Conference moira::parenting

    Yep! Pretty fascinating. My Mom hardly ever used a thermometer when we
    were growing up. She used to kiss us on the forehead to see if we have
    a fever. I have used the same method on my kids (ages 5 and 2) to tell
    if they have a temp. Even a temp of 99 can be detected.
    
    Shaila

    Well, I must be a pretty rotten mother ;^), but I can assure you that
    there was no way that I ever could have recognized my baby by touch.  
    
    Quite honestly, the first time I went into the hospital nursery to get 
    my little guy, I walked right past him!  He looked like he had too much 
    hair, especially since most of the time previous to that (only a couple
    of hours), he had been wearing the little headwarming cap.  I immediately
    realized the error of my ways, but it took a second.
    
    Leslie

    Leslie,
    
    the key is touch, not visual.  They have done studies where a mother is
    allowed to see her infant, but 2 hours later can't recognize a picture
    of the same baby.  However if they touch and smell the baby, moms can
    pick out their own babies t-shirt from a number of others.  
    
    Meg

    I never tried, but I am sure if I had closed my eyes and let my nose 
    guide me, I would have been able to pick my children out.  Even today, when
    they are both using a the same color na-night (blanket), I know which one 
    belongs to Shannon, and which one is Courtney's.  Shannon appears to know 
    hers by smelling it too!  Funny thing is, their laudry is done
    together.
    
    

>    the key is touch, not visual.  They have done studies where a mother is
>    allowed to see her infant, but 2 hours later can't recognize a picture
>    of the same baby.  However if they touch and smell the baby, moms can
>    pick out their own babies t-shirt from a number of others.  
    
    Meg,
    
    Thanks for clarifying that.  I must admit that I'm still skeptical
    that I would pass this "test," but find it fascinating.
    
    Leslie
    

    The first or second night I was in the hospital, they were taking the
    babies to the moms for nursing.  I was *quite* sure I heard Alex,
    though I was very skeptical about this oft-touted sensitivity/
    recognition of the very-new baby's voice by the mom; minutes passed, and 
    I had concluded that I was the all-time lowlife Rotten Mom... when they 
    brought Alex in.  I *had* heard her; they'd just parked her in the hall
    and delivered everybody else's babies first!
    
    My fever-lips are also right on target ;-*
    
    Leslie

I remember watching a special on Discovery channel, I believe.
A study was done in Israel comparing identification of newborns by
birth mothers compared with nurses who fed the babies.  The nurses
were much more accurate with identifying babies based on sight.
The mothers failed the sight-id at something like 70% in the first
two days.  However, the mothers' ability to recognize their babies
by scent was some astounding number ... I'm guessing 70% or so?

The mothers' ability to do a sight-id improved greatly within
3 or 4 days.  The study speculated that it might be fatigue from
delivery, impared ability to concentrate, or something related to
hormones.

    
    How about hearing?
    
    Rebecca was put in a side nursery with the other section babies, while
    the mothers were tended in the recovery ward. There were 5 of us in
    this ward. At 5am, I heard a cry and asked the nurse to bring my
    daughter to me so I could nurse her - sure enough, it was Rebecca who
    wanted an early breakfast. She was almost 18 hours old at that point
    and we'd only been apart for about 4 hours. 
    
    Of course it's a well know fact of zoology that seals recognise their
    pups by their cries :-)
    
                      seals
    

    I know that within hours I could identify Sarah's cry.  Even though she
    had the most distinctive cry I've ever heard, she squeaked in between
    while catching her breath, I knew it was her before I even heard the
    squeak.
    
    I remember the first night I was sleeping in the hospital bed at the
    opposite end from the nursery, all at once I woke up because I heard the
    faint cry of a baby being wheeled down the hall (still far enough away
    that the cry didn't have a distinct sound).  I just knew that it was
    Sarah.  Sure enough as the baby got closer I could hear the squeak and
    it was her.
    
    Susan

I could pass the sight test once she had her little hat off.



But I had an "unfair" advantage -- Noelle had a scab on her head from Mom's
unsuccessful but vigorous pushing.

- Deb

    Yep, me too, they took Cassandra away for a shot and later I thought
    I heard her loud cry and lenghty one at that, but I figured if it 
    really was her they'd bring her back or get me.
    
    Sure enough after time passed I went to see, she was quiet then and I
    thought I was imagining it, but the nurse said she was just going to
    call me since she couldn't calm her down until just a minute ago...
    guess they had to watch her for awhile for reaction to shot...
    
    I had heard her, and now that I remember was automatically upset
    hearing her loud protest, should have trusted my instincts and gone
    down there!
    
    Cynthia
    

    Aside from the fact that Sarah had the most distinctive cry, she
    squeaked when she breathed in, I knew even before hearing the squeak 
    that it was her.
    
    The first night in the hospital I was sleeping and woke up suddenly.  I
    was sure that I could hear her crying, sure enough, I listened and as
    she got closer I could hear "the squeak".
    
    Susan

    I don't know too much about "way back then" but even now at the ripe
    old age of 7, I am so much in sync with AJ that he and I are almost on
    the same sleep schedule.  
    
    We had this past weekend of three days.  All three days I would wake up
    rather suddenly, all at different times, but would recognize that he
    was just stumbling out of his room, or as I was just coming into full
    awakening I would hear the "water" running as he took his first morning
    bathroom time.  Funny too is that the cats seem to stir and become
    restless when they sense he is up.
    
    I have had this way of waking up with him, even from infant times. 
    When he was much smaller, I would put him down for an afternoon nap,
    and lay down as well.  I would suddenly find myself awake, and aware
    that he too was just begining to stir.  This even happened in the
    middle of the night when he was newborn.
    
    Because of his needing NICU care from birth, I never had the priviledge
    to hear his cry until he was almost a week old. (tubes in so many
    places!)
    
    Lyn

    
    
    
    	This topic was interesting to me, cause even as a Dad, right away
    	I could pick out my kids from sight, sound and smell.. Honestly!
    
    
    		Bill