Once Upon A Time A Small Hand Held Me With Immense Force …

Once upon a time there was a tiny hand, a closed fist covered in cheesy vernix, that white texture with which newborns come into the world. Once upon a time, there was a life that came amid tears, fears and anxieties, and soon after, it clung to a familiar finger with immense force. It was the mother’s hand, which received with emotion the imprint of that energy of her little one, of that natural instinct towards her greatest attachment figure, of infinite love …

It is often said that it is the smallest things that build the magical fabric of our life and that refuge of our memory to which we like to return so much. The human being is an irremediable nostalgic, and if there is an impossible moment to let go of oblivion, it is the one in which our son takes our finger for the first time to press it with force between his tiny hand.

With that instinctive gesture for them, one is captive forever, for life. It is a beginning that no parent forgets, that excites and that beats forever inside. It is as if the baby recognized us as part of his life, like a “I already have you, you are already my mother, you are already my father” where one can only surrender to the evidence: the bond has already been created and will not be able to never break …

Once upon a time there was a tiny hand …

Once upon a time there was strength, life and fear contained in a small hand that seeks refuge. It is enough to place our finger in the palm of the newborn so that it grasps it instantly, quickly and with necessity to calm down, to feel safe. We are part of him and that precious tiny being is part of us …

The grasp reflex in the baby

We will not remove emotion from this gesture if we say that this act that we like so much about babies responds exclusively to a natural reflex, to an instinctive act inherited from our ancestors. In this way, with this quick response to cling to everything that their hands touch, the baby is held and secure, in fact, it does so with such force that we can even incorporate or lift them while they are holding our fingers.

• It is something natural and that the doctors themselves explore in newborns together with the rest of the reflexes, which are undoubtedly necessary for their correct development.
• In fact,   this reflex disappears in a short time as the baby’s brain matures to allow him to manipulate and grasp things with intentionality and greater alacrity.

Holding your baby’s hand during those first months is highly recommended

It is very common that while the mother breastfeeds her baby, she takes the hand of the little one, allowing him to press her finger with force. During the first month of the child’s life it is common to see them always with a clenched fist. However, little by little we will notice amazing changes, such as the fact that it no longer squeezes so much or even that it shakes us or shakes a toy that we give it.

That continuous stimulation, that beautiful habit of holding babies’ hands, caressing them while we feed them or bathe them will undoubtedly make them give those wonderful maturation leaps that favor their correct development.

In the eighth month the baby is already aware of his hands

Thanks to that sophisticated hand-eye coordination, we will notice how by the eighth or ninth month, your baby will no longer leave his hands still. It is when we most notice their hair pulling, when suddenly they want to touch our faces or catch everything that happens in front of them and that attracts their interest.

At this time not only do they find pleasure with the simple fact of picking up things, they love that those things make noise, or that if dad or mom take his hand they communicate with him, sing to him, whisper to him. .. It is an exceptional moment where the The child is receptive to many more stimuli, and where soon, he will further refine the gripping mechanism with “the pincer”, that is, the union of the thumb and the index finger to further develop his fine motor skills.

Hands are a channel for our emotions, a kind of magical language

Feel the hand of our partner offering us support, affection, complicity, affection. .. Shaking hands with our grandparents to help them move around or while we talk to them to show them closeness, all of this gives us a series of positive emotions that reinforces bonds, that builds relationships meaningful as well as a sense of humanity where we recognize and care for each other.

To touch is to feel, to touch the people who are important to us is to validate them in affection and it is also to recognize them as special beings in our hearts. Therefore, let us never neglect the importance of promoting this language with our children.

The one that began as a story of magic and immense affection when we felt that hand firmly grasping our finger for the first time, should not be left alone there. It is only the beginning, where caresses, attentions, games, turning the pages of a book, walking hand in hand must then arrive …

Let’s enjoy and cherish those moments that are undoubtedly priceless.