Newborn babies can be a handful, especially for first time parents. Here are 5 things to keep in mind while caring for your infant
Parenting isn’t easy. It can drive your nuts. Post natal-depression is one of the most common and difficult form of mental stress. The biggest among all worries for new parents – “Why my baby is crying” – and while you can try to soothe the baby and calm him/her in various ways, there is just no way you can totally avoid it.
You’ve gone through pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and now you’re ready to go home and begin life with your baby. Once home, though, you might feel like you have no idea what you’re doing!
These tips can help even the most nervous first-time parents feel confident about caring for a newborn in no time.
Getting Help After the Birth
Consider getting help during this time, which can be very hectic and overwhelming. While in the hospital, talk to the experts around you. Many hospitals have feeding specialists or lactation consultants who can help you get started nursing or bottle-feeding. Nurses also are a great resource to show you how to hold, burp, change, and care for your baby.For in-home help, you might want to hire a baby nurse, postpartum Douala, or a responsible neighborhood teen to help you for a short time after the birth. Your doctor or the hospital can help you find information about in-home help, and might make a referral to home health agencies.
Relatives and friends often want to help too. Even if you disagree on certain things, don’t dismiss their experience. But if you don’t feel up to having guests or you have other concerns, don’t feel guilty about placing restrictions on visitors.
Handling a Newborn
If you haven’t spent a lot of time around newborns, their fragility may be intimidating. Here are a few basics to remember:
- Wash your hands (or use a hand sanitizer) before handling your baby. Newborns don’t have a strong immune system yet, so they’re at risk for infection. Make sure that everyone who handles your baby has clean hands.
- Support your baby’s head and neck. Cradle the head when carrying your baby and support the head when carrying the baby upright or when you lay your baby down.
- Never shake your newborn, whether in play or in frustration. Shaking can cause bleeding in the brain and even death. If you need to wake your infant, don’t do it by shaking — instead, tickle your baby’s feet or blow gently on a cheek.
- Make sure your baby is securely fastened into the carrier, stroller, or car seat. Limit any activity that could be too rough or bouncy.
- Remember that your newborn is not ready for rough play, such as being jiggled on the knee or thrown in the air.
“What the younger generation didn’t understand was that the grass was greenest where it’s watered..”
Bonding and Soothing
Bonding, probably one of the most pleasurable parts of infant care, happens during the sensitive time in the first hours and days after birth when parents make a deep connection with their infant. Physical closeness can promote an emotional connection.
For infants, the attachment contributes to their emotional growth, which also affects their development in other areas, such as physical growth. Another way to think of bonding is “falling in love” with your baby. Children thrive from having a parent or other adult in their life who loves them unconditionally.Begin bonding by cradling your baby and gently stroking him or her in different patterns. Both you and your partner can also take the opportunity to be “skin-to-skin,” holding your newborn against your own skin while feeding or cradling.
Babies usually love vocal sounds, such as talking, babbling, singing, and cooing. Your baby will probably also love listening to music. Baby rattles and musical mobiles are other good ways to stimulate your infant’s hearing. If your little one is being fussy, try singing, reciting poetry and nursery rhymes, or reading aloud as you sway or rock your baby gently in a chair.
Some babies can be unusually sensitive to touch, light, or sound, and might startle and cry easily, sleep less than expected, or turn their faces away when someone speaks or sings to them. If that’s the case with your baby, keep noise and light levels low to moderate.
Swaddling, which works well for some babies during their first few weeks, is another soothing technique first-time parents should learn. Proper swaddling keeps a baby’s arms close to the body while allowing for some movement of the legs. Not only does swaddling keep a baby warm, but it seems to give most newborns a sense of security and comfort. Swaddling also may help limit the startle reflex, which can wake a baby.
As per experts – from leading paediatricians to nannies to mothers – the following are the most likely reasons –
1. Hunger
This is the first reason which you need to look into. Ensure that the baby has had its share of milk. Some signs to watch for in newborns: getting fussy, smacking of lips, rooting (a newborn reflex that causes babies to turn their head toward your hand when you stroke their cheek), and putting their hands to their mouth.
2. Needs Sleep
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As adults, we may feel that babies are lucky to be able to sleep whenever they want, sometimes unto 17 hrs a day. In reality it is not so easy for babies. They may be woken up regularly for feeding, by noises around them, so sometimes they feel too tired to sleep and get restless.
3. Gastric / stomach problem
If the baby continues to cry for over 20 mins or so, Once you are sure that the baby has been fed properly and you have tried to rock the baby to sleep. The next most important cause could be there is some gas formation or gastric trouble in the stomach, some pain in the abdominal area after feeding. The best solution is to partake some standard over the counter medicines popularly available like Colic Aid.
4. Needs to be held
Babies, especially really young ones, need a lot of cuddling and love. They had existed for the past 9 months in their secure mothers womb and feel a bit exposed when outside. Nature has gifted them ways to identify their mother through touch, smell and heartbeat. Crying may be their way of asking for attention from their mother. Also note that there are special techniques for holding and soothing the baby.
5. Teething
Depending on the age of the , he or she may have started teething. This a a slightly painful process for young babies when each tooth grows and forms into a hard structure. You can check this by running your fingers over the smooth baby gums, you will notice some hard teeth like structures taking shape. Generally teething happens from 4-7 months of age, but it can start earlier. You can also use teethers available in the market – soft baubles which babies can chew on – and give comfort to the baby.
6. Feeling Hot / Cold
Anyone who has seen the movie “shaadi ke side effects” will recognise the scene – where it is impossible for Farhan Akhthar to tell if the baby is crying as it is feeling cold or feeling hot – but Vidya Balan is instantly able to tell and comforts the baby. Though in real life it may not be so instinctive for mothers, it helps to keep a track of the average temperature of the room when baby is sleeping peacefully and try to continue the same as much as possible.
What do parents do if the new born babies continues to cry
Full stomach? Check. No gas? check. Fever-free? Check.
So why is your baby crying? New born babies have their own good reasons. But even the wisest parents can’t read their babies’ mind – and babies don’t have the words to tell us what’s wrong. So be patient and continue to check for above signs. 9 out of 10 cases babies will stop crying and fall asleep. If the crying continues, there may be some illness and need to consult a doctor. These days we have access to online platforms where we can get answers from qualified doctors at any time of the day.
Though the time during which the baby cries can make you lose your wits, its important to stay calm and be patient, and you will be rewarded with that adorable smile soon.
If you are unable to handle the pressure and stress during such episodes, you should speak to a parenting counsellor / emotional counsellor / psychologist who can support you to develop the mental fortitude to develop your skills and help you enjoy one of the greatest phases of your new life as a mother.
CHILD IS THE FATHER OF MAN
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