Swaddling makes a real bundle of joy

By SUZANNE MOORE
Staff Writer

April 05, 2008 04:00 am

— PLATTSBURGH -- It was more than 20 years ago, but Jamie Basiliere has a vivid memory of learning how to swaddle her newborn son in a receiving blanket.
"It was quite a little technique," she said, "doing it on the diagonal and getting the corners tucked in ...
"If you don't do it just right, the minute (baby) moves, it just comes undone."
Cocooning Anders in a soft blanket soothed him.
"He was a little bit fussy," she said, "and I think I was a little bit nervous as a first-time mom."
SECURE, CONTENT
Swaddling simulates the safety of the womb; it's a calming influence, according to Ann Fraser, infant/toddler specialist with Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country's Family Connections Resource Center in Plattsburgh.
"Sometimes, they just can't stop crying. (Swaddling) helps them return to a memory of when they were comforted and supported in the womb.
"For some babies, it's all they need to calm down -- it's like turning on a switch."
Family Connections includes swaddling among the techniques shared with parents who take part in its Special Deliveries program. There, they learn ways to help baby feel secure and content right from the start.
Swaddling, baby massage, lots of playtime and snuggling are some ways to optimize chances an infant will grow into a well-adjusted, emotionally healthy child and then adult, experts say.
"We're helping them organize their emotions for them," said Fraser of swaddling, "because for newborns and especially in the first three months of life, all the sensory input they're getting from the world is almost painful to them."
Those are the times of peak crying, peak colic, she said.
The startle reflex -- the arched back and out-flung arms infants exhibit at a sudden noise or other stimulus gives evidence of an infant's still developing nervous system, Fraser said.
"That's a whole systemic response," she said. "Swaddling breaks up that reflex."
Babies can be swaddled awake and for sleep; as they grow older (until about 6 months), the method is sometimes used more occasionally, to bring calm as needed.
SKIN TO SKIN
At CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh, instruction for new parents and the Hello Babe parenting class include lessons in swaddling.
The great big world comes as a shock to newborns, with all its bright lights and noises, said RN Kathaleen Blanchard, one of the instructors. Even being passed from one adoring loved one to another can be too much for an infant.
"They get overstimulated."
Also, baby can't make plain needs for care such as changing and feeding. It's frustrating, she said. So they fuss.
And swaddling gives them comfort.
Another technique taught by the hospital is called "skin to skin."
"The dad can put the baby on his chest; he'll radiate heat to the baby that's calming to him," Blanchard said, adding with emphasis, "You can't over-hold your child."
A method some parents adopt is carrying their baby in a sling, which creates an enclosed place against mom (or dad) that also simulates the closeness of the womb.
"It helps imitate the movement of being in the womb as well," Fraser said.
BUNDLE OF JOY
Bassiliere's Anders is 21 now, about to graduate from North Country Community College.
"He's totally out-going, well-adjusted," she said.
All due to swaddling?
"Of course, it isn't," his mother laughed. "There are so many moving parts to the art of child rearing."
Basiliere is executive director at the Child Care Council and heads the "Ready, Set... Grow!" Infant-Child-Mental Health Coalition that is promoting emotional well-being of little ones. So she knows swaddling is one of those small but valuable tools a parent can use.
"Maybe more than anything it helped me cope with a fussy baby," she said. "I remember having a little burst of confidence, (thinking) this is working -- at least I know how to do something right."
And it's undeniable that a swaddled baby is just so cute and irresistible, she added.
"It's a true bundle of joy when they're swaddled."
smoore@pressrepublican.com

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