Comforting Your Crying Newborn
Comforting Your Crying NewbornCrying is your baby’s way of communicating to you. Crying may indicate that your newborn is hungry, tired,over excited, frustrated, wet, too warm, or cold, lonely, or sick. Answer your crying baby and try to determinewhat’s wrong.“You’re so upset. Oh, you’re so upset.”Babies like to be touched and held so cuddle with your baby or use a sling to help your baby feel secure.Another thing that can make your baby feel more secure and safe is swaddling. Wrapping or swaddlingsurrounds your newborn with a warm, soft surface. It helps the baby sleep, keeps away drafts, and holds yourbaby securely. When you were pregnant, your baby was comforted by your movements, heartbeat, voice, andthe other sounds of life. Now movements like rocking or swinging can help calm crying and so can rhythmictones such as shushing.“Shh, shh, shhh, shhh. Shh, shhh, shhh.”Soft music, a recorded heartbeat, or a fan. Many babies fall asleep while they’re in motion. So, you may wantto take your baby for a relaxing walk outside, or for a ride in the car. This can be beneficial, but you don’t wantto get your baby in the habit of needing to go for a drive to calm down or to go to sleep.But when a baby cannot be comforted, colic may be the reason. Colic is a term used to describe extremefussiness and crying that usually occurs at the same time each day. No one knows for sure what causes colic.It usually begins two weeks after birth and disappears after three to four months. If your baby is very fussy, anddifficult to comfort, call your baby’s healthcare provider. While the frustrations of comforting a newborn can beintense at times, it’s important to find ways to cope. Keep in mind that shaking your baby can cause permanentdamage and even death.When you need to, take a break from your child, and have someone else like a relative or friend take over for awhile. But talk with your pediatrician for more suggestions on how to deal with colic. Your baby needs all thelove and attention you can share, so try different calming techniques, and eventually you’ll learn your child’sfavorite and most effective ways to relax. Remember, you can’t spoil your newborn with too much hugging,cuddling, snuggling and love.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.VER59037B EN ComfortingYourCryingNewborn.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
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