Since the day a baby is born, his or her body is pre-programmed with survival reflexes. One of these is the Moro reflex or the startle reflex, one of the numerous primitive reflexes of a newborn baby to facilitate adjustment to the new environment. It is an automatic response to unexpected stimuli, and yes, it might look dramatic but is crucial in your baby's neurological development.

Pediatricians test for the Moro reflex at birth as an important marker of a newborn's nervous system function. Knowing what it is, how long it will last, and how to deal with its impact can assist new parents in helping their baby develop healthily.

Though startling for parents and infants alike, the Moro reflex is a reassuring indication of normal neurological function. As infants develop and mature into more complex nervous systems, the reflex will simply disappear. In the meantime, parents can take easy measures to make their baby feel safe and minimize unnecessary startles.

If any questions arise about the Moro reflex or if it lasts too long, parents don't need to hesitate to consult with a pediatrician. The management and understanding of this reflex can make some of the issues of newborn care a little less stressful for both babies and parents.

What Does the Moro Reflex Look Like?

The Moro reflex is simple to identify. If it is stimulated, a newborn will instantly arch their back, throw out their arms with open hands, and extend their legs. This is usually followed by bringing the arms back in, tightening the fists, and occasionally even crying. Although startling to see, the sequence is perfectly normal and a sign that your baby's spinal cord and brain are functioning properly.

Parents usually notice the reflex when their baby is sleeping or being placed down, which can interfere with sleep. The reflex is not painful or uncomfortable for the baby, though it may seem so.

Why Does Moro Reflex Occur?

In essence, the Moro reflex is an evolutionary response to survival. It is thought to be the first self-protection attempt of a baby. The reflex is activated by the sensation of falling or sudden movement, getting the baby ready to recover balance. In the past, this reflex could have aided infants in hanging on to their caregivers, thus avoiding falls.

Additionally, the reflex provides valuable insight into the infant’s neurological function. The presence and strength of the Moro reflex reassure doctors and parents that the baby's nervous system is developing correctly.

How Long Does the Moro Reflex Last?

The Moro reflex is visible at birth and normally reaches a peak during the first month. Most infants progressively lose the reflex between two to four months when their nervous system becomes more developed. By the age of six months, the reflex has typically disappeared.

In the meantime, babies start improving in head control and voluntary movement, which obviously replaces the newborn's reflex movements.

What causes the Moro Reflex?

As babies are extremely sensitive to the surroundings, various stimuli may evoke the Moro reflex, such as:

Rapid movement – The baby being lifted or set down too abruptly.

A loud sound – A dog's bark, slamming of the door, or household noise.

An intense light – Flicking a switch on a light in an environment with darkness.

Sudden body movement – Position change or tilting the baby's head too abruptly.

Internal triggers – At times, babies wake up startled by their own movements.

Newborns have no control over their body parts, and thus they often end up startling themselves, and as a consequence, waking up many times through the night.

How to Soothe a Baby Who Suffers from Moro Reflex?

Although the Moro reflex is perfectly normal, it can trigger a baby and wake them up startled. The parents can resort to simple solutions to reduce its impact:

1. Swaddle Your Baby

Swaddling is wrapping the baby tightly in a light blanket, replicating the womb's snug surroundings. A tight swaddle keeps the baby from making sudden arm movements that will induce the startle reflex. After a baby starts rolling over (about 3–4 months), though, swaddling must be stopped to prevent safety hazards.

2. Hold Your Baby Close

When picking up or putting down your baby, ensure they feel secure by keeping their head and neck supported. Slow and controlled movements can help reduce the chances of triggering the reflex.

3. Use White Noise

Sudden noises can startle babies, but consistent background sounds, such as a white noise machine, a fan, or soft music, can help mask jarring sounds, making the baby feel more at ease.

4. Make a Peaceful Sleep Environment

Maintaining a dark room and reducing loud noise can avoid unwanted startles, allowing the infant to sleep in peace.

When to Worry?

Physicians regularly examine the Moro reflex in infants, but there are instances where an absent or unusual reflex can reflect underlying problems. Parents need to see a pediatrician if they observe:

• No Moro reflex at birth – This can reflect neurological issues.
• An asymmetric reflex – When only one side of the body reacts, it may be a sign of nerve damage or a fracture of the clavicle.
• A persistent Moro reflex after six months – This can be associated with developmental delay or neurological disorders.
• A very weak or exaggerated reflex – Both can be a cause for medical assessment.
• Premature infants can have a weaker Moro reflex because of their immature nervous system, but this generally gets better over time.

"I miss who I was too," says the Christina Applegate, revealing her emotional conversation with daughter Sadie

She is speaking candidly about how life with multiple sclerosis (MS) has changed not just her, but her relationship with her daughter.

The Dead to Me actress, 53, recently shared an emotional moment from a conversation with her 14-year-old daughter, Sadie, on the Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa podcast. Diagnosed with MS in 2021, Applegate has gradually withdrawn from public life as she navigates the daily physical and emotional toll of the condition.

“I don’t get up in the morning with that,” she said, referring to any sense of personal motivation. “I get up because of her. She’s the reason I’m still here and trying.”

But that strength has been tested in ways that have cut deep—especially as a mother. During their recent conversation, Sadie told her something that Applegate says "was like a knife to the heart."

“She said, ‘I miss who you were before you got sick.’ And I do too,” Applegate said, holding back tears. “I miss that version of me very much.”

The toll of daily life with MS

Applegate has never shied away from speaking about the realities of living with multiple sclerosis.

On Conan O’Brien’s podcast earlier this year, she revealed that she rarely leaves the house anymore. The pain and fatigue have become too overwhelming.

“If people saw what my life was like on the daily, they wouldn’t be able to do it. Because I can sometimes not do it. It’s really, really hard,” she admitted.

And that physical struggle directly impacts her ability to parent. Once an active, involved mom, picking up her daughter from school, dancing with her at home, volunteering in the school library, Applegate now says that version of herself is gone, and her daughter has noticed the change.

“She’s had to see the loss of her mom, in the way that I was a mom with her,” Applegate told PEOPLE in an earlier interview. “She doesn’t see those things anymore. This is a loss for her as well.”

There are days, she added, when the pain is so severe that Sadie simply knows not to ask anything of her. “If she sees that I’m laying on my side, she knows she can’t ask me to do anything. And that breaks me,” Applegate said. “I love doing things for her. I just can’t sometimes. But I try. I try.”

What is multiple sclerosis?

As per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling neurological condition that affects the central nervous system, the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. It is an autoimmune disorder, meaning the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells, in this case, the protective sheath (myelin) surrounding nerve fibers.

Without intact myelin, nerve signals slow down or get interrupted, leading to a range of symptoms that vary from person to person. These may include muscle weakness, fatigue, numbness, coordination issues, vision changes, and memory problems.

Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, although it can occur earlier or later. MS does not have a cure, but treatments can help manage symptoms and slow disease progression. The severity of symptoms also differs, some people experience mild, manageable relapses, while others gradually face increasing disability.

Life with MS: A new normal

One of the most difficult aspects of MS is its unpredictability. Symptoms can flare up unexpectedly and may disappear for long stretches. While the disease doesn’t typically shorten life expectancy, it does require a major adjustment in daily life.

In Applegate’s case, it has meant redefining her identity, not just as an actress, but as a mother and a person. Still, despite the pain and fatigue, her love for her daughter keeps her grounded and trying.

“Sadie is the reason I’m still here. She gives me the strength to keep going,” Applegate said.

A big concern for parents these days is how kids are seemingly swallowed by technology. They no longer plead to go out and play for ‘just five more minutes’. The serotonin and dopamine boost we used to crave while playing outside as kids, does not seem like a big deal any longer. Could this be due to the increase in electronic device usage?

Parents who are worried about their kids screentime are right to be concerned. Many studies have shown the increased screentime slows down brain development. If certain habits can slow down brain development, are there others that can increase brain development?

A new study published in the Environment International journal suggests that living close to green areas, like parks or forests, might lower a child's chance of developing problems like ADHD and autism. This protective effect seems to start even before they are born.

How Green Spaces May Help Before and After Birth

The study found that children were less likely to experience brain development problems if their mothers lived near green spaces before or during pregnancy. The same benefit was seen if the children themselves lived near green spaces when they were infants. These important findings were published in a science journal called Environment International. One of the lead researchers pointed out that having more access to green spaces in cities could truly support healthy brain development in young children and help reduce the number of developmental delays.

Why Green Spaces Might Be Good for Brains

Scientists don't fully understand yet exactly how green spaces might help a baby's brain grow healthily, even while still in the womb. However, they have some ideas. They believe that being around nature can reduce stress and feelings of sadness, encourage people to spend more time with others, and lower exposure to loud noises and very hot or cold temperatures. All of these things could be good for a young child's overall development.

What the Study Discovered

For this research, scientists looked at a lot of information from over 1.8 million mothers and children who were part of the Medicaid program in different states. They used satellite images and the mothers' home addresses to figure out how much green space they lived near. The results were quite interesting:

• Children whose mothers lived near green spaces had a 34% lower risk of intellectual disabilities.
• They also had a 17% lower risk of autism.
• For children who lived near green spaces themselves after they were born, the study found a 19% lower risk of learning disabilities.

The researchers noticed that these protective effects were present at different stages: before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and in early childhood. This suggests that there might be various biological reasons why green spaces are helpful at different times.

Stronger Benefits in City Areas

The study showed that the protective effects of green spaces were even stronger for children living in city areas and for children from Black or Hispanic families. This suggests that green spaces might provide an even greater benefit in places where they are not as common. Increasing access to green spaces in city environments could really support early childhood brain development and help reduce the number of developmental delays.

What We Still Need to Learn

It's important to remember that this study can't prove that living near green spaces directly causes healthier brain development. There could be other factors that also play a role in a child's risk for developmental problems.

Future research will dive deeper into the exact reasons why green spaces might benefit children's brain development. They also want to explore whether different kinds of green spaces—like parks, walking trails, or playing fields—offer different levels of benefit.

A baby’s sex at birth might not be the equal coin toss that we’ve always believed it to be. A new study published by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, titled, “Is sex at birth a biological coin toss? Insights from a longitudinal and GWAS analysis” challenges this long-held assumption.

The study was published on July 18 in the journal Science Advances, and it found that several factors, including a mother's age, genetics, and the sex of older siblings—may influence whether she’s more likely to have a boy or a girl.

Patterns Behind the Birth of Boys and Girls: How Was The Study Conducted?

The research looked at more than 146,000 pregnancies involving over 58,000 U.S. nurses from the NIH-funded Nurses’ Health Study, covering the years 1956 to 2015. What they found was eye-opening: families with three or more children were more likely to have either all boys or all girls than if the sex of a child was purely random.

“If you’ve had two or three girls and you’re trying for a boy, your odds aren’t 50-50 anymore,” explained Jorge Chavarro, professor of nutrition and epidemiology and the study’s senior author, in a quote to The Washington Post. “You’re more likely to have another girl.”

Also Read: It Might Not Be Diabetes; It Could Be This Common Pill Causing Heart Disease: Study

The Role of Maternal Age and Genetics

One of the biggest surprises was the link between maternal age and the likelihood of giving birth to all children of the same sex. Women who started having children after age 28 had a slightly higher chance of giving birth to only boys or only girls.

Researchers believe this could be due to biological changes that come with age, such as shifts in hormone levels or physical conditions that may affect which sperm survive and fertilize the egg.

Additionally, the study identified two specific genes that appear to be linked with the likelihood of having children of only one sex. While scientists don’t yet know how these genes affect birth sex, their discovery opens the door for further research.

Chavarro noted that future studies should explore whether lifestyle choices, diet, or even exposure to certain environmental chemicals might also play a role.

Are Families Subconsciously Seeking “Gender Balance”?

The study also touches on social patterns. In families with two children, there was a higher chance of one boy and one girl. Researchers believe this may be because couples tend to stop having children once they have one of each sex, possibly due to a preference for a “balanced” family.

This idea is supported by another paper published in the Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, which jokingly refers to parents who have three boys or three girls as those who “lose the birth lottery.”

When Expectations Don’t Match Reality

The findings also bring up the topic of “gender disappointment”, a real emotional experience for some parents when the sex of their baby isn’t what they hoped for.

A 2023 paper in the BJPsych Bulletin found that in many Western families, this disappointment often stems from a desire to experience raising both sons and daughters.

In everyday life, these expectations can be seen in subtle remarks like “Four boys? Poor you,” or “Still trying for a girl?”, comments that reflect how deeply society views gender roles and balance, reports CBC.

What It Means for Expecting Parents

While the science behind birth sex is clearly more complex than a simple 50-50 chance, experts agree it’s not something to stress over. Rather, it’s a reminder that biology, age, genes, and personal choices all come together in ways we’re only beginning to understand.