On the Coast – Families Issue 93 | April / May 2018 | Page 32

Getting to know your newborn baby

Did you know that your baby will cycle through a range of different activity levels many times every day ? These are called baby or infant states . Most people focus on the crying state or the quiet sleep state , but when you can see all the others , it helps you to begin to understand and respond to your baby more appropriately as well as perhaps finding that parenting is more enjoyable .

I think you will recognise that you also go through similar states during the day , although not as quickly as your baby .
There are 6 states I would like you to watch for :
Quiet sleep , is when your baby is in a deep sleep . We all look for , and love this one . Your babies breathing is usually slow and steady , skin changes colour , sometimes going a bit paler and their body is quite limp and relaxed . In this state your baby may startle or move a little , and sometimes even make sucking movements with their mouth , but their eyes are usually closed and quite still .
In this state a baby ( and adult ) is often very hard to wake , and it is a great time to cut those little nails . Many parents of young babies wait for this state before transitioning their baby to bed , especially if they have been having trouble getting them to sleep . Babies only stay in this state for a short time ( around 30-40 minutes ) and will then move into more active sleep . We adults have short periods of quiet sleep too , but these last for 1-2 hours .
by Janet Rourke
Active sleep is the time when your baby will become more active in sleep . They are more likely to wake if disturbed during this time . Breathing becomes more irregular , eyelids begin to flutter and the baby will squirm around . Some babies even begin to make fussing / crying noises . This time is known as REM sleep and is when you are processing all the information from your day and storing it away in those filing cabinets of the mind . This state can last for 20-30 minutes as well for babies and longer for adults .
As adults when we come into this state we will turn over , move our pillows and simply readjust our positions . If all is well , we will then drift back into another quiet sleep cycle unless it is time to get up . Babies are the same … however , if something has changed during your quiet sleep cycle , you are more likely to fully wake up and check out what is going on .
Drowsiness is the state that comes before being fully awake . We have all experienced this time between sleeping and waking . It is almost a self-hypnotic state , where you are aware of what is going on around you but not fully present to it . You feel groggy , often open and close your eyes a few times , stretch and decide if you really want to wake up or return to
sleep . Babies are the same . If you think your baby is due for a feed , you may help them waken fully at this time , if not , you might just watch and support them and see if they go back off to sleep again . This is when the issue of sleep cues / sleep associations really becomes important .
Quiet alertness is the next level of alertness and this is when your baby is in the best place to be able to learn . You will notice that your baby ’ s eyes are bright and open , and that they are able to easily focus on faces or objects around them . This is a great time to talk and play gently with your baby , to enjoy some quality time interacting and learning about each other . As an adult we would recognise this time as being really awake and interested in something , being able to focus / pay attention and take in information . Great for learning and socialising .
Active alertness is when your baby is getting more fidgety . It is a sign they are becoming tired , and they are often more sensitive to noises and lights . When you see this it is time to start getting baby ready for bed .
As an adult think about a time when you have been sitting in a lecture or waiting for an appointment . Initially we
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