From a Christian perspective,
each baby is a wonderful gift from God.
Suddenly, with a loud cry, a
new baby announces its arrival to the world, a world filled with many joys and
sorrows. How wonderful that first cry seems to us, simply because we know that
the baby has arrived safely. Hopefully, the infant is born into a family who
will celebrate his or her birth and welcome the infant, or the children in the
case of multiple births, with open arms and loving hearts.
This is not an easy time for
parents, either first-time parents, or parents with other children. Who ever
promised that it was going to be easy? For new parents this can be a trying time, as everything about babies is new. For those who are
parents again, it can be just as trying as no two births are the same and
no two children are the same either. While the parents feel that they know
everything that there is to know about babies and that they are prepared for
the birth, in reality, each child's birth can be very different, as well as
extremely traumatic. All of a sudden, the new mother
and father are confronted with a situation unlike anything that they have been
through before and can be frightened, wondering how they will ever meet the
needs of their new offspring.
Consider it from the infant's
perspective for a moment.
For nine long months, the baby
has been growing and thriving in a warm, comfortable and safe environment.
Suddenly, the infant finds him or herself thrust into a new environment. It is
a world that appears to be strange, unlike the womb from which the infant has
just emerged. That environment is not as
comfortable or warm, either. At first, the baby is stunned by the sudden change
in temperature. One of the reasons the newborn cries when it is born, is because
of the temperature change. It is a shock to his or her system.
Just imagine the sound effects.
The new world is not a quiet place. All of a sudden, the infant
opens his or her eyes. No one really knows at what moment that infant begins to
hear and see, or what the newborn child hears and sees. How he or she will
react to the new sights and sounds is unpredictable.
The newborn baby is inevitably
cold after he or she is born, because the world into which he or she has been
born is not the same temperature as that to which the infant has become
accustomed. Even dressed in appropriate clothing, the infant child may begin to
shiver, as the body's way of compensating for the sudden change in temperature.
It becomes important that the newborn baby is warm. The infant is used to being as
snug as a bug in a rug, so to speak. Suddenly, it is not feeling secure. Why
not? What the child would have been hearing is the sounds from the mother's
body. The infant also knows how it feels to be snug within the mother’s womb,
which has been comfortable. Suddenly, the baby can move about more freely, but
a newborn baby is not used to having that kind of freedom. That can cause the
infant to panic.
Any strange, new sounds may
startle or awaken the infant, because he or she is able to hear. Any unusual
activity or the lights in the room may cause the newborn to become alarmed or
frightened. Imagine the reality of touch and textures alone. We live in a world
of touch and texture, which can overwhelm the newborn.
Virtually everything is new and
different. In time, the baby will accept its new world and being instinctively
curious, he or she will begin to explore that environment.
Remember that the newborn child
also has been obtaining all of its nourishment without any effort on his or her
own part, having been fed via the umbilical cord while in the womb. That source
of nourishment is no longer there as the umbilical cord has been severed. It is a shock to the infant's
system and the newborn child becomes aware that he or she is
hungry. The newborn infant may or may not have learned how to suck on its
fingers while in the womb. Now, it is dependent upon the sucking reflex to
obtain food and water.
While there are natural
instincts that the infant is born with, that may begin to take over
immediately, this is such a different world. These instincts need to be developed.
In one sense, the infant knows
his or her mother and father but, in many other ways, it does not recognize parents. Time has a way of taking care of that situation, but in reality, it
will take time for both of them to adjust to each other. This is a new
relationship that needs to be developed and nurtured. It is said that we all enter
the world alone and in many ways, that is true. The newborn can feel alone,
until such a time as he or she becomes accustomed to his or her parents, as
well as to others including siblings. So much depends upon how the parents
react to the newborn infant, instinctively.
Having another older sibling in
the family can create additional concerns even though for the other sibling, it
can be a wonderful experience. Suddenly, the older child's world is changed and
he or she is no longer the center of the parent's attention. The older child,
or children, need time to adjust to the reality of a new baby in the household.
With the birth of an infant,
there are many so factors to take into consideration, it is a wonder that any
parents succeed in parenting. But take heart, as God has
provided solutions. Sometimes it is simply up to the parents and the children
to find answers. What may work for one family may not necessarily work for
another.
Persisting over time with love
and patience, the parents and the newborn, as well as other siblings, come to know and love each other. All of the newborn's needs will be
met, as well as those of the older sibling, or siblings.
How will parents know that they
have succeeded in parenting?
One of the most joyful sights
parents see is the smile on the face of a newborn. One of the most rewarding
sounds that they will ever hear is that of children's laughter. To hear the
sound of a newborn baby crying and an older sibling's laughter are miracles of
life. It may appear to be a combination of joy and sorrow, where in fact it is
really a parent's portion of joy with a difference, a double joy.
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