healthy babies
Nature designed your baby’s cry to get your attention! Maybe baby is hungry, thirsty, uncomfortable, or having gas or in pain. Maybe baby is lonely and wants to be held and loved. Heck, just a change in routine, a new experience or feeling tired is enough to make most babies cry. So how much crying is normal? Research indicates that most babies cry roughly: 2 hours a day in their first 2 weeks 2 hours and 15 minutes a day by 6 weeks old 1 hour a day at 12 weeks old During these times, baby can typically be calmed with attention and care. If your baby falls into a more intense pattern of crying, it may be colic.
Crying Vs. Colic
IMAGE © SHUT TER STOCK
BY CAROLYN DAVIS COCKEY, MLS, LCCE
Universally, babies all over the world typically cry every day from birth on—so what’s normal or not?
WHEN IT’S COLIC To consider whether baby is colicky, think 3-3-3. With colic, baby cries for more than 3 hours a day, for at least 3 days in a week, and for more than 3 weeks—up to 3 months. This type of crying often starts in baby’s first month of life. Different from normal crying, a colicky baby usually seems distressed or in pain. Colicky crying is extreme with any or all of the following features: Episodic—occurring around the same time each day Intense—more like screaming than crying, with a sense of pain or discomfort Unexplainable—crying for no apparent reason, such as hunger or diapering needs Physical—baby’s face may redden, and they may tighten their limbs, arch their back and clench their fists Experts aren’t sure what causes colic, but often baby’s passing gas or having a bowel movement relieves it. Colic is stressful for parents yet typically harmless for baby. As possible, stay with baby through these periods, taking short breaks with help from your partner or another trusted adult. Anytime you or another person feels like they aren’t able to safely hold and console baby, place baby in their crib on their back and walk away. Never shake baby, which could cause lasting harm, or even death. As baby continues to wail, check on them every 5-10 minutes until the inconsolable crying passes.
MANAGING COLIC Help your baby through these intense periods with these tips; ask yourself if baby seems: Hungry—nurse baby Needing a diaper change—speak softly and slowly as you move through diapering Gassy—burp baby Tense—bathe baby Fussy—go skin-to-skin while you walk or sway Inconsolable—take baby for a walk or car ride
CAROLYN DAVIS COCKEY, MLS, LCCE, is editor of Healthy Mom&Baby
and a Lamaze-certified childbirth educator.
ISSUE 25 / 2018 Healthy Mom&Baby
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12/10/2018 09:11