Why Reflexes Matter: Baby’s First Steps in Brain Development
Every little movement your baby makes—before and after birth—is helping build their brain.
From early in pregnancy, your baby begins developing reflexes that lay the groundwork for their nervous system and brain development. By the third week, the brain and spinal cord are already forming, and with them, automatic movements called primitive reflexes begin to emerge.
These reflexes aren’t random. They’re wired into the nervous system and serve important roles—helping babies adjust to life outside the womb and building connections in the brain that support everything from coordination and posture to reading and emotional regulation.
Even birth itself plays a key role in brain development. The movements your baby makes during labor—like tucking their chin, rotating, extending, and turning—help activate their reflexes and stimulate the nervous system. These movements, called the cardinal movements of labor, are nature’s way of preparing baby for the outside world.
Here are a few key reflexes and how they show up during birth:
Moro Reflex: Triggered by sudden changes in position or noise. It’s activated during labor and helps baby take their first breath and connect with caregivers.
ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex): Helps baby rotate through the birth canal and later supports eye tracking, coordination, and writing skills.
Rooting Reflex: Helps baby find the breast for feeding and is also activated during the descent through the birth canal.
Palmar Grasp: That sweet hand-hold reflex also helps baby move during birth and plays a role in later fine motor skills.
Spinal Galant Reflex: Supports crawling, posture, and bladder control. It also helps baby rotate and descend during labor.
These reflexes are part of how your baby’s brain and body develop in sync—and they’re one of the earliest ways your baby communicates with you. Movement is their first language.
When birth goes smoothly, these reflexes are activated in the right order and can integrate naturally. But long labors, interventions, or tight positioning can interrupt these patterns and create tension in the nervous system. That’s where pediatric chiropractic comes in.
Gentle chiropractic adjustments help support the nervous system, improve movement, and allow reflexes to integrate properly. This supports better coordination, sensory processing, and milestone progression—from latching and rolling to crawling and walking.
If you’re pregnant, Webster-certified prenatal chiropractic care can help balance the pelvis, giving your baby more room to move and reducing stress during birth. A balanced pelvis can lead to an easier delivery and healthier reflex activation.
Even if your birth didn’t go exactly as planned, there’s still so much you can do. Skin-to-skin, babywearing, the breast crawl—all of these support brain and nervous system development through natural movement and connection.
And when in doubt—snuggle that baby. You’re already doing more than you know.
