Infant Development Report

Parental Expectations and Outcomes

Fear or anxiety can leave a physical mark on the body of both the birthing parent and

child. In the article A Review of the Effects of Anxiety During Pregnancy on Children’s Health,

researchers note the effects of intense amounts of anxiety during gestation or even a build up

over time leading to alterations in the amount and quality of blood flow to the unborn child.

Additionally, the impacts spread to the proper development of the child’s organs (Shahhosseini

et.al, 2015). Another aspect of this stress-effect to consider is cortisol as the growth of the

hippocampus, with an emphasis on the right side is reduced in environments of high cortisol

(Shahhosseini et al., 2015). The right hippocampus is responsible for our spatial memory which

is a crucial aspect of development to prevent injury and accidents. There is also a connection

between high fear and anxiety levels and hippocampal atrophy (Hamid, 2014). This is a tough

pill to swallow as some folks have chronic anxiety conditions and the numbers have recently

seen a 25% jump with the young folks and women disproportionately affected (World Health

Organization, 2022). In addition, “pregnancy can cause you to feel more sensitive and emotional

than usual. And if you’ve experienced childhood trauma, pregnancy and labour can trigger

memories and negative feelings” (HealthLink BC, 2019, p. 22). If the birthing parent is aware of

their preexisting conditions and vulnerabilities, there are supports like cognitive behavioral

therapy (CBT), adequate sleep and mindfulness exercises they can bolster themselves with which

have been shown to ease worries about labour and event alleviate postpartum depression

(Collier, 2021).

Even if the gestational person does not experience something as severe as diagnosable

anxiety or depression, fear of childbirth is universal, especially for first time parents. This effect

poses similar challenges connecting these emotional states overwhelming the parent to low

childbirth self-efficacy which encompasses undesirable labour and delivery outcomes (Duncan et

al., 2017). Recent studies have shown customized mindfulness programs targeting pains and fear

that stem from childbirth can solidify key health factors specific to the individual’s needs both

during pregnancy and after (postpartum depression) and an overall improved mental health scape

(Duncan et al., 2017). Therefore, the ability as parents to find the relaxation techniques that work

for them to combat underlying mental health conditions, childbirth fear and difficult emotions is

essential to the overall wellbeing of the family unit. Everyone is touched by mental health strain;

it is so understandable that society struggles with these detriments and none of us deserve to

suffer the effects alone and under resourced.

APGAR Test

APGAR testing has excellent value in the sense that it offers a set of simple steps,

quickly assessed to determine a newborn’s need for additional medical attention. Access to the

professionals capable of APGAR testing and medical support that may follow are irreplaceable

resources especially in the fragile period of early infancy. Upon assessment, usually at the one,

five and ten minute mark post birth, the child will score between nine and seven if it is healthy or

six and two if it is in critical shape. Catching this as early as one to five minutes after birth

drastically improves health outcomes (Boyd et al., 2021). For example, the otherwise

uncatchable and deadly cases of birth asphyxia which is when the newborn’s brain and other

vital organs are deprived of nutrients that would be delivered through proper oxygenation. This

can easily go undetected and unfortunately the longer it takes for a diagnoses and proper4

treatment the more severe the harm becomes. The results of this going undetected range from

permanent injury to organ failure and death (Seattle Children's, 2023). The value of immediate

testing is imperative and an efficient test like APGAR which any trained medical professional

can complete with their five senses alone accentuates the imperative this can and should be done

everywhere.

Reflexes

Reflexes are part of the APGAR assessment, crucial for survival and telling when it

comes to brain development (the brain stem specifically). The synapses that fire from neurons in

the brain are invisible to the naked eye but irritability reflex tests provide us with a picture to

work from. The visual representation of neurons firing healthily in the newborn’s brain is found

by delivering a quick pinch to signal mild pain and results in a grimacing facial expression. The

child’s ability to survive depends on these reflexes due to the stage of limited muscle awareness

and control. They are born with these reflexes specifically for this stage of life and then they fade

after a number of months if the body grows in a supportive inner and out environment

(Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Similar to the virtues of the APGAR test, a demonstration of reflexes

ensures the child’s health is in good standing (especially the otherwise invisible aspects of their

health). The full body reflexes include the act of startling and crying known as the Moro reflex

which serves the function of basic protective practices after exposure to a loud noise. Their

bodies process the shock by extending their arms with their palms up and thumbs out. The tonic

neck reflex is “essential for postural tone and stability, gross and fine movements, eye tracking,

and midline crossing crucial for reading, telling the time, left-right discrimination” (Arcilla et al.,

2023, para. 3). Stepping reflex is when the child’s feet are flat on a surface the motion of

stepping is enacted. The contributions it offers to the neural pathways of the infant’s growing

brain will be of great use in the ease, strength and stability of the walking process (Cleveland

Clinic, 2022). There are several more reflexes like sucking, rooting and grasping that serve a

specific purpose for the time that they are active. There are also plenty of familiar reflexes that

continue into adulthood like yawning, blinking and sneezing. The congruous link between them

all is the development of survival resources and necessary stages for the body to map out what it

needs to and when certain reflexes stick around longer than normal, they are indicative of delays.

Motor Skills and Cross-Cultural Strategies

Gross-motor or locomotor skills are first seen in the stability and balance of the trunk of

the body, larger limb coordination tasks like walking or crawling and moving the head side to side.

Fine-motor or manipulative skills take place in the areas with many small bones and muscles. It

takes time and practice to develop the skill and control needed to move these parts together to

formulate actions like grabbing with the fingers or toes, swipe the hand, lock the gaze or use the

tongue and lips. It is noticeable that the child masters gross-motor skills predominantly in the

beginning and over a longer period of time the same finesse develops for the careful, fine-motor

movements. These observations speak to the cephalocaudal (head-down development) and

proximodistal (centre of the body outwards development) trends respectively. Researchers today

are hesitant to maintain old measures of developmental norms because modern collective interest

in cross-cultural inclusivity has led to significant research. Observations made in the natural

environments of each respective culture pointed to culture specific variations on the standard

developmental pathway. A suggestion the researchers presented in the Revel Lifespan Development

text is week to week measurement trends taking into account different and celebrated officialised

norms within each cultural sect. My approach is informed though the cross-cultural study outlined

in the Revel Lifespan Development text in which we observe and apply the stimulation provided6

by floor based free play. Atypical movement experiences and exploratory play are valuable

avenues for holistic development and often over protective childcare methods are connected to

delay (Boyd et al., 2021). While prioritizing the safety of the environment and quality of the

experiences integrated into the childcare centre, I feel my role is to trust the child to explore and

observe with both eyes open. Etuaptmumk is the Mi'kmaw word for Two-Eyed Seeing a

methodology derived from Chief Charles Labrador’s teachings of Acadia First Nation (Jeffery et

al., 2021). The heartbeat of this philosophy is inclusivity and sensitivity to differences in culture

and the act of bringing honour to the differing perspectives continuously. Two-Eyed Seeing invites

an air of deep respect around the Indigenous approach of centering the environment and

thoughtfully engaging with its spiritual, emotional and physical elements by way of sacred

relationship and traditions while considering the western ideals founded on fact and research

(Jeffery et al., 2021). Curiosity is plentiful in children and their lead (or appropriate levels of

autonomy), coupled with a professional’s knowledge of what accentuates their locomotive and

manipulative skills and input from culturally diverse perspectives, we can implement tools and

activities that enhance overall development.

Comprehension, Memory, and Language

There is an interesting suggestion from a recent study that details more built in abilities

that infants posses than previously acknowledged and what an infant comprehends is far greater

than previously thought. Most of these discoveries surface because of resources like computers

that analyze eye movement and more spectacular findings are surfacing constantly (Boyd et al.,

2021). Professionals and familial unit caretakers' patience with and respect for the development

process can expand as this updated information arises and spans categories like memory,

comprehension and language. The developmental trend with the interaction between ‘object’ and7

child is notable as the first aspects of an item that an infant (around four months) can grasp are

its spatiotemporal characteristics (location and motion of object). Then, the nine-to-twelve-

month bracket is where we typically see an upgrade to the perception of an object to include and

differentiate it from other objects based on it’s properties like, colour, texture and size (Boyd et

al., 2021). Memory mechanisms are built in and expanded on continuously, the humble but solid

beginnings are evident in a study wherein the newborn experiences slight smothering upon chest

feeding from the right side and then refuses to feed from that right side after a few hours (Boyd

et al., 2021). At nine to eleven months, we see evidence of interest peaked by observing how a

toy is interacted with first and then repeating those actions with a significant amount of

concentration. Studies have noted seven-month-old infants respond to variation in patterns with

more interest in absorbing the novel entity in their pattern to which they were exposed (Boyd et

al., 2021). A young infant’s memories are specifically activated within the original circumstance

in which they occurred or reminders from that environment or situation. We also observe the

time span of the memory being retained stretches over time while the limits of the memory being

cued are lessened (Boyd et al., 2021). Language studies have shown the infant’s rapture with the

high pitched, infant interest directed and recast sentence structure’s qualities. Infant Directed

Speech (IDS) has great promise for a baby’s ongoing development of grammar and language

memory. It is well known amongst researchers that children of parents who expose them to a

wide variety of vocabulary words, engaging conversation and reading time differ from their

peers who were not graced with the same stimulation (Boyd et al., 2021). Babbling is the first

auditory signal of significant language development. Its value is further demonstrated in studies

where we get verification that the brain’s language development centre (the left hemisphere) is

stimulated because we can catch the visual of the infant’s right mouth (controlled by the left8

brain) area moving the most as they babble. I would actively encourage babbling possibly by

prompting imitation play and support their long-term success with language development with

IDS regularly. Exposing the child to opportunities for awe within visually stimulating

experiences often. Building specific memories and providing cues to recall throughout our time

together. Placing or manipulating objects of interest in experience setting carefully observing the

spatiotemporal registration of the item and then eventually working it into differentiating

activities to observe property distinctions the child makes. These are all viable techniques that

can be building block ideas from which more creative solutions may eventually emerge.

Discovery Reflection

I feel I can confidently voice the facts and my perspective on the key aspects of each

integral area. Our deep look into motor skills, memory, comprehension, language and reflexes

informed the physical focus my experiences and activities most prudent at each stage I am

supporting. I was delighted by the constantly updating research-based perspectives that better

inform our assumptions of ‘normal’ and holistically support the child. We are increasingly being

taught to further expand our awe and respect for these young ones and to be wary of dismissing

their ways of becoming one with the world. My interest guided research on mental health in

birthing parents and enlightened me to sobering statistics that made the tools to combat these

struggles all the more pertinent. I plan to have a child one day, but I too struggle with mental

health as does my mother. The resources to lift these effects and change the generational pattern

holds a lot of weight for me and I feel like there is so much support I can bolster for a growing

child, and it always starts with us. I sincerely look forward to applying this knowledge to support

families, children, childcare settings and innovative initiatives.

References

Arcilla, C. K., & Vilella, R. C. (2023, May 1). Tonic Neck Reflex. NCBI.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559210/

Seattle Children's. (2023). Birth Asphyxia. Seattle Children's.

https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/birth-asphyxia/

Boyd, D., Bee, H., & Johnson, P. (2021). Revel Lifespan Development (7th ed.). Pearson Canada.

Cleveland Clinic. (2022, June 14). Newborn Reflexes. Cleveland Clinic.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23265-newborn-reflexes

Collier, S. (2021, June 25). How can you manage anxiety during pregnancy? Harvard Health.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-can-you-manage-anxiety-during-pregnancy-

202106252512

Duncan, L. G., Cohn, M. A., Chao, M. T., Cook, J. G., Riccobono, J., & Bardake, N. (2017, May

12). Benefits of preparing for childbirth with mindfulness training: a randomized

controlled trial with active comparison. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth.

https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-017-1319-

3#Sec27

Hamid, H. (2014). Networks in Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Science Direct.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/right-hippocampus10

HealthLink BC. (2019). Parents' Handbook of Pregnancy and Baby Care. HealthLink BC.

https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/sites/default/files/documents/babys-best-chance.pdf

Jeffery, T., Kurtz, D. L.M., & Jones, C. A. (2021, October). Two-Eyed Seeing: Current

approaches, and discussion of medical applications. BC Medical Journal, 63(8), 321-325.

https://bcmj.org/articles/two-eyed-seeing-current-approaches-and-discussion-medical-

applications

Shahhosseini, Z., Pourasghar, M., Khalilian, A., & Salehi, F. (2015). A Review of the Effects of

Anxiety During Pregnancy on Children's Health. Materia socio-medica, 27(3), 200–202.

https://doi.org/10.5455/msm.2015.27.200-202

World Health Organization. (2022, March 2). COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in

prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. World Health Organization (WHO).

https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-

prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide