A first-time mother was left gobsmacked when her newborn baby started lifting her head and attempting to crawl just three days after being born.
Samantha Mitchell, from White Oak, Pennsylvania, and her own mother captured the incredible moment on camera while little Nyilah Daise Tzabari was lying on her stomach in the hospital cot.
The little one can be seen wriggling around, making noises and lifting her head for a few seconds while looking around.
In a video shared to TikTok, Samantha can be heard asking her mother: ‘Is that even normal?’ and she responded: ‘No, she’s three days old.’
‘Mum, she’s crawling! How is that even normal? What the heck!’, Samantha said, and her shocked mother added: ‘God, she should not be this strong already.’
Samantha, 34, said she rushed to film the astonishing event as she knew her friends and family wouldn’t believe her and was amazed when her daughter attempted to crawl for a whole minute.
The-mother-of-one recorded the video in hospital two-and-a-half days after her daughter was born.
In the clip, a tiny Nyilah Daise dressed in a nappy can be seen putting her arms out in front of her to support her body and crawling whilst lifting her head.
Samantha’s mother, who was sitting in the hospital room with her at the time, can be heard shouting in amazement at her talented granddaughter.
Now at three months old, Samantha said her daughter is already standing with support and said it won’t be long until her daughter starts walking.
The proud mother said she feels like she’s ‘never had a newborn’ and is in shock every day at the strength of her baby girl.
Samantha said: ‘[The video shows] the first time I saw her crawl and I was in complete shock. I’ve babysat most of my life and have over 20 years’ experience with children and I’ve never seen anything like this before.
‘I guess I’ve never been around many babies at three days old so there are a lot of nuisances in it but I have never seen a baby like this ever. The way she lifted her head too and was babbling left me in complete shock.
Video: Newborn baby is three days old but behaving like a three month old
Samantha said: ‘She was about 18 days old when she rolled from her belly to her back and at around two months old, she was rolling from her back to her belly.
‘She is already scooting around on her belly. I don’t have to support her head anymore and she is so strong in her neck. I’m shocked everyday by her. She tries to push herself out of her little chair and bouncer when we put her in it too.
‘She is a very alert baby and has been since she was born. From day one her strength was very shocking to us. Around one-and-a-half-months old, she seemed to begin to imitate what we were saying to her.
‘We always say I love you to her and she seemed to be trying to repeat it to us and trying to say it. We couldn’t believe it. It is more like babbling but she is definitely trying to copy us.
‘If she makes a noise and we laugh, she will keep making the noise because she knows we’ll react. She’s a very clever baby.’
Samantha’s fiancé Ofer Tzabari, 28, at first thought Nyilah’s actions were normal newborn behaviour until people began to comment on her early development.
Ofer said: ‘For me it was the first time I’ve been with a newborn and I thought her actions were normal until people began to tell me they weren’t.
‘I thought this was how babies were but actually her actions aren’t average for a baby of her age. She is such a smiley, happy baby and laughs all the time.
‘The second you smile at her; she starts smiling and laughing back at us. She is such a happy baby and I hope her videos make everyone happy.’
The couple decided to share their daughter’s talents on social media and since posting the video to TikTok, Nyilah Daise’s crawling antics have received more than 47million views and six million likes.
Social media users were left in awe of the baby’s very early talent. One user said: ‘This baby is going to be carrying you home instead.’
Another commented: ‘Umm, I’m due in six days and if my baby comes out doing this she’s staying in hospital.’
A third TikTok user said: ‘I swear babies that come out nowadays are just a different breed.’ Another said: ‘Babies born after 2020 are genuinely built different.’
According to The Bump, infants are unable to hold their heads up at all and their neck needs to be supported, but ‘tummy time’ is recommended.
The 30-second video caught the attention of the masses after it was shared on TikTok with the caption: ‘I still can’t believe this happened.’
Samantha also added text over the clip that read: ‘POV your daughter is three days old, and is lifting her head, crawling and talking.’
Some social media users provided an explanation, stating the baby was hungry and looking for a food source. ‘It’s the reflex – looking for food,’ one wrote.
Another suggested it was the baby crawl reflex, saying: ‘It’s there for the first six weeks and then goes away. It is a special adaptation that allows a baby to crawl to feed.’
Samantha has since shared follow-up videos at home with the baby, claiming at just 18 days old she rolled over for the first time. And at three weeks old, Nyilah was seen ‘trying to get up’ while lying on her mother’s legs.
Is it normal for newborns to lift their head?
In the first month of life, infants are unable to hold their heads up at all.
They need to be cradled and have some sort of neck support for feeding, burping and while being held.
Despite this, it is recommended that you start doing ‘tummy time’ for your infant as early as two weeks old.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says ‘doing this regularly will help strengthen the muscles in baby’s neck.’
Source: thebump.com
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