Sucking reflex: up to what age, when it disappears, and what pediatricians say

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Reflexes are considered to be spontaneous reactions to some of the irritating external factors. They are common to all multicellular organisms, including humans and animals. What is the sucking reflex? Until what age does it last in babies? Let's try to figure it out.

About the reflex to be honest

The sucking reflex in newborns begins to form as soon as they are born, at the beginning of their so far small life. And his inclinations are manifested even in the mother's womb: quite often on an ultrasound scan it is permissible to see how the baby put his finger in his mouth. If the baby is born on time and he althy, it should immediately be attached to the mother's breast. So the child will calm down, having received even the minimum dose of colostrum. In this simple way, it is customary in maternity hospitals to cheer up the innate instinct and help the suckling reflex in the baby to be established correctly.

As soon as the baby feels the most gentle touch to his lips, he seems to respond by making certain movements. itand there will be a sucking reflex. Until what age is it considered the norm when exercising a protective function? Doctors give a definite answer: the first year of a baby's life.

It is realized due to the participation of the nuclei of certain nerves that are located in the medulla oblongata - its stem part. The nerves mentioned are the facial, hypoglossal, vestibular, vagus, trigeminal, and glossopharyngeal.

Because these pairs of nerves are interconnected, a fairly thorough coordination of the sucking process is ensured. When feeding is over, the sucking reflex in newborns first weakens, but again comes to life after an hour and a half. If the central nervous system or at least one of the previously listed nerves is damaged, the reflex decreases, and then disappears completely.

If the reflex is not fully realized

If babies were weaned too early from their mother's milk and switched to formula, they have the problem of an incompletely realized sucking reflex. Because of this, a neurosis of obsessive movements can develop. This can be expressed as follows:

• there is a habit of sucking various objects (your finger, dolls, blanket, pencil and others);
• nail biting habit appears;
• as adults, they try to smoke, keep a cigarette in their mouth longer, try to smoke as soon as possible if they feel the approach of stress.

From the above, it follows that every child needs to correctly pass the oral stage of development in order tothen, years later, reactions of a neurotic nature were not formed. Those who were deprived of mother's milk at an early stage of development should be brought up using a pacifier as a suckling item. If this is not done, then in the adult state, a person throughout his life will show both oral aggression in a fairly active form - verbally snapping, biting, snarling), and in a passive form - painful conditions, not a very good appetite.

A pacifier should be given to a baby between two feedings, and weaned not at lightning speed, but gradually. This should take place with conversations, tenderness, during games. No need to yell at the baby or punish him. Nature independently determined when the sucking reflex fades away: a baby who is already older than a year or a year and a half will no longer need it. But he will still have sucking movements in his sleep for a long time - until about three or four years old.

Norma

Scientists have found that the described reaction of the body can have a huge impact on the he alth of the baby's psyche. Due to the fact that he owns it, the little one can satisfy his hunger, and this can ensure his survival. If the sucking reflex is not very good, mom and dad should pay attention to what steps should be taken to restore it. If you delay, you can just be late. How can young mothers and fathers learn about the existence of pathology? Only by comparing her with the norm and by checking her symptoms.

Interesting fact. The sucking reflex begins to develop laterfifteen weeks after conception, that is, a long time before the birth of the baby. There has long been a norm when it appears (what age do you mean?) and when the sucking reflex in a child fades away. This is really necessary to know, because it is required to monitor whether everything is normal with the development of the little one. Any deviation that occurs will be an indication that correction and medical assistance is required.

Fading of a useful reflex

Scientists have determined when the sucking reflex in the baby fades. After all, it is thanks to him that the protective function of the body is carried out. In infancy, the sucking reflex is vital. Until what age will it last? A similar reaction of the body usually "works" for about a year and a half. It is at this age that pediatricians advise weaning the baby from the pacifier.

And yet, a significant number of doctors give advice to breastfeed the baby for as long as possible - up to two and a half years. It also has a relationship with the sucking reflex. Therefore, we can say that the age limits are very vague and blurred when the sucking reflex in a child disappears.

This can be called a typical way of forming such an unconditioned reaction. And yet, in some cases, doctors have to diagnose that there is no sucking reflex in a child. Until what age it should be preserved - this is no longer being discussed. This situation occurs due to he alth problems that have arisen in the peanut, which disrupted the development of the reflex during pregnancy or prevented it.revitalization after the birth of the baby.

By the way, doctors are aware of cases when too conscientious mothers continue breastfeeding until the age of six or seven. By doing this, they stretch the limits of the age of the extinction of the sucking reflex.

Why is there no reflex?

Much depends on how long and how he althy the baby was born. If a very weak sucking reflex in newborns (until what age it lasts has already been mentioned), then they are rather sluggishly sucking at the breast or bottle. They can quickly fall asleep during feeding or even refuse to eat. This happens if the little ones are premature, weakened or injured in childbirth. They can be discharged from the hospital only when they get used to sucking milk well.

Reflex can decrease for several reasons:

• paralysis and paresis of cranial nerves, for example, facial;
• mom has flat nipples;

• during childbirth or even in the womb, the central nervous system of the baby was damaged in a hypoxic-traumatic form;
• respiratory viral infections, pronounced stomatitis, rhinitis;
• somatic illness in a severe stage (due to malaise and general weakness);
• children are mentally retarded.

If the sucking reflex is greatly reduced, the baby will be half-starved all the time. He needs to be supplemented every two or two and a half hours with mother's milk, using bottles or spoons.

About the reasonspathology

If the time of pregnancy or the birth process were complicated by the above factors, the sucking reflex is either completely absent or reduced to a minimum in a born peanut. And this leads to starvation of the baby or to its inferior development (both physical and mental) in the future. If the child can be identified as a risk group, it is necessary immediately, as soon as the baby is born, to check how well this unconditional reaction of the baby is formed. By the way, mom and dad can see the pathology without medical help if they know what its obvious symptoms are.

Information for young mothers. If their nipples are flat, this is not a reason for weaning a toddler. There are ways to pull them out. For example, through surgery, special exercises, pharmacy correctors. This should be taken care of in advance, because the formation of the sucking reflex in the baby will also depend on it. Perhaps, any mother understands that when the sucking reflex in a child fades away, this is a great difficulty.

Symptoms in brief

So, if the sucking reflex is absent or underdeveloped, certain signs can indicate this. Most often, they can be identified even in the maternity hospital, where, if necessary, measures are taken to save the baby. If the doctors did not recognize the pathology, the mother can independently understand that this reaction of her baby is underdeveloped. Symptoms of deviations may be as follows.

1. Complete absence. If a mother puts a newborn to her breast, he:

• doesn't try to catch the nipple;
• won't suck or hold breast when mother puts breast in his mouth;
• this state lasts more than half a day after the birth of the baby.

Quite often, parents ask the question, does the sucking reflex persist until what age, when does it appear and fade away in premature babies? Such an unconditional defensive reaction in these children develops much later than in he althy ones. Also, she is able to develop not very well, or not develop at all.

But even if the baby is premature, this reflex should appear during the first days of his life with appropriate medical care in this situation. This is what doctors consider normal. A serious problem will be considered if this does not happen for a long time.

2. Partial immaturity or underdevelopment. After the mother put the baby to the breast after giving birth, he:

• tries to keep the nipple in her mouth, but keeps releasing it;
• makes a few weak smacks;
• still can't calm down, but cries a lot.

In the following days, an unimportant sucking reflex may manifest itself as follows:

• mom feeds for a long time, but the baby remains hungry, and the breast is almost full;
• baby is lethargic;
• baby not so much sucks as smacks quite loudly;
• crying, naughty, sleeping poorly and little - because hungry;
• swallows very rarely;
• falls asleep almost immediatelyafter the start of feeding.

If mom noticed that the reflex is weak, but does not yet understand whether this is so, you need to get a doctor's consultation. Only he can refute or confirm the diagnosis. The mother herself can do this: put her own finger in the baby's mouth and watch how he reacts. A baby who is he althy will immediately take it and suck it. A child who is injured or premature will not make such movements.

Helpful advice. If a mother finds that her baby does not have a sucking reflex, you should immediately seek the advice of a doctor - a pediatric neurologist or neuropathologist. This is precisely his field of activity.

Medical help needed

If parents notice even the slightest deviation in the state of their child, you should immediately contact the doctor. Because this may be a signal that a serious pathology is developing, therefore, immediate treatment is necessary. A decrease in the sucking reflex will require monitoring in dynamics, involving a specialist doctor - a neurologist.

The first symptom of CNS damage is the absence of such a reflex. To be more precise, this means that damage is in the stem part of the medulla oblongata, and this, according to forecasts, is a very unfavorable sign. Such children have very little chance of surviving, and they only eat through a tube.

The reasons for the complete lack of sucking in babies include:

• profound prematurity;
• weak chewing muscles,weak circular muscles of the mouth and tongue;
• medulla oblongata traumatized during childbirth.

In any case, consultation with a specialist and subsequent treatment is really necessary. After all, even if the consequences cannot be completely removed, they can at least be minimized. And this gives the baby and his parents at least a little, but still hope, which is already important in such a situation.

On the peculiarities of the reflex in premature babies

These kids have a lot of he alth problems. Therefore, the features of nursing and development are slightly different. For example, sucking and swallowing reflexes in premature babies are absent, especially if the body weight is less than one and a half kilograms, while many organs are underdeveloped, their volume is small, breathing is difficult, thermoregulation is impaired, and so on. And here the question is no longer raised about age restrictions regarding the sucking reflex. Until what age the baby will suckle the breast or use the nipple, in this case it is not so critical. The first priority is to save his life.

Inferiority of reflexes is due to the fact that the mechanisms of nervous regulation are not sufficiently developed, and the sucking muscles are not fully formed. It is impossible to apply such baby babies immediately to the breast, but it is also impossible to make a large gap between birth and attachment so that the body weight does not decrease even more.

The doctor can give a long delay if there is a suspicion of a cerebral hemorrhage or the child has a serious injury. If the baby is not applied to the breast for more than half a day after birth, doctors will transferit to parenteral nutrition with glucose solution. Premature babies are fed through a probe, if sucking or swallowing has significantly decreased, while using a special syringe, the volume of feedings will be dosed. Once your baby has a good reflex, you can start bottle feeding.

About whether it is possible to breastfeed a toddler, the question will be decided by doctors separately for each of the little patients. This takes into account the state and stability of reflex signs. As a rule, start one or two times a day. If the baby gets tired at the same time, he will be fed from a bottle. In total, these babies are fed about ten times a day. It is important here not to form events and nursing premature babies will be successful.

Of course, the process can be quite lengthy, but if doctors and mothers of babies are very competent, these children may well catch up with their peers by the end of the first (maximum - third) year of life.

From the foregoing, we can conclude that it is the sucking reflex that is one of the most important congenital ones that nature has awarded a person in order to provide him with the most comfortable conditions for survival and development later. If he is absent, this is a terrible misfortune that is incompatible with life. Its decrease is a signal that the child has a very serious neurological problem. You need to start looking for it and then immediately eliminate it in all possible and accessible ways, be sure to involve not only neuropathologists, but also other specialists who can help in solving this problem.problems.

Word to the doctor

Many parents are interested in the sucking reflex - up to what age? Komarovsky Eugene, a well-known pediatrician, claims that such a reflex is really quite important for every baby. And you can satisfy him with a pacifier: it is much better for the child than sucking a finger. All newborns have such an unsatisfied sucking reflex. It passes at a certain age.

Babies don't just suck their fingers because they feel like it or they're bored. It is an instinct that is useless to fight. And if mom makes a choice between a finger and a nipple, the nipple will be the best option. It will calm and lull the baby, develop facial muscles, stimulate intestinal motility, satisfy the sucking reflex.

So when does the sucking reflex disappear? Regarding age, Komarovsky says that in some children the sucking reflex is stable and strong from birth, while in others it is weaker. Therefore, these, second, babies will quickly spit out the pacifier, which they are no longer interested in. Children with a persistent reflex may require it even up to three years. So the doctor does not build a strict framework about the sucking reflex. Up to what age are pacifiers and bottles acceptable? The pediatrician replies that the final extinction of the reflex occurs between the ages of three and four.