Baby Ball
From early infancy, babies often find rest and comfort when held in what we refer to as a “Baby Ball” - a position that gently curls the whole body up into a rounded ball-like position. Holding your baby against your body, bring her knees up towards her belly into a natural “C-Curve” with her head in line with her spine and bent slightly forward. Make sure that she is folded at her hips as well as her knees.
You might feel her thrusting her legs out or arching her spine. This is totally normal. There’s a good chance that the muscles that lengthen her body are stronger and more active than those that curl up and shorten it; as a result, extending movements can be more automatic than flexing movements. She could also be responding to the force of compression by pushing against it. Or she could simply be more familiar with the feeling of her body being in an extended position rather than a flexed one.
If you feel this outward force, follow her movements as she stretches her legs and body. At this point, pay careful attention and you will likely notice a slight pause or a sense of softening in her outward movement. That’s your cue to fold her knees back up towards her belly and return her to a baby ball. There’s a good chance that she will want to repeat this movement (in and out of compression) a number of times until she becomes more familiar with being fully “flexed” and contained. The trick for you is to develop a “6th sense” for feeling that moment when she softens. Be patient and you’ll feel it, I promise!
Compression and containment can be like magic for helping a nervous system to relax and recharge… and not just for babies! Don’t hold back from trying this with your toddler or child of any age. It can even work with you! Think of the comfort you draw when you curl up into a “fetal” position, folding your attention inward and withdrawing from the outside world. Even a momentary retreat can be rejuvenating.
Startling as a Signal
Have you ever paid attention to how your body moves when you get startled? You can probably imagine it. With that picture in your mind, pretend that you’ve just been startled and see what movements you notice. Most likely you’ll feel your arms shooting out and your back arching - a full body, reflexive reaction that’s instantaneous and quickly subsides as you relax back into your normal posture. It’s easy to feel the stiffening backwards part, but there’s a good chance that you missed something that happens just before you transition back into a normal state: you go through a second phase of the reflex in which your whole body, arms, and head fold forward into a somewhat curled position for a split second. This is one of your body’s built-in protective mechanisms to help you recover and regain equilibrium.
Think about this the next time you notice your baby startling. If you have a young baby, you’ve probably seen her startle a number of times. Infants tend to startle more easily and it’s not just in response to loud noises. She might also startle when her head tips back quickly and unexpectedly or sometimes when you simply pick her up or lower her down.
Learning to read this reflex can help you to move and support your infant in ways that avoid triggering it. To ease your baby into the recovery phase when you notice a startle, curl her up next to your body and feel for her muscles relaxing.