Touch is first sense to emerge and happens as early as 7 ½ weeks in utero, when your baby first touch his lips and nose, and quickly extends to touching the uterine wall and the rest of his body. Touch is a critical survival sense, as it not only enables a baby to suck, swallow, and cough at birth, but also to take in amniotic fluid while in the womb.
After your baby is born, touch helps him to relax and create a strong attachment to you. As he grows, he will feel objects around him and the feedback of the floor beneath him as he begins roll over and starts crawling. Researchers have discovered that the sense of touch even plays a role in language: Pointing and touching words while looking at books helps your baby to recognize words faster. So do not be afraid for your baby to explore his surroundings with his hands.
A sensitivity to touch can be due to sensory processing disorders, emotional and mental health issues, and physical conditions.
A Craniosacral Therapy session right after birth can help with the regulation of baby's reticular formation; a mass of nerve cells and fibers situated primarily in the brain stem that plays an important role in controlling autonomic functions (such as respiration), reflexive movement, posture and balance, and consciousness and the sleep-wake cycle.
