By Jan de Lange

The full nine months of pregnancy feels like an eternity to many mothers. The last month of swollen joints, heartburn and constant urination can be especially trying. Yet, if babies had the choice, they would probably extend their stay by another three months! These extra three months, where nature seems to have evicted babies from the womb is a period commonly referred to as ‘the fourth trimester’.

During this time you can think of your baby as a “foetus outside the womb”. It’s a time in which your baby starts to adjust to its “new” life. In the womb, your baby was always warm, “wrapped up”, and surrounded by the sound of the blood flowing and your heartbeat. Any sounds from the outside came were distorted and softened by the amniotic fluid. They saw everything in a warm, red hue as light would shine through your skin and muscle. 

To a newborn, their new home and life can feel like a very strange, overwhelming and often scary place. Suddenly they’re able to move freely, are exposed to open air – which is sometimes cold, the light is bright and the sounds are loud. For the first time in their short lives they’re faced with periods of separation from their mother. 

How can I help my baby adjust?

There are some basic ways to recreate the security your baby felt inside the womb and help ease their transition into the world after birth. Swaddling for naps and bedtime is a great way of making them feel like they are still wrapped up tightly and safely in the womb. You may in fact find that when you’ve swaddled your new-born, they wake up less and sleep for longer. Side to side swaying – while swaddled or not – is also very soothing to a new-born.

Skin to skin contact is also a great way to help your baby feel more connected. Remember that during pregnancy they were constantly connected to you.. Your warmth, smell and heartbeat is calmingly familiar to them. Feeding times, whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding, are especially wonderful opportunities for skin to skin bonding. The combination of nourishment on demand and closeness is one of the most powerful ways to showing your baby that life outside the womb is not that bad. 

A warm, soothing bath is another deeply calming activity for new-borns. The warm water feels a lot like the womb. We recently wrote about the 5S technique, which works wonders for settling a newborn. 

The fourth trimester is a time of transition. Your baby has left the womb but has no concept of anything beyond it. This new environment that is so completely beyond anything they knew before can be incredibly daunting to such a tiny being. However, with their mom as a close guide they get to know and love their new world.