Further Reading

Your baby started to get to know you before they were born – they've heard your voice and the voices of people around you, and have been sensitive to your emotions.^[1] Despite not having fully developed vision, newborn babies do show a preference for looking at faces.^[2] This is linked to their social and language development, because they look at faces to help them learn about people,^[3] interaction and conversation.  

Face recognition starts early!

Research shows that putting your baby on their back to sleep, for every sleep or nap during the day and at night, reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.^[1] However, spending supervised time on their tummy when they are awake and alert supports the development of your baby’s upper body strength, as well as giving them a different view of things, which might help them to explore and develop their understanding of the world.

The asymmetrical tonic neck reflex which emerges before your baby is born ensures that when lying on their tummy their head is turned to one side so that their airway is free.^[2] You might notice this when you lie your baby on their tummy on the floor or your chest.  

Your baby will have been moving for some time before birth, with their first movements linked to the activity of motor neurons, then movements caused by primitive reflexes in response to sensory stimulus.^[1] You might have noticed a professional checking for some of these primitive reflexes shortly after birth, perhaps holding your baby upright in order to see stepping or walking reflexes. The first movements that you may see soon after your baby is born might be shaky movements of their chin, arms or legs, particularly when they cry.^[2]

Early movement – from curled up to stretching out

Your baby will have started to move their arms and legs before they were born – you might have even spotted them sucking their thumb during a scan. Now they are learning about their body in this new environment and their movements help them to build their muscles and to develop a sense of where their body begins and ends. 

Your baby develops various primitive reflexes before they are born and sometimes soon after birth; the primitive reflexes are actions that happen in response to sensory stimuli. Primitive reflexes are mediated by the brainstem – the part of the brain that controls things such as breathing – as your baby’s brain develops, these reflexes become inhibited as higher areas of the brain develop.^[1] 

Before they were born their curled up position in the womb will have placed your baby’s hands close to their mouth and face and they will have started to put their hands in their mouth before birth.^[1] The area of the brain linked to touch and movement around the mouth is one of the first areas to be active before birth and your baby’s brain will have started to make connections in response to their hands touching their face and mouth.^[2]  Your baby’s first movements are not well controlled, but you might notice that they are beginning to move their hands to their mouth more purposefully as they gain control of their movements.  

The area of your baby’s brain that controls the movement and sensation of their mouth and tongue was one of the first to develop before they were born, and they will have been practising moving their mouth and sucking for some time before they made their debut in your life! 

The fascinating journey of your baby’s brain development began in the womb, and, at birth, the most active parts of their brain were those linked to survival – the areas that control vital functions such as breathing, heart rate and reflexes. But other areas of their brain have also been active for some time. 

They developed touch in the womb