When young parents are left alone with a newborn for the first time, many questions immediately arise.
One of them - when does a newborn begin to hold his head?
This is no coincidence, since the mother has to constantly take the baby in her arms to feed, calm, bathe.
The weak muscles of the neck are not able to hold the head, and mom needs to be very careful.
Why moms worry about when a newborn begins to hold his head
The excitement of young parents is understandable. Yes, immediately after birth, the baby’s head resembles a small bud on a weak stalk: without support, it tends in all directions. But this is completely normal, and there’s no need to worry.
First of all, mother’s nervousness is instantly transmitted to the baby, and he turns from an angel into a whim.
Secondly, every human baby has a specific growth schedule: physical, nervous, psychomotor, emotional. Therefore, you have to wait before proudly revealing to the world a rosy toddler holding his head confidently.
But to take the baby in your arms in the first days and weeks of life, you really need to be very careful. The delicate head should be held with the palm of your hand to protect against injury. Before a defenseless baby learns to independently hold its head, adults are responsible for its health.
The fact is that with a sharp deviation of the head in one direction or another, the cervical vertebrae can be seriously damaged. The child cannot control the muscles, and therefore does not have the ability to hold the head due to their strength. Therefore, the "hanging" of the head is unacceptable. Shaking the baby or carrying out hygiene procedures, feeding or laying in the bed, the mother should gently support the head. Sharp deviations, jerks are unacceptable.
But not everything is so scary: instincts in infants are very strong, and any adult in the prime of life can envy the "margin of safety". And this is another reason not to worry especially about when the newborn will begin to hold its head. Everything has its time. Adaptation mechanisms are already running, otherwise the baby would simply not be able to overcome the difficult road from his mother’s belly to the light of day.
Note: if the newborn is laid on the stomach a few days after the birth, it will reflexively turn its head to the side. This works a wonderful instinct of self-preservation, thanks to which the smart organism of the crumbs themselves knows what to do so that mechanical suffocation does not occur. So you don’t have to worry, but with joy to follow the wonderful daily change of the baby.
By the way, if the baby too early "will please" the mother by independently holding the head in an upright position, this is actually an occasion to urgently contact a pediatric neurologist. Thus, increased intracranial pressure may occur, causing the baby severe discomfort and requiring neurological treatment.
What happens in the first two months of a newborn’s life
In the first days of life, the movements of the newborn are based on reflexes. All mothers know: if you touch the baby’s cheek, he will immediately turn his head in this direction, and if you put a finger in a tiny palm, he will immediately grab it with all your fingers. An attempt to raise the newborn for the first time from the lying position, holding the handles, will end with the head tilting back. In the early days, the child does not know how to either hold his head or roll over. He sleeps almost all the time (up to 20 hours a day), waking up occasionally in order to eat. When does a newborn begin to hold his head?
It will take some time to make conscious movements or learn to control the muscles. The psychophysical development of each child is individual, but in general, by the time of three weeks of life, the baby, which is laid out on its tummy, will make more confident attempts to raise its head. Just for a few seconds he will succeed.
In a month, a newborn gains weight well and already knows how to hold his head upright for some time. Retention lasts literally 5-10 seconds, but this is already serious progress.
By one and a half months, the baby will be able to stubbornly hold his head, lying on his tummy and looking upward at an angle of 45 degrees. The baby will be able to hold out in such a difficult position for about a minute. It is too early to wait for the newborn to begin to hold the head more freely and for a longer time.
From the second month of life, the muscles of the newborn become so strong that they are already able to hold their head without tipping over for a minute. If you put a two-month-old crumb on his stomach, he will easily turn his head to the voice of an adult, rise on the handles, holding both his head and chest. During this period, the newborn already distinguishes between close voices, with pleasure reacts to bright objects, trying to grab and hold them.
From nine weeks, the question of when the newborn begins to hold his head no longer worries parents. Most babies who have crossed the two-month milestone already know how to keep their heads on the same level with the body without tipping over. True, the muscles of the neck and back are still very weak and quickly get tired. Safety net for an adult after a minute of "free swimming" is required.
When will the newborn begin to hold his head confidently?
At three months of life, the baby is already managing quite well with its arms, legs, body and head. Prepared babies with whom mothers are engaged in physical education have already learned to roll over on their side from a prone position. They watch with interest what is happening around them, pull their fingers into their mouths and all the objects that they managed to grab. The child needs communication, and he is happy to "talk" with his parents, walks around.
At the age of three months, the newborn in the arms of an adult is able to keep his head upright for quite some time, for five minutes. You can make a real trip with him, which will cause a storm of delight. It is important not to forget about insurance.
If you lay the crumbs on the tummy, he will try to lift himself in his arms. And if you pull it by the handles from a prone position on the back, then the head does not tilt, but remains on the same axis with the body. It’s hard for a baby to stay in this position for a long time, but for daily training, such lifts will be just right.
When does a newborn begin to hold its head confidently? With four months, the duration of head retention is getting longer. The kid easily raises his head, even while lying on his back. By the fifth month, the mother’s fears are completely dispelled, and she supports the baby out of habit rather than seriously fearing injury.
At six months, you can not fear at all for the condition of the cervical vertebrae and stretched muscles. Physically, the child by this age becomes strong and already looks like a textbook little peanut. A six-month-old child not only confidently holds his head, but also turns it around with interest. The kid turns and tilts his head in different directions, looks around, hearing a sound that interested him or looking for a toy.
When is it worth worrying that a newborn is not holding his head?
A pediatrician examines a newborn baby in the maternity hospital. An experienced doctor will immediately notice all the features of the development of crumbs. If something worries mom, then after discharge from the hospital she can turn to the local pediatrician. Including when the newborn begins to hold his head.
If by four to five months the baby is not able to hold the head, then it must be urgently shown to a neurologist. The reasons may be the following:
• the baby was born prematurely and simply lags behind in development. The body will recover over time, nothing bad happens;
• the baby lacks nutrients, and therefore it is seriously behind in development. It is necessary to review the diet of the newborn, taking into account the possible constant malnutrition;
• at birth, the baby received a birth injury;
• a newborn is diagnosed with muscle paresis of the neck, weak muscle tone or torticollis;
• the child suffers from neurological pathology;
• Mom does not do gymnastics with the baby, does not spread on the tummy.
After the examination, the neurologist will prescribe therapy. Usually this is a combination of therapeutic massage, medical treatment and special gymnastics. Massage for a child can be a real salvation from many neurological problems. But you can only trust experienced massage therapists who work with babies. You may need 2-3 courses to completely get rid of the pathology.
Do not be afraid of drugs. The doctor prescribes them not to "heal" the child, but to help his body adapt, to alleviate the symptoms of discomfort and restore muscle activity.
As for therapeutic exercises, her mother can do it herself. The doctor will give a scheme of classes, and then - all in a loving maternal hands.
How to teach a newborn to keep his head?
To help the newborn from the first days of life to develop correctly, parents must learn some simple rules for daily care of the baby. A trained mother will not have to rack her brains over when a newborn begins to hold his head, because all the processes of physical development will be age-appropriate.
• It is necessary to spread the newborn between the feedings on the stomach from the third week of life. Not only is it very useful for normal bowel function, it also makes the baby strain his back and neck in an attempt to reflexively lift himself up. A trained child will keep his head perfectly by two or three months.
• The kid needs a daily massage, in no case should he be neglected. Gentle strokes soothe, rubbing the muscles makes them more elastic and strong. Massage develops strength, strengthens health in general and the nervous system in particular. The massage scheme can be found in any newborn care book.
• Perfectly strengthens the muscular framework of swimming. A newborn can buy a special circle that will hold the crown over the water. When swimming, the baby will not only get tremendous pleasure, but also strengthen muscles. In addition, swimming guarantees a baby (and, therefore, a nursing mother) a long night's rest.
• From two months, it is very useful to carry the crumbs on your hands in an upright position. Of course, be sure to hold the head with your hands. This is also an excellent and safe training for neck muscles.
• Another very useful pose is the horizontal position of the body on the mother’s arm with her tummy down. With the other hand, you need to hold the neck and head to avoid jerking and to maintain a straight position.
Remember the main thing: the child will certainly begin to hold his head, and you should not worry about this. All babies develop in different ways. But if the neck muscles remain weak for six months, you should definitely consult a doctor.
