Families Health
BUMPS AND BABIES
Cry Baby
A
t 6 - 8 weeks of age, a baby cries on average 2 - 3 per 24 hours. Excessive crying is defined as crying greater than 3 hours/day for greater than 3 days/week. Crying is often at its peak in the evening i.e. "the witching hour". Excessive crying can be very distressing for parents, many of whom will be exhausted from the rigours of caring for a newborn baby.
Why do babies cry? There are three more common reasons why babies cry. Go through this mental checklist to determine if any of these could be the problem: ¢ Sleep deprivation. Sleep is an essential component of life. Sleep deprivation can have a profound impact on an adult’s ability to function adequately in our day to day lives. The same is true of infants and children. The 18
Crying is a normal behaviour in healthy young infants. Yet as a new parent, or even as an experienced parent, it can be confusing as to its cause and it can simply wear you down. We spoke with A/Prof David Coman; Medical Director of Paediatrics at The Wesley Hospital to get more information about what is normal and when you might need to get further support and intervention.
average sleep requirements for infants vary with age;
• Kicking and drawing pulls legs into a “ball”
• birth ~ 16 hours/day, a 6 week-old baby generally becomes tired after being awake for 1.5 hours
• Loud noises heard from the babies stomach
• 2-3 months ~ 15 hours/day, a 3 monthold baby generally becomes tired after being awake for 2 hours ¢ Hunger. This is a very common cause of infantile irritability. Clues to suggest inadequate milk supply (breast milk and formula) are requiring frequent feeds i.e. less than 3 hours. Inadequate mike supply is more likely if a mother reports her baby has frequent feeds, and poor weight gain. ¢ Colic. This is a commonly used term, but the cause is not well understood. It usually begins at about 2 weeks of age and goes away by the fourth month. About one in five babies develop colic. Common symptoms include;
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• Burping and flatulence • Often worse after feeding
Less common causes of excessive infant crying ¢ Cow milk/soy protein allergy (CMPA). This type of food allergy occurs in breast milk, goat’s milk, and formula. Infants with CMPA frequently have eczema rashes and occasionally wheezing. Important clues to suggest this diagnosis include, vomiting, poor weight gain, and especially blood and mucous stained diarrhoea. There is often a family history of CMPA. ¢ Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR). This is an over diagnosed cause of infantile irritability. Symptoms of GOR disease include, persistent vomiting,