LOVING INSIGHTS FROM A BRILLIANT NEWBORN

 

Here I am!!! … Brand new to this world! 

How exciting this is… but, WOW it is also very scary!  It certainly was much calmer and warmer where I was living the last nine months.  Now, there are so many more sensations to deal with.  I am lying here all alone and I have no control about ANYTHING!  

How am I going to get my needs met?  I sure hope there is someone that will take care of me to keep me safe, make me feel secure or respond when I need something! 

Oh I hear that voice I got used to hearing. It makes me feel a bit calmer to hear something familiar. It sounds soothing as she talks to me.  

I am moving, this feels strange and also a bit frightening. I feel like I am falling. I startle and cry. Oh there, that feels much better.  She is cuddling me in her arms. I feel safe and warm here. I can feel her skin against mine. Hearing her heartbeat again along with her scent makes me feel very comforted. I hope she can see that I am showing through my relaxed body and my eyes looking at her eyes that I like all of this very much. If she notices that I like it, hopefully she will do this frequently. 

But …. I am beginning to feel some discomfort. It feels that I need to be fed. I hope she will know this is what I need now. I look around, squirm to see what I can find.

Oh no!  She doesn’t seem to know. I will show her with the way I move my tongue and position my mouth.  Oh good, she is watching.  She is imitating it back to me! She is showing me she knows what I was telling her! She is now feeding me!

It feels extremely wonderful to know that I can communicate my needs and have them understood. She recognizes that I am someone important, special, valuable and already quite brilliant! I really like her! 

Hopefully, she will stick around and this will continue! If all of this does happen repeatedly in this loving responsive way, it will create the critically important connections my brain requires to contribute toward enhancing the......

BEAUTIFUL UNIQUE BRILLIANCE THAT I AM!!

Together we can make a world of difference! 

It just takes understanding, 

caring and sharing!

Beautiful and Valuable Resources to help you support the healthy brain development and the love of the baby you care about:

You Are My World; 
How a parents love shapes a baby's mind (English or Bilingual)

The Blossom Method; 
The revolutionary way to communicate with your baby from birth

A Moving Child is a Learning Child; 
How the body teach the brain to think (0-7)

The Science of Parenting; 
How today's brain resarch can help you raise happy, emotionally balanced children

Elevating Child Care; A guide to respectful parenting   (English or Spanish)

Zero to Five; 70 essential parenting tips based on science

Love Your Baby; Making connections in the first year   (English or Spanish)

Loving A Baby; (Print in 3 versions)

                                     Photo: Your Photos By Tracy; All rights reserved

INVALUABLE INSIGHTS DIRECTLY FROM A BABY!

ANNA HAS INSIGHTS… and questions!  

Anna says………

Good morning! I just woke up and see I am in my crib. I feel good after having all those hours of sleep. I can’t fully express that feeling yet, so I just coo a little to myself.

But wait… the feeling of contentment is beginning to fade. I am beginning to feel lonely in here all by myself. I am also beginning to feel wet and hungry. These sensations make me cry.  I need someone to come and take care of this discomfort I am feeling.

When I cry, I have found that my mommy or daddy comes to me to see what they can do to meet my needs. This feels so good and comforting. I am completely helpless. I have to have someone take care of me.  See…  I told you, here comes my daddy already. He looks like he is glad to see me. He smiles at me and says, “Good morning Little Sweetheart!”, as he walks into the room. (He calls me a lot of different names. It is fun to see which name he will call me each time). I stop crying right away, smile back and wave my arms and kick my legs in excitement. I am so glad he is here!

He picks me up and holds me. It feels so warm and secure in his arms. I feel so special when he looks at me and talks to me. He asks me if I slept well and if I want my diaper changed. I just continue to smile back at him.

Daddy lays me on the changing table and takes off the wet diaper. He continues to talk and then stops to make silly faces at me. It makes me laugh. We are having so much fun together. Because my daddy and I have times like this so frequently, it makes me know I am someone special.  

The hungry feelings are getting stronger now. I start to cry a little again. Daddy says, “I know you are hungry!”  It is wonderful to have him so tuned into my needs.  It sure makes me not cry and scream much.

Daddy carries me in to the other room. Oh…. I see Mommy! She is smiling and holding her arms out for me. I give her my biggest smile! I can hardly wait for her to hold me and give me a morning kiss. Because my brain is still very immature I do not have the ability to wait very long to get my needs met. But, due to Mommy and Daddy being so consistent in paying attention to what I need and then meeting them, I have already learned to calm myself a bit.

Mommy takes me, sits down, and positions herself. Because of the repetition of this process, I already know this is in preparation to feed me. I get so excited with the anticipation. It feels so warm and soothing to be fed and held at the same time. Mommy usually loves looking at me and caresses my hand while I eat. I feel so incredibly secure!  

Not only does this feel wonderful, but I am excited to know that scientists have shown that what I am experiencing is having a positive impact on my developing brain. Research demonstrates that secure attachment that results from consistent nurturing responsiveness to my expressed needs can have an incredibly important impact on my ability:

• ·         to form healthy relationships with others
• ·         to delay gratification
• ·         to problem solve
• ·         to put up with the frustration of failure and have more patience
• ·         to calm down from excitement

I may also:

•           have a longer attention span
•           be able to better manage physical reactions to emotions
•           have an increased capacity for empathy
•           feel less anxiety
•           have greater skills in communicating emotions in healthy ways
•           exhibit fewer behavioral problems
•           have more confidence and a positive self-perception
•           be less fearful
•          have more willingness to explore and learn through challenges

  

I am such a fortunate baby to have all of this happening in my life. The thing that makes me very sad, is to know this doesn’t happen for all babies. There are many babies that do not have their cries answered or have their needs met consistently. These babies become very fearful, distressed, frustrated, and hopeless. When this occurs repeatedly their emotional development remains “stuck” at this stage. When these babies grow up they will still have a focus on needing someone to care about them. Their stunted development can have a  affect on relationships and learning in many ways.These children will more likely have an extensive focus on survival and control behaviors and may not have a very positive self perception.
 

I really do not understand why all parents are not given this information at child birth classes. Do you? It could make such a difference if this were known by every parent. Is there anything you can do to help? 

There is not much I can do from my crib, except to share my insights with you. But, I would love it if every baby could have the wonderful experiences I am having.... because every baby deserves it. I would really appreciate it if you would do what you can to take steps to ensure EVERY baby develops with a secure attachment.

Now that I am fed and got the attention I needed ... I really need some playtime! 

Love Your Baby Brain Packet provides EASY ideas and simple brain information for loving interaction leading to secure attachment and healthy overall development!

BRAIN INSIGHTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A BABY

 ANNA HAS INSIGHTS… and questions!  

Anna says………

I realize I am only a few months old…..but there are several things I would really like to share from my perspective. Also due to the fact that I am new here, there are numerous things I would like to try to understand.  I am hoping you can help clarify the things I need to understand, and hopefully I can create some insights that will be beneficial. 

Coming into this world has been quite an experience already. In these first few months I have had a succession of new sensations that are both wonderful and overwhelming.  Whew….

I really cannot comprehend this number, but I have about 100 billion brain cells in my head! All of these brain cells are meant to make connections with other brain cells. Many of these connections were made during the 9 months prior to my birth. But the thing is, 9 months was not long enough to connect 100 billion brain cells. I need much more time for my brain to develop. AND….this doesn’t just magically happen!

While genetics certainly has an impact on the way my brain develops, experience has a dramatic influence on how my brain physically grows and develops. If I were to just sit in an infant seat or lay in a crib, I would not have the experiences I need to wire my brain. I HAVE TO have experiences for the cells to make connections.

So, throughout my life I will be continuously making connections due to the experiences I have. However, something I want all of the adults in my life to know is, 90% of my brain growth will happen before I go to kindergarten.  These early experiences I am having now create the foundation for my physical, emotional, cognitive, and social skills in life. So, hours now have more impact on my brain than months will when I am an adult. However…..  PLEASE do not think that means I should be pushed to learn more at this age!!!  I will tell you more about that in another blog (How about that, I have already learned what a blog is!) But, for now what I need most is nourishment, safety, loving interaction, warmth, and touch. I also love when I am read, sung, or talked to, and have time on the floor to play, move, build muscles, and explore on my own.

My question is….. why is it that ALL adults don’t know all of this yet? Scientists have revealed that the early years are the time when a majority of brain development is occurring for over 20 years.  But, from what I have seen most people do not know this yet.  Can you explain to me why this is not common knowledge? I hope we can change this VERY SOON! Every new baby born wants all of the adults in their life to know this! If you would help by telling others about the information I have shared …. I think we can make this happen!  

I sure like sharing this important information with you… but I am tired now.  I need my morning nap."

For easy activity and loving interaction ideas to have on hand for busy everyday life, 
it is all right here in 

Brain Development Activity Packets one for each age 0 - 5!

Life is Better When You Have Brain Insights!
www.BrainInsightsonline.com