Long before birth, your unborn baby has been getting ready for life outside the womb. Once he has left his shelter he can never go back. But this tiny being comes programmed with a set of reflexes that will ensure his survival and 'hook' his parents so they fall in love with him and want to protect him. Most of the common reflexes are known but there are some you may not be aware of.

Very primitive, automatic movements, thought to be remnants from our monkey and amphibian ancestors, are known as reflexes and serve a specific purpose. More and more researchers are convinced that the mobile baby in the womb keeps the uterus contracting and therefore makes sure that a good oxygen supply is always on hand.

Obstetricians are correlating a long and drawn out labour with a baby that does not move much. Reflexive behaviors also seem to play a role in the writhing and 'nudging' movements the baby makes as he works his way through the cervical opening. These include tonic neck and spinal cord reflexes.

• Tonic neck reflex – baby turns his head sharply and assumes a fencing-like position. He arches his back, and stretches out all the muscles on the face side of the body while flexing the muscles on the other side. When the baby does this during labour, it helps him 'swim' down the cervical canal. In infancy, this reflex will enable him to use one arm to reach for a toy and to suppress the other arm.
• Spinal cord reflex – if the baby is stroked along his spinal cord, his entire body will straighten up in the direction of the stroke. His trunk will move back and forth, 'squirming' as you touch him along his spinal cord. In this way the baby helps himself wiggle down the birth canal as the pressure of the walls of the vagina stroke his back.

Yawning
Did you know that under natural delivery circumstances, the baby gives a few massive yawns shortly after birth? No, it is not because he is exhausted, it's a reflex action that ensures a deep intake of oxygen to the lungs. The breathing and yawning process begins naturally, long before the cord stops pulsating. Sometimes, in the hurriedness of birth, this slow yawning does not occur because we are busy trying to get the baby to breathe as quickly as possible.

What big eyes you have!
At the time of birth the new baby has a high level of adrenaline surging through his body, and is very alert and receptive to his mother's voice and touch. The high levels of adrenaline are necessary for the survival of the baby if it is born 'in the wild'.

The pupils of his eyes are large and he looks very appealing as you make eye contact for the first time. This is how your baby makes you fall in love with him. Most of the time, the mother is not even aware of how her baby's pupil changes are affecting her, but as they dilate and take in their surroundings, the mother responds by pulling the baby closer as she cuddles and coos.

Ties that bind
The length of the baby's umbilical cord is about 50 centimetres. This cord is long enough for the baby to stay attached to the mother and still find his way up her abdomen to the nipple.

Recent research has shown that a baby will instinctively start to look for his food source within 20 minutes after delivery and will 'leopard crawl' all the way up the mother's abdomen to the nipple. This process can be interfered with if the mother has had certain pain-relieving drugs during labour.

Diving deep
Up until the age of about 6 months the baby is able to stay under water without inhaling water into the lungs. A small flap of skin closes off the top of the trachea and any water taken in will be swallowed and pass into the stomach.

Is that a smile I see?
Smiling is unique to our species, but when does a baby really smile for the first time? Researchers are convinced that there is a reflex smile that precedes the general smile or specific smile. It appears as early as 3 days after birth.

It is fleeting and poorly formed and may not even be recognised as a smile. It can be initiated by the sound of a high pitched voice, usually the mother's, tickling of the baby, and the passing of wind. It seems to appear as a form of startle response or surprise reaction.

Sucking and gagging
Babies are born with the rooting reflex, which enables them to locate their food source. Did you know that babies have to learn how to suck, breathe, swallow, and co-ordinate all 3?

The sucking reflex comes out gradually and is reinforced over a few days. This is why newborns should have no artificial teats in the way of bottles or dummies that can confuse this process. The way a baby sucks the bottle and breast are completely different. Newborn babies need to get rid of excess mucus in their airways. The gagging reflex can be seen when the baby gags or spits up at the breast before he begins to feed.

Brilliant baby
The incredible newborn is well equipped for life, and new parents should look out for the wonderful skills that they have. There are many more than those mentioned here. Let baby teach you all he knows!