Palmar grasp behavior in full-term newborns in the first 72 hours of life

•Variability of palmar grasp behavior in the first 3 days of extra uterine life•The influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors in palmar grasp behavior•Differences in palmar grasp strength between genders in the first 3 days of life

BackgroundThe palmar grasp behavior is one of the items of an infant's routine neurological tests. Its exacerbated presence after the fifth month of age or absence in the first day after birth is an important sign of neuro-sensorimotor disorders. This study aimed to describe the palmar grasp behavior of full-term newborns in the first 72 h of life.MethodsThis nonrandomized cross-sectional developmental study included 219 typical newborns aged 12-24 h, 25-48 h and 49-72 h. Three measurements were performed with newborns in the supine position, recording the palmar grasp time and strength. Statistical analysis was applied with significant level of p < 0.05.ResultsHigher palmar grasp strength was observed in newborns aged 49-72 h compared to newborns aged 12-24 h and 25-48 h (F = 7.42, p = 0.01). There was significant difference in palmar grasp strength between hands (F = 6.55, p = 0.01), only in 12-24 h, with greater strength in the left hand (t = − 2.43, p = 0.01), and difference in palmar grasp between strength (F = 18.7, p = 0.01) with greater strength in females (t = − 5.40, p = 0.01) only at the age 48-72 h.ConclusionsIt was concluded that the palmar grasp behavior modifies in the first 72 h of life.