeding success. As Jerry's mom practiced what we had discovered together, her supply of breast milk increased, her baby thrived, and she settled into a new comfort zone herself. Mom's timely action to help her child organize his sleep and wake cycles will really pay off in the months ahead.

" My Baby Doesn't Like my Milk!"

"Diane doesn't like my milk!" the young mother declared. "It must not be strong enough for her. I guess it's time for formula."

Her words were a surprise to me. Three-week-old Diane had regained her birth weight in just ten days and was growing at a great, 1/2-ounce-a-day clip. I could see her cheeks beginning to fill out, and she was "filling" her diapers with gusto. Why did this mother think that her breastfeeding was going poorly?

"She just doesn't seem satisfied," Diane's mother said. "Diane doesn't act like she's happy."

As a lactation specialist, I am trained to note weight gain, to identify the sound of milk being swallowed, and to document the number of wet and stooled diapers. Hearing this mother, my suspicion was that Diane's mom was responding to non-feeding infant behavior and projecting those concerns onto her breastfeeding experience.

In addition to noticing the physical signs of breastfeeding success listed above, I also am aware that research shows that a mother will see her baby as "satisfied" when she observes particular newborn behaviors. She wants to see her baby become alert and gaze deeply into her eyes. She wants to calm her baby effectively and doesn't want her baby to appear irritable or difficult to console. Mom wants to enjoy cuddling with her baby and to know that her baby likes to cuddle right back.

Understanding this, I picked up the baby to play some newborn "games." First I swaddled Diane to bring out the best in her ability to play. Next, I swayed Diane gently until her eyes became bright and alert. Then I shook a rattle and watched as Diane followed the toy intently with her eyes. She watched closely as I moved the rattle without a sound. Diane's mom giggled and glowed with the words, "She's really smart, I guess!" With my encouragement the young mother called her baby's name. Diane turned slowly in her mom's direction. With a big grin the mother lifted the baby from my hands and snuggled her face into the crease of the baby's soft neck. One of mom's hands went to her breast to suppress the unexpected let down of milk.

Now Diane's mom is a breastfeeding star and an advocate for other new moms. She comes to our breastfeeding class to discuss the challenges and joys of breastfeeding. "Babies are little people who have special ways of communicating," she says. "Don't just count their pees. Learn to speak their language, and you'll soon know how much they love your milk!"

"She's Sending out an SOS: Sign of Over-Stimulation"

Madeline had done her homework. She knew that cow's milk is best for cows and breastmilk is best for babies. She was determined to breastfeed even after delivering twins.

David was a six-pounder who seemed to have read the breastfeeding manual before his birth! A gentle stroke on the side of his mouth elicited a lovely rooting reflex. Madeline waited for him to open wide then she got the nipple into his mouth. In only a few days, David was nursing well, producing lots of pees and poops and dozing off nicely while his sister took her turn to feed.

Sara was a different story. At five pounds she seemed more fragile and more easily over-stimulated. Like her brother, Sara was eager to feed. But she seemed to get confused by her own activity. Her rooting reflect elicited a quick and energetic turning to the side. She would get red in the face and her breathing would pick up pace. Then she would startle as her mother attempted to get her to the breast. Her outside arm would swing out wildly and then she would start jiggling the nipple in her mouth as if she couldn't imagine what in the world she was supposed to do with it.

"Get a grip!" Madeline exclaimed as Sara demonstrated her eating style to me at her one-week-old weight check.

Sara's behavior is a classic example of a baby "Sending out an SOS" (Sign of Over-Stimulation.) Changes in her body--more pale or red skin, fast or choppy breathing, and increasing jerks or tremors of the arms or legs--can be a call for help.

She just can't multi-task," I explained. She is talking with her body and saying, "I can't do two things at one time: control my body and learn and how to nurse."

Madeline learned how to watch for Sara's SOSs and how to respond to them. Sara nursed best if swaddled firmly. Sometimes she would need to suck a paci or her mom's finger a minute until her SOSs decreased. A gentle sway would both calm her down and help her wake up to eat.

Mom's sensitivity to her daughter's body language helped both her and Sara learn how to nurse effectively. Now Sara weighs 12 pounds and her brother 13. They are thriving on Mom's milk, and Mom is thriving on them! (Learn more about sharing newborn behavior with parents...)

"I want to birth my own baby," she said.

She is a tiny lady with a big, basketball-sized belly. Mary Lou, who works at the bakery, and her husband, Joe, our local mechanic, had found their way to our county's childbirth education class. Mary Lou and Joe had grown up in a small Eastern North Carolina town. They had married right out of high school and now, living in Raleigh, were preparing for the birth of their first baby.

Mary Lou was quiet and soft spoken. She rarely raised a question but often jotted down notes as the class went along. When asked, "Why did you decide to come to this class?" Mary Lou had said, "'cause I want to birth my own baby. I want to push him out into this big, wonderful world!"

Mary Lou had heard stories about birth from other ladies at the bakery. Benita had been told that her "baby seemed too big," so she was induced -- only to deliver a 6 pound, 3 ounce baby boy. Jackie's doctor had thought that her pelvis might be too small, so a c-section was done and she delivered a 7 pound, "late premie."

Mary Lou's doctor had already discussed with her "getting an epidural"; he also mentioned that a c-section before the holidays might be "more convenient" for her. But Mary Lou stayed determined. "I bake great sourdough bread," she exclaimed. "It's supposed to stay in the oven for 60 minutes. If I take it out at 50 minutes, it's soft in the middle!"

Mary Lou asked for a volunteer doula to be present at her birth. The three of them made a formidable team, and Justin was born a healthy 8 pounds, 3 ounces, two days after her "due date."

It's such a big job being a parent. There are challenges such as solving early breastfeeding problems, teaching a two-year-old not to bite his best friend, advocating for a kindergarten child with learning issues, helping a school-aged boy deal with a bully in class or a teen whose friends use drugs. I often wonder what impact we have on the confidence and fortitude of parents from the get-go when such a large percent of women are told they can't even birth their own baby. What does the medical world take from women when we deny them what may be the most empowering experience of their lives?

May Lou had it right: "I want to push my baby out into this big, wonderful world." We are lucky when our job is to help her do just that!
[See http://www.dona.org/ for information on doulas]

Being Close and Pushing Away

It's national Nurse Practitioner Week, and I am thinking about what I love about my job when I wander into the exam room with Suzanne and her 15-month-old daughter, Ellie. Suzanne plays with Ellie as I rummage through my folder looking for the most recent growth chart. When I look up, Mom is all smiles as the little one reaches for her hair and playfully gives it a tug.

"What a lucky baby little Ellie is," I remark as I glance at the loving dance between the two. "As she gets older, are you and your husband thinking about a second child?" I ask.

Suzanne responds with sudden and (for me) unexpected tears. "No, Fred went and got fixed. We're done making babies," she explains.

I continue to be touched by how close to the most important issues in another's life my life as a nurse practitioner takes me. There is no time to rush through a patient visit, no time for a quick call reminding my husband to pick up a pizza, nor time to spend on paperwork. This very moment is the most important moment in my life right now.

"I just want to hold on so tightly to every bit of her being a baby," Suzanne shares. "I can't stop looking at her face, tickling her toes, and laughing whenever she giggles. Every second seems like the best moment in my life."

"I see how she looks back at you," I remark. "She seems to glow from feeling your love and attention." Suzanne reaches out and gives Ellie a gigantic hug.

It's not easy being a young family these days; it's a constant challenge to balance the financial, emotional, and physical energy required to parent with the joys and challengers of being a mom and dad. My job often is to direct a parent's attention back to their little one, to focus on the fruit of their labor, to remind them that parenting is the most important work they do.

Suzanne and I laugh together as Ellie pushes free of mom's hold and toddles across the room with an air of determination and confidence. "I guess all those hugs paid off!" Mom exclaims. I couldn't agree more. "They paid off for Ellie, and for her mom, didn't they?" I reflect.

"Shutting Down": A Baby's First "Words"

Little Ying was nearly to her birthday. By that I mean she was a few days away from reaching the day she was due to be born. However, she and her twin brother were born six weeks early, and Ying had struggled to grow into her due date.

As a tiny newborn, Ying would easily "shut down" (www.hugyourbaby.com). Routine baby care -- changing diapers, moving her from the crib to the bassinet, and feeding her -- would seem to overwhelm Ying. Mom wondered if her daughter were "bored." With a bit of stimulation Ying would look like she'd had a long night of partying; she'd get drowsy and lethargic. Mom was still trying to nurse Ying and was frequently confused about what Ying was saying with her body.

It just didn't make sense that Mom should need to comfort Ying more in order to wake her up. But that's what Ying's body language was saying: "I'm overloaded...It's too much for me!...Can't I just check out for a L-O-N-G nap?"

Ying's mom became increasingly sensitive to her daughter's special way of communicating. Mom would look carefully at Ying when she would appear sleepy. If Ying had a relaxed, settled face with slow, relaxed breathing and relaxed arms and legs, then Ying was ready to drift off to sleep. But if Ying looked sleepy -- accompanied by a closing in of her eyebrows, a forced closing of her eyes, and a tightening of her face muscles -- then Ying was "saying" I'm really having an SOS (Sign of Over-Stimulation - http://www.hugyourbaby.com/skills.html), and I'm checking out.

Ying's mom became a great baby detective! She learned to notice this behavior as an SOS and to respond by swaddling Ying or holding her hand against her chest. A gentle sway, or even encouraging Ying to suck her pacifier, would help Ying wake up and get to the Ready Zone to eat or play.

Two-year-old Ying is now thriving. She loves the special Chinese rattle grandma brought her from Beijing. But now she bangs it like a drumstick to get her brother's attention. She chases her brother around the house and can't stop talking -- both English and Chinese. Those days of being a fragile, tiny newborn are far behind, possibly because her mom learned to see Ying's "shutting down" as just the first "words" her Ying learned to say!

A Teen and Her Baby

It saddened me when I walked into the room. Carrie, a sixteen-year-old new mom, was gazing out the window - at nothing in particular. Just gazing out, not looking in, or over at the baby in the room. Grandma sat beside the exam table and patted the back of three-week-old Ricky, a healthy, full-term guy who appeared to be under the watchful care of his grandmother. I asked questions about the delivery and feeding. I commented on the little one's abundance of hair and his sweet nose. I mused over the wonder of a new baby. But Carrie still glanced out the window, unengaged by the swirl of attention her newborn was receiving.

Ricky began to squirm on the exam table, wrinkle up his face, and hover on the verge of changing from a calm to a fussy baby. As he wiggled he seemed, quite by accident, to hit the side of his face with his fisted hand. This movement triggered his in-born rooting reflex. His tiny mouth opened wide and clamped down on his first and second finger. He started to suck.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "Look how smart you are to get that finger in your mouth all by yourself!"

Carrie was jolted by my enthusiastic response. She pushed her chair a few inches away from the window and turned her head a full 20 degrees in our direction.

I chatted on in my nurse-to-baby style, next noticing Ricky's eyes turning to focus on me. "My goodness! You heard my voice and turned right toward me! What other amazing tricks do you have?"

Carrie eased toward the exam table and, now, glanced down at Ricky. Her son demonstrated an amazing ability to get to and stay in that Ready Zone. His eyes were bright, his movements relaxed, and his shoulders dropped in an "I'm-ready-for-the-next-event" kind of look.

I picked up Ricky and encouraged Carrie to call his name. She did, at first tentatively, but with a bit more gusto after some encouragement. As I expected, Ricky slowly turned in his mother's direction, and then he looked into her face, contentedly.

A smile crept over Carrie's face as she looked down at her child. With some hesitation she received the newborn I gently placed in her arms. Carrie surprised me when she put her nose into Ricky's face and nuzzled for a moment. Ricky seemed to tilt toward his mom and into an awkward, but warm, cuddle.

Helping this new and fragile mom appreciate her baby's effort to connect made my day. "He's a real person," Carrie whispered.

"Yes, and he knows his real mother," I responded. Now, I didn't feel so sad.

Listening to your Baby Talk!

Debbie came to see me for a check up with Rebecca, her six-month-old daughter. Though I do not provide prenatal care, I had seen this mother a number of times during her pregnancy. She described herself as "a worrier” and wanted to discuss with me the things she was worried about or the things she might find worrisome in the future. I realized that Debbie was at significant risk for post-partum depression and wanted to keep a close eye on her when the baby was born.

I meet Rebecca when she was only a few days old. She had newborn jaundice and was struggling to wake up to nurse. Debbie was determined to succeed with breastfeeding so was open to any ideas which might help. From my first visit with Rebecca, I focused on helping Debbie tune into what “Rebecca is telling us.” Debbie and I watched together as Rebecca “told us” about her sleep cycles and how she could be aroused from active/light sleep but not quiet/deep sleep. (See http://www.hugyourbaby.com/sleeping.html to tell sleep cycles apart) Debbie learned to read her daughter’s SOSs (Signs of Over-Stimulation) and to tell when Rebecca needed a rest or could handle more interaction and play. (See http://www.hugyourbaby.com/skills.html for tips on SOSs)

Debbie taught me something very important. The more a mom learns to read her baby’s body language, the less she will worry. This mother, who had worried and suffered much during her pregnancy, never did develop post-partum depression. Instead, she learned to read her daughter's "body talk," and she gained confidence as a mom while learning to do so. At our last visit Debbie summed it up this way: “I worried a lot when she was inside of me. It’s easier to have her on the outside telling me just how she is doing.” And, Rebecca seemed to say, “Gee, Mom, I’m doing great!”

Baby ZORRO and his Sword Fighting!

Chris was two weeks old and already seemed like a rambunctious boy to his parents! He was always "on the go." He would wiggle when Mom would bring him to the breast to nurse. An arm might shoot out, a foot jerk, and his mouth would move quickly from side to side as Mom tried to get him to nurse. He was sure to squirm on Dad's shoulder and bobble his head up and down as Dad did his burping duty. Lie him on his back to rest and both arms would splay out in a startle and his feet would start pumping as if he were leading a baby aerobics class. Chris was always moving!

When Chris would get upset, he would sometimes do the oddest thing. His arms and legs would pump a moment, then all of a sudden he would turn his head toward the right and look like he was taking up sword fighting. He would extend his right arm and leg, and flex his left leg and arm. This sword fighting position would seem to calm him down. From this position Chris could watch his own hand move and practice his eye-hand coordination. He might even pull his hand to his mouth to comfort himself from this position.

This position is technically called the "Fencing Reflex." It lasts in babies until they are 3-6 months old. Because the newborn's neck muscles are still strengthening and the back of the head is round, many babies will tend to tilt their head to the side when on their back. The majority of babies turn toward their right, which some suggest is caused by (or leads to) more right-handed than left-handed children. Most righted-handed mothers hold their baby in their left arm which allows mom to use her right hand easier and encourages the baby to look up at mom as he turns naturally toward the right.

No one would say that Chris assumed the sword fighting position on purpose, but researchers are learning daily how newborn reflexes serve a purpose. When Chris's parents watch him successfully use this reflex, they are reminded once again how remarkable newborns are and how especially smart their little ZORRO is!