Health e-Learning
Access KeysSkip to MenuSkip to ContentSkip to Footer

3.1 Infant innate behaviours

The 9 instinctive stages

Several researchers have described this species-specific set of innate behaviors when an infant is placed in skin-to-skin contact with the birthing parent immediately following birth. It is clear that newborn babies are born with the instinct to breastfeed.

A newborn baby is born with all the necessary neurobehavioural capability to breastfeed - innate responses. The infant responses are expressed through the autonomic nervous, hormonal, and somatic systems which regulate heart rate, breathing, oxytocin and cortisol levels, and muscle movement.

The balance between these systems is very fragile and easily disturbed, particularly in the newborn period. The transition from in-utero to adaptation to life outside the uterus is often described as the sensitive period.

The baby will use olfactory and tactile cues as behavioural sequences which stimulate hand-to-mouth movements, tongue action with mouth opening, focus on the nipple and crawling towards it, massage of the breast to stimulate the nipple, head bobbing and licking at the nipple, and finally self-attachment. Widstrom et alenlightened the world to the baby's ability to perform this task without the active participation of the mother/parent.

Widstrom et al. further described these innate behaviours when newborns are in skin-to-skin contact after birth. This contact "elicits the newborn infant’s internal process to go through what could be called 9 instinctive stages: birth cry, relaxation, awakening, activity, rest, crawling, familiarization, suckling, and sleeping".

The newborn will rest throughout the first hour after birth. This Resting Stage is interspersed with the other stages. The newborn may have periods of activity, then rest, then become active again. Or the Resting Stage may occur between stages, for example, after activity and before the newborn begins to crawl.

https://www.aliveandthrive.org/sites/default/files/nine_instinctive_stages.pdf

https://www.aliveandthrive.org/sites/default/files/nine_instinctive_stages.pdf.
© Alive and Thrive

Baby-led latching

View the video below and note the following:

  • the position of mother/lactating parent and baby
  • the calming effect of this position on baby
  • the beginnings of mouthing and interest in the breast
  • the head bobbing and seeking with the tongue
  • and finally, the baby latched on and is suckling.

Did you notice the innate behaviours and instinctive stages?