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Children's Health
Crying
Your
baby is bound to cry a great deal throughout his first year. Crying is baby's
only means of communicating
his needs especially during early days. The crying bouts are bound to lessen as
they age, after around three months.
The normal infant cries
an average of 2 1/4 hours each day during the first 4 weeks. This peaks around
5 weeks at 2 3/4 hours each day and slowly declines until about 10-12 weeks. After
3 months, crying becomes more deliberate, purposeful and much less often.
There
are many reasons that your baby might be crying. They cry when they have to burp
or are wet, soiled, tired, hungry, sleepy, hot or cold, bored with his surroundings
or is ill, or just lonely. If you have tried feeding and cuddling and the soothing
tactics that usually work, all without success, there may be some other reason.
The baby may be having colic, if he cries inconsolably and regularly for 2-3 hours
at about the same time each day, usually the late afternoon or evening. Colic
may appear at about three weeks and continue until about 3- 3 1/2 months. Although
this crying can occur at any time, it usually worsens in the evening. If
it is colic try to cope with it , without resorting to medications unnecessarily.
Whatever
the reason, respond to his crying immediately. As time goes by, you'll learn
what your baby's crying means. If feeding cues accompany crying, it's usually
a sign of hunger. If your baby's crying sounds are different from normal
it may be because of some illness or colic.
Remember to call your doctor if your
baby shows any symptoms that are unusual for him. Furnish the doctor with details
of babies routine- when he cries, eats and sleeps, as well as the pattern of bowel
movements so that he could make a proper diagnosis.
Feeding
is the most effective way to soothe a crying baby. If you are bottle- feeding
try giving some water also. If that doesn't calm her down, there are many things
you can do. Try holding your baby over your shoulder, or place your baby on his
or her stomach across your knees or arms. Rituals such as rocking your baby back
and forth in your arms or rubbing her back or stomach rhythmically or patting
her legs rhythmically, swaddling your baby in a blanket, distracting her with
some noise or with bright colourful objects etc often work to soothe your baby.
You can also consider using a pacifier. But if breastfeeding, it is better to
avoid the use of a pacifier until breastfeeding is well established at three to
four weeks.
Some true and tried methods of consoling a crying
baby are given below:
New Positions
Hold your baby high over your
shoulder so his stomach is being pressed into your shoulder bone. -
Hold
your baby facedown over your forearm with his head at your elbow and your thumb
and fingers wrapped around his thigh.
-
Hold your baby
seated in your hand with his back to your chest and your other hand across his
chest, wrapping your thumb and fingers around his upper arm.
-
Cradle
your baby in your arms, holding him tummy-to-tummy tightly against you.
Rhythmic
Motion
Walking
around -
Rocking vertically in your arms.
-
Swaying side to side or back and forth while standing up.
-
Rocking back and forth in a comfortable rocking chair or put
her in her carrier and push it back and forth.
Warmth
Swaddle your
baby tightly in a quilt or blanket.
-
Hold your
baby close to you so she can receive your warmth.
-
Put
a heating pad in your baby's sleep area to warm the sheets before putting her
down. Take out the heating pad and check the temperature of the sheets to be sure
they're comfortably warm.
-
Lay your baby facedown
over a wrapped hot-water bottle on your lap.
Soothing
Sounds
Speak
reassuring words in a soft, low voice. -
Hum and sing
familiar songs you enjoy.
-
Make a tape recording of
a dishwasher, washing machine, vacuum cleaner or clothes dryer to let your baby
hear repeated swooshing sounds. A fan or humidifier in the baby's room can sometimes
do the trick, as can a radio tuned to the static between stations.
-
Play
classical, new age, soft rock or soft jazz music.
Touch
Firmly but gently massage your
baby's back from the neck down to his bottom. -
Firmly
pat or rub your baby on his back and bottom. In a warm room, lay your baby on
a firm surface and gently massage his tummy with clockwise strokes. If you think
his discomfort may be resulting from gas, this can help move down the gas. Then
gently press his knees into his abdomen to push out the gas.
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