DEVPSYCH – The Newborn
Newborn Reflexes
–“unlearned” responses triggered by specific stimulation
–pave the way to get the nutrition newborn needs to grow
–protection from danger
–foundation of larger, voluntary patterns of motor activity
–assess whether newborn’s nervous system is working properly
SOME MAJOR REFLEXES FOUND IN NEWBORNS
Assessing the Newborn
 APGAR Score
–a quick approximate assessment of the newborn’s status by
focusing on the body systems needed to sustain life
– a total score of 7 or more indicates a baby who is in a
good physical condition
– a score of 4-6 means that the newborn needs a special
attention and care
– a score of 3 or less signals a life-threatening situation that
requires emergency medical care
 A – ctivity movement
 P – ulse rate below 100 bpm – 1; below 200 bpm - 2
 G – rimace facial expression
 A – ppearance color: blue, pale, reddish
 R – espiration breathing
 Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS)
–used with newborn up to 2 months of age
–evaluates functioning of four systems:
 Autonomic: ability to control body functions (breathing,
temperature regulation)
 Motor: ability to control body movements and activity level
 State: ability to maintain a state (e.g. alert)
 Social: ability to interact with people
The Newborn’s States
*newborns spend most of each day alternating four different states
 Alert inactivity – the baby is calm with eyes open and attentive;
the baby seems to be deliberately inspecting the environment
 Waking activity – the baby’s eyes are open but they seem
unfocused; the arms or legs move in bursts of uncoordinated
motion.
 Crying – the baby cries vigorously, usually accompanied by
agitated but uncoordinated motion
 Sleeping – the baby alternates from being still and breathing
regularly to moving gently and breathing irregularly; eyes are
closed throughout
Crying–newborns spend 2-3 hours each day crying or on the verge of
crying
 Basic cry – starts softly and then gradually becomes more
intense; it usually occurs when a baby is hungry or tired
 Mad cry – is a more intense version of a basic cry
 Pain cry – begins with a sudden, long burst of crying followed
by a long pause and gasping
Tips for soothing crying
–crying represents the newborn’s first venue into interpersonal
communication. By crying, babies tell their parents that they are
hungry or tired, angry or hurt.
 many western parents lift a baby to the shoulder and walk or
gently rock the baby.
 sing lullabies, pat the baby’s back, or give the baby a pacifier
 swadding, in which an infant is wrapped tightly in blanket.
Swaddling provides warmth and tactile stimulation that usually
works well to soothe a baby
SLEEPING
–newborns typically go through a cycle of wakefulness and sleep
about every 4 hours. That is, they will be awake for about an hour,
sleep for 3 hours, and then start the cycle anew.
–they sleep 16-18 hours daily
irregular or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
–irregular sleep in which infant’s eyes dart rapidly beneath the
eyelids while the body is quite active
 regular (nonREM) sleep
–sleep in which heart rate, breathing, and brain activity are
steady
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
–a healthy baby dies suddenly for no apparent reason
–a 2 to 4 month old infants are particularly vulnerable to SIDS
because many newborn reflexes are waning during these months
and thus, infants may not respond effectively when breathing
becomes difficult
Several Risk Factors associated with SIDS
 babies are more vulnerable if they were born prematurely or
with low birth weight
 they are also more vulnerable when their parents smoke
 SIDS is more likely to happen when a baby sleeps on its
stomach (face down) than when it sleeps on its back (face up)
Mary K. Rothbart’s influential theory of temperament:
 Surgency/extroversion – refers to the extent to which a child
is generally happy, active, vocal, an regularly seeks interesting
stimulation
 Negative effect – refers to the extent to which a child is angry,
fearful, frustrated, shy, and not easily soothed
 Effortful control – refers to the extent to which a child can
focus attention, is not readily distracted, and can inhibit
responses