BABIES AND CRYING

I remember when our first baby was born 22 years ago.  He cried and cried. I tried to recall what the books said about a mother learning what each cry meant – whether the baby was hungry, tired or uncomfortable … I looked helplessly at my Mum and said “What does he want? What's he crying for?” Babies do cry because that is how they communicate!

In our situation it is only hindsight that tells me why our baby cried so much – colic was one thing – that was evident in the expression on his face and the way he brought his knees up in the front. Poor little man.

Babies cry because they need something, and figuring out exactly what the baby needs isn't always straight-forward with some babies! Older, more experienced Mums, or midwives etc might have a clue when they look at your baby whether they are hungry, overtired, uncomfortable or in pain - but you will need to learn what your baby wants, and this takes time and observation.

A crying baby can REALLY wear a person down! Please seek help if you are getting overtired, confused and overwhelmed. Raising a baby is VERY HARD for just one person – seek help from someone who cares and that you can trust.

If you've been given advice to leave your baby to cry to go to sleep, and you're happy with that then it's your business how you raise your baby – BUT if you are uncomfortable with that advice please don't leave your baby to cry himself to sleep. Also please note that there's a difference between a little bit of a cry/complain/grizzle/overtired whine and a cry that turns into a screaming, frantic little baby who feels that nobody will come to rescue him.

If your little baby is often unhappy, crying, fretful, screaming - and you just "feel" that something is wrong - then you may want to consider taking him or her to an osteopath or a cranial sacral physiotherapist. Ask around for referrals from friends or your midwife - don't just pick someone out of the phone book! This is your precious baby you are entrusting to their hands for adjustment. Being born is a pretty tough thing to go through for a baby, and often things get out of alignment. Babies can have headaches, sore ribs ... many things which can be adjusted. 

Our newest baby is now 13 months old, he still cries at night - he might be hungry, have a tummy ache, find it hard going back to sleep ... I don't know.  But I do know that I will attend to him.  No matter how tired I am, I will keep attending to him till I can't wake up any longer!

This is just the way I have chosen, and I wanted to share it in case some new mums out there arn't hearing this side of the story!