Having a precious little baby? The first moments of life are the most precious. So, of course, parents want to hire a newborn photographer to save every beautiful memory! But, before you hire the first, cheapest or the closest Rhode Island Photographer, it’s essential to do your research. After all, they’ll be holding your most precious cargo! Their dedication to newborn photography safety should also be considered. Did you know there are 4 reflexes unique to newborns that stand out as important for us as photographers? Let's see what they are:

The Rooting Reflex

The newborn's rooting reflex, present at birth, helps them find their way to the nipple for feeding. Newborns' feeding is "on demand," and during sessions, we inquire about the last feed to accurately time when to return the newborn to the parent, ensuring their fundamental needs are met without starvation risks. Our focus is to be attentive to the cues of the rooting reflex, ensuring that we meet your newborn's essential needs without any risk of hunger.

The Palmar Grasp

Have you noticed your newborn has a firm grip? This is the palmar grasp. The palmar grasp reflex occurs when stimulus is applied to the baby’s palm, causing them to ball the hand into a fist with thumb tucked in centrally. This reflex can result in difficult to manage hands and potentially pinched or scratched cheeks should the newborn get hold of their face. As professional photographers we try to avoid allowing their hands to grasp their face when awake. Parents can prevent this as well by employing the use of newborn mitts or socks to cover their hands and sharp nails to avoid such injuries.

The Moro Reflex

The moro reflex is also commonly known as the startle reflex and is often the reflex of which we are most photographers aware. This reflex results in rapid “throwing out” of the arms and legs with a slight jerking back of the head into an extended position followed by the retrieval of the limbs back into a flexed or fetal position. The reflex can be dangerous when newborns are posed unswaddled within props with hard edges. Hence, to protect your newborn we avoid loud noises, a common stimulus that can cause this reflex. When we enter a home and during a newborn session, we whisper and talk in calming voices in order to protect your newborn from startles.

The Gallant Reflex

The gallant reflex, the fourth important reflex, occurs when a newborn is face down and held midair while being stroked along one side of their spine, causing them to automatically curve towards the stimulus. This reflex is vital for professional photographers during parent posing, as it poses a risk of the newborn potentially falling off the balancing arm if stimulated by a piece of hair, a collar, or other factors.

An Experienced Newborn Photographer in Rhode Island

Our goal in any newborn session is safety first. We take pride that we have taken multiple safety courses and been proven a qualified newborn photographer. If you’re looking for a newborn photographer with a proven safety record, we’d love to answer any questions you might have. Send us a message today to schedule a free consultation!

External Resources:

For Parents – Newborn Safety | APNPI