Newborn babies' brain responses to being touched on the face measured for the first time. A newborn baby's brain responds to being touched on the face, according to new research. Babies use this sense of touch -- facial somatosensation -- to find and latch onto their mother's nipple, and should have this ability from birth. Premature babies often have difficulty feeding, and underdevelopment of their facial sensitivity may be one of the main causes. Source 3c.