Newborn Reflexes

Newborn Reflexes

Newborns depend on their primitive reflexes for survival. Absence or extended duration of these reflexes could indicate a problem with the baby's central nervous system. Just after birth, the newborn will be assessed for the following reflexes:

Rooting Reflex - when a finger or nipple is placed into the baby's mouth, the baby begins to suck. Also, if you lightly stroke the cheek, the newborn will turn towards the stroking and open her mouth to accept the nipple. This reflex usually lasts for up to seven months.

Palmar and Plantar Grasp Reflexes - the baby will grasp an object placed in his hands or curl his toes around fingers placed near his toes. The palmar reflex usually lasts three to four months and the plantar can last up to a year.

Moro's Reflex - this startle reflex appears with a sudden loud noise or any intense stimulation. The arms and legs extend and the fingers fan outward, with the thumb and forefinger forming a C-shape. This reflex usually disappears within three to four months.


Doll's Eye Reflex - as with a doll's eyes, when a baby is lying on her back, if you turn her head from side to side, her eyes remain fixed. This reflex lasts up to two months of age.

Babinski's Reflex - the baby's toes will hyper extend when the bottom of his foot is stroked upward from the sole to the ball of his foot. This reflex disappears within a year.

Stepping Reflex - when the newborn is held upright with the feet on a flat surface, the baby will make stepping motions. This reflex diminishes by the forth month and does not return until the baby begins to stand and walk.

Bauer's Reflex - when pressure is applied to the soles of the feet of a newborn lying face-down, the baby will making crawling movements. This disappears by six weeks of age and returns when the baby is learning to crawl.

Tonic Neck Reflex - the baby appears like a "fencer" when lying flat on her back and facing to the side. Whichever direction her face is turned, that arm will extend and the other will be flexed. Babies may sleep in this position for a couple of years; however, an awake baby should not display this reflex beyond four months of age.

Traction Reflex - when a newborn is pulled up by the wrists to a sitting position, her head will first fall back, then lift upright and held before it falls forward onto the chest. This is a sign of maturity and muscle tone.

Arm Recoil - the baby's arms will flex rapidly after extending them.

Tea During Pregnancy

Herbal Tea During Pregnancy

With all of the warnings about consuming caffeinated drinks during pregnancy, many moms-to-be are hesitant to drink their favorite tea. But is drinking tea during pregnancy safe? And if so, what types of tea are safe?

Drinking herbal teas during pregnancy is certainly a wise choice when compared with caffeinated beverages.   Caffeinated drinks may have a diuretic effect, reducing nutrient absorption and deplete the adrenal glands.  Herbal teas hydrate, provide nutrients and feed the body during pregnancy. Some are also packed with antioxidants and vitamin C which helps lower your anxiety and stress levels. Various types of herbal teas can also reduce morning sickness symptoms and even prepare the uterus for labor.

1. Ginger Tea 

Eases nausea aids the digestion process and relieves stomach issues . Add four or five slices of fresh ginger root to a cup of freshly boiled water and drink a maximum of three cups daily

2. Nettle Tea

Provides high levels of iron, magnesium and calcium and is described as a nutritive tea to sip while pregnant. Stick to one or two cups a day.

3. Raspberry Leaf Tea

A favorite of midwives, this tea prepares the uterus for labor and helps prevents post-partum hemorrhage. It's high in calcium and magnesium and is safe to drink from the second trimester onwards. 

4. Dandelion Leaf Tea

 Dandelion tea can be supportive in late pregnancy when fluid retention is an issue.  It is high in potassium and is a gentle but effective diuretic. Add dandelion leaf to another tea as it has a slightly bitter, grassy taste.

5. Peppermint Tea

Peppermint tea is great for relaxing your stomach muscles to help settle an upset stomach as well as the nausea and vomiting common in early pregnancy.

6. Rooibos Tea

Rooibos tea is highly recommended in pregnancy. It is caffeine free, contains calcium, magnesium and loads of antioxidants. It also has positive effects on digestion and can ease colic and reflux. Children can also drink Rooibos, and it is lovely with milk and a little honey.

Teas To Avoid During Pregnancy

Caffeine consumption during pregnancy (particularly over has 200mg) has been directly linked with reduced birth weights.  While this research is by no means exhaustive, it does illustrate the importance of keeping an eye on your caffeine consumption during pregnancy. For this reason, teas that are particularly high in caffeine should be restricted while you are pregnant.

These teas include:

• Black
• Green
• Oolong
• LiChee
• Hong mao
• Earl grey
• Darjeeling

Other common teas and herbs to avoid during pregnancy include (but not limited to):

• St John’s Wort
• Don Quai
• Ginseng
• Yarrow
• Penny Royal
• Ephedra
• Licorice Root

Always speak to your midwife or herbalist if you have any concerns about which teas are safe to drink during pregnancy.

Suggestions and advice are not intended to replace advice from a qualified professional.

Poetry on Motherhood: With Child

With Child

 by Genevieve Taggard

Now I am slow and placid, fond of sun,
Like a sleek beast, or a worn one:
No slim and languid girl – not glad
With the windy trip I once had,
But velvet-footed, musing of my own,
Torpid, mellow, stupid as a stone.

You cleft me with your beauty's pulse, and now
Your pulse has taken body. Care not how
The old grace goes, how heavy I am grown,
Big with this loneliness, how you alone
Ponder our love. Touch my feet and feel
How earth tingles, teeming at my heel!
Earth's urge, not mine, – my little death, not hers;
And the pure beauty yearns and stirs.

It does not heed our ecstacies, it turns
With secrets of its own, its own concerns,
Toward a windy world of its own, toward stark
And solitary places. In the dark
Defiant even now; it tugs and moans
To be untangled from these mother's bones. 

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/23800#sthash.Uj2hNeYD.dpuf