Sooth your baby's Crying.

When you are a new mom, your baby’s crying can make you feel more helpless than anything else. Knowing why newborn babies cry and what to do will make those early days a lot easier.

Newborn babies cry for a reason: It’s the only way they know how to communicate their needs. Try not to take it personally, or allow yourself to get into a state. Your baby is very perceptive and can pick up on your mood and anxieties. The more upset you get, the more she will pick up on it and the harder it will be to sooth her.

The best thing to do is take a big breath, then read her signs and look for possible reasons she
could be crying.

COMMON CAUSES OF CRYING:

Hunger: This is the most common cause, and the cure is milk. A tiny baby can’t wait for a feed – if she is hungry, she wants it NOW! Bathing or changing her when she is hungry will annoy her and she may work herself up into such a state that she is unable to suck.

Pain: Wind is often a culprit. Practise your burping skills. A newborn has delicate skin and playing pass-the-baby can make her sore and uncomfortable. A bath that’s a little too hot or a nappy that’s a bit too tight might elicit heartbreaking cries.

Over-stimulation, shock or fear: Loud noises, bright lights, excessive tickling and bouncing and being handled from person to person are too much for a new baby. Keep things quiet and calm and she will probably be calmer too.

Tired: Moving from a sleeping state to sound sleep can be difficult for small babies. An over-tired baby may become overactive. Keep your home as calm as you can to encourage adequate sleep. But make sure you differentiate between night and day. Trying to "cheer up" or distract a tired and over stimulated baby will only make things worse.

Getting undressed: New parents may assume it’s their own bumbling that makes babies cry when being changed, but many babies simply don’t like the cold. They are not used to having their naked bodies out in the open. She should stop crying when she is warm and dressed.

Sleep twitches: Many babies wake themselves up with their own jerky movements, which makes them cry. Swaddling her in a blanket reminds her of the womb and will keep her settle in.

Need for comfort: Wanting to be held most of the time is a normal need for your baby. Cuddling her will often stop the crying. Keeping her in a sling or pouch is the most efficient way dealing with this as your hands will be free to get on with other things. Efficient wrapping or swaddling is soothing to some babies. The idea is to wrap her up snugly so that she moves as one complete bundle.

Other solutions that might help:
Helping your baby when she is in a state often comes down to a process of elimination. Here are some things to try:

First respond to your baby’s specific needs. If she is hungry or exhausted, rocking or massaging her will just make things worse.

Music: Music that has a calming effect on you will also calm your baby.
You will visibly notice your baby relax and it works a treat for older children who are squabbling or irritable. Well-known lullabies, classical music and nursery rhymes all do the trick.

Singing: Your baby loves the sound of your voice, even if you can’t hold a tune. Moms and dads inevitably make eye contact with their small audience mesmerising them into happiness too.

Movement: Whether it’s taking your baby for a walk in a stroller, or a drive in the car, movement is an old-age trick for soothing a fractious baby. Baby carriers can work wonders here, or try a novel approach and dance with or rock your baby for the ideal combination of touch and movement.

Water: Warm water induces rest in many people and is well worth trying it if your baby is restless. Bath with your baby as this is a great way to sooth and bond at the same time. You might even want to breastfeed in the bath.

Sucking: Allow your baby to suck a dummy or your breast in times of distress, because sucking is a great pacifier even if she is not hungry.
Meeting this need at the appropriate age in babyhood will keep your child from being overly dependent later.

What if the above mentioned does not work?
While most of the time you will be successful in isolating the need and soothing your baby, there will be times that she will simply not stop crying.
Nearly all babies have a period of fussiness in the first 3 months of life. The average baby can cry up to 2 hours a day. Nobody knows for sure why, but the current wisdom suggests that babies have immature nervous systems and if they get worked up, they have difficulties calming themselves down again. During the 2nd and 3rd month babies tend to settle.

Just as it is normal for your baby to cry, so it’s normal for her parents to comfort her. You won’t spoil your baby by attending to her. If you leave a baby to cry, what often happens is she gets so worked up that it takes twice as long for her to be nursed back to sleep. Babies become more clingy and insecure since their trust has been temporarily shattered.

However if you have tried everything and nothing seemed to calm your crying baby, it would be acceptable to put your baby in the cot and go to another room for as long as it takes for you to calm down. This would be better than shaking your baby or shouting at her.

COLIC:
This highly distressed condition usually starts at around 3 weeks and eases off by the time your baby is around 3 months old. There are many proposed causes of colic, but none have been proven. Commonly cited culprits are wind, an immature digestive system, cow’s milk and soy protein in the breastfeeding mother’s diet or a bottle-fed baby sucking in air instead of milk. There are several treatment options but it’s important to consult your doctor and find out what he suggests.

THINGS THAT MAY HELP:

1. Hold your baby close in a sling or carrier.
2. A warm bath.
3. Prescribed medication (consult a doctor before medicating your baby) Being carried face down over your forearm – the pressure on the tummy seems to work wonders.
4. Rocking to music.
5. Sucking on a dummy.
6. Gently rub your baby’s tummy with aromatherapy oils.
7. Lie your baby on her back on your knees and gently rock her feet up towards her chest. This seems to ease the pain.
8. Bonding with a baby that screams for most of the evening can also be difficult, so remind yourself that if she had her way, your little one would just love to be a peaceful, contented little baby. It’s not her fault any more than it’s yours. And take heart of the knowledge that she will grow out of it.

TIP: Always assess whether your baby is tired or hungry before trying out any of these other soothing tricks. None of them will work if all your baby wants to do is sleep or feed.