Newborn Reflexes

Newborn reflexes are involuntary, automatic movements or responses exhibited by infants

shortly after birth, triggered by specific stimuli. These innate reflexes are typically temporary, gradually
diminishing as the baby’s nervous system matures, making them essential components of nursing
assessments in early neonatal care.

These reflexes aid newborns to survive while they have limited control over their bodies. These are
also vital indicators of neurological and physical development and play a crucial role in evaluating their
overall health and well-being. Specific focus should be given to newborns’ alertness, muscle tone and
strength, head control, and response to manipulation and handling.

What are the oral reflexes found in newborn babies?

The sucking reflex
-is a survival instinct.
- It is observed when the oral region is stimulated or an object is inserted into the mouth and is first seen at
14 weeks gestation.
-When you touch your baby’s mouth or insert your nipple into their mouth to breastfeed (chestfeed), they
should begin sucking. Even though this is a natural reflex, it’s not easy. Your newborn has to figure out
how to suck while breathing and swallowing at the same time.
-This motion actually has two stages.
First, he places his lips around the areola with the nipple far back in the mouth, pointed to the
junction of the hard and soft palate, and compresses the breast between his tongue and palate (called
"expression," this action forces the milk out).
In the second phase, or milking action, the tongue moves from the areola to the nipple. This whole
process is helped by the suction that secures the breast to the baby's mouth.
-Coordinating these rhythmic sucking movements with breathing and swallowing is a relatively
complicated task for a newborn. So even though this is a reflexive action, not all babies suck efficiently at
first. With practice, however, the reflex becomes a skill that they all manage well.

The snout reflex

-is a survival instinct.The snout reflex
-is when the lips pucker after pressure on the upper lip.

The rooting reflex

-is a survival instinct.
- is seen in response to light stroking on the cheek or bringing an object into the patient’s visual field.
Rooting begins at 32 weeks gestation and decreases after one month.

Other reflexes found in newborn babies

The asymmetric tonic neck reflex
-performed by manual rotation of the infant’s head to one side. The infant will extend its arm to the side of
the rotated face and flex the contralateral arm. Onset at 35 weeks gestation and disappears by three
months.
-You may not see this response, however, since it is subtle, and if your baby is disturbed or crying, he may
not perform it.
-Both the Moro and tonic neck reflexes should be present equally on both sides of the body
The Moro reflex
-a protective response to the abrupt disruption of body balance and is elicited by pulling up on the arms
with an infant in the supine position.
-The infant experiences the sensation of falling when the arms are released, resulting in abduction at the
shoulder and extension at the elbow with the spreading of the fingers, followed by immediate flexion of
the upper extremities and an audible cry.

The Babinski reflex

-When you strokes the sole of the foot in an inverted “J” curve from the heel upward, the newborn’s toes
fan.
- It is only in newborns that a positive Babinski reflex is considered normal.

The grasping reflex

-There are two grasping reflexes

 Palmar grasp: When you stroke the palm of your baby’s hand, they should immediately grab
your finger and hold on tight. If you try to remove your finger, they may grip you tighter.
 Plantar grasp: The Babinski reflex should eventually go away and be replaced with the plantar
grasp, which lasts through adulthood. When you place a finger below your baby’s toes, they
should curl their toes around it.

Stepping Reflex
-hold the baby under the arms and let the baby soles touch a flat surface, they’ll place one foot in front of
the other and "walk."
-This reflex will disappear after two months, then show up again toward the end of the first year as the
learned behavior of walking.

Parachute Reflex
-This reflex occurs in slightly older infants when the child is held upright and the baby's body is rotated
quickly to face forward (as in falling).
-The baby will extend his arms forward as if to break a fall, even though this reflex appears long before the
baby walks.

Landau Reflex
-Babies will made to lie in a prone position with the a hand supporting the trunk. They will raise their head
or arch their back in this position.
-babies who will sag into an inverted “U” position show extremely poor muscle tone. In such cases, further
assessment and management is needed.

Extrusion Reflex
-Until four months of age, any food placed on the anterior portion of the tongue of babies will be expelled
by them.
- This serves a protective function by preventing the baby from swallowing substances that are toxic or
poisonous.

Do all newborn reflexes disappear?

Some newborn reflexes disappear within weeks or months of birth. But some reflexes remain
through adulthood. Reflexes that last to adulthood include:
  Blinking Reflex- This type of reflex happens when the eyes blink due to sudden intense light or
when they are touched.
 Cough Reflex- happens as a defensive reflex to heat, acid and other foreign bodies in the
airways.
 Gag Reflex- happens when the back of the mouth or the throat is stimulated whether through
choking, when it is touched, etc.
 Sneeze Reflex- when the nasal passages get irritated.
 Yawn Reflex- when the body requires more oxygen, yawn reflex occurs.

REFERENCES
Cleveland Clinic medical professional "Newborn Reflexes." Retrieved by
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23265-newborn-reflexes#additional-common-questions
(06/14/2022).
Alexa K. Modrell; Prasanna Tadi "Primitive Reflexes." Retrieved by
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554606/ (March 6, 2023).
Health Children.org "Newborn Reflexes." Retrieved by https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-
stages/baby/Pages/newborn-reflexes.aspx (3/8/2022).
IRIS DAWN TABANGCORA, RN "Newborn Reflexes." Retrieved by https://nurseslabs.com/newborn-
reflexes/#h-1-blink-reflex (JULY 22, 2023).