Responding to your newborn as they adjust to their new world
During pregnancy, your baby has had their needs met immediately; being in the womb provides a steady temperature, being gently rocked and having nutrients provided through the umbilical cord. After birth, they are completely dependent on others and much of the first few weeks of life for your new baby is about sleeping, feeding and growing.
Now that their needs are not immediately met they will experience a wider range of feelings and emotions, including hunger, being tired and discomfort, and will be dependent on those caring for them to help them with these feelings, especially in the fourth trimester.[1]
The fourth trimester
The first three months after birth is sometimes referred to as the 'fourth trimester', and is a period of adjustment for both you and your baby.[2] During this time, your baby will learn about how their needs will be responded to, and you get to know your baby and learn about what comforts them when they cry. You will also work out what support you need and what you need to do to ensure that you have time to rest and relax.
Your baby’s brain will develop in response to their experiences, and the emotional brain – the limbic system – develops according to experience, so your reactions to your baby will help them develop connections in the area of the brain that helps them to regulate their emotions.[3]
You might be told that holding your baby during this time or responding immediately to their cries will make them dependent, but your comforting responses helps them to both build a connection with you and become confident as they learn that their needs will be met.[4]
Gently rocking your baby might help them to settle as this replicates the movement that comforted them before birth; you might find that you automatically do this anyway, without really thinking about it.
Developing communication
During the first couple of months, your baby might cry more often; they are adjusting to a variety of sensations and crying is their main form of communication. But, as they develop more ways of communicating and adjust to different experiences you are likely to find that they cry less frequently.
The development of the brain continues into adulthood, and our ability to regulate our emotions develops as our brains do, and we can think about our responses.[3]
Your support will remain important for your baby’s regulation for years to come and even as adults there are times when we need others to help us to regulate our emotions.
Over the next few months, your baby will develop different ways to communicate, and will also become more able to settle themselves as their physical skills develop and they can move, stroke their face or suck their thumb.
Your baby will begin to explore other ways to respond to you and to initiate interaction – they will continue to move when you are close by, but will also start to smile or make sounds in order to attract your attention.
References:
[1] Addyman, C (2020) The laughing baby: The extraordinary science behind what makes babies happy. London: Unbound.
[2] Savage J. S. (2020). A Fourth Trimester Action Plan for Wellness. The Journal of perinatal education, 29(2), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1891/J-PE-D-18-00034
[3] Conkbayir, M. (2017) Early Childhood and Neuroscience. Theory, Research and Implications for Practice. London: Bloomsbury.
[4] Kelly, K. (undated) What is the fourth trimester? [Online] Available at: What is the fourth trimester? | NCT. Accessed on 11th October 2021.