A woman called her doctor recently due to frustration from her baby’s endless cry at night.
She was frustrated due to sleepless nights resulting from this. The grandmother advised her to get some over-the-counter medications while some other people suggested herbal mixture.
A friend of mine who’s a friend to the woman just advised her to keep doing exclusive breastfeed, making sure the child is comfortable at all times.
Make sure your room is well ventilated, wear light clothing for the baby when the room is warm.
She also advised her to feed the baby on demand and to change the diaper as at when due.
She discouraged her from buying over-the-counter drugs as most may bring about a temporary and not a permanent relief, and they result in unfavourable side effect to the baby, especially in terms of constipation.
She called back to say the exclusive crying was now under control without any medication.
Why Babies Cry?
Sometimes, a child who is less than 90 days old may have the sudden onset of unexplained crying.
The parents may notice that crying is the only symptom they can relate to the doctor, because the younger the child, the harder it is to identity the cause of the crying.
The common causes of their crying include hunger, desire to sleep, pain, when the child feels too cold or too hot, or when the clothing is too tight.
Sometimes, the major cause of recurrent cry of a baby is just the normal fussy crying.
When a child cries for over three hours in a given day, it may be due to COLIC. Again, babies cry because of bloated stomach as a result of overfeeding.
Unlike gas, excessive milk can cause temporary discomfort.
Generally, gas does not cause crying as all crying babies pass lots of gas and their intestines make lots of gassy noises.
The gas comes from swallowed air and it is normal and does not become trapped or cause any pain.
Abnominal Colic
This can cause excessive crying by the baby once or twice per day. When it happens, the baby is usually consolable when held and comforted.
He acts normal( happy and contended) between bouts of crying especially when he gets enough to eat and is not hungry.
In this case, the baby is not sick. The colic usually starts before a child is two weeks old and usually resolves by the time he’s three months old and sometimes when he’s four months old.
In most cases, it does not require any medications.
Tackling Normal Crying or Colic
Reassurance
All babies cry when they are hungry. In addition, the average baby has one or two hours of unexplained crying scattered throughout the day.
As long as they are happy and contented when they are not crying, this is normal.
COLIC
There are some babies that usually cry excessively ( more than 3 hours per day) or they seem to be very difficult to console.
If the baby is growing normally and he’s not having any medical issue, the crying is regarded as colic.
Remind and reassure yourself that colic is due to brain immaturity and has nothing to do with your parenting or any medical issue.
FEEDING
Feed your baby if more than two hours have elapsed since the last feeding ( one and a half hours if the baby takes only breast milk).
HOLD AND COMFORT
Hold and try to calm your baby whenever he cries without a reason.
It has been discovered that the best position to placing a baby to have relaxation and sleep well is the horizontal position.
Rick your child in a rocking chair, in a cradle or while standing ( many babies calm best with rapid tiny movements like vibrations).
You can Place the child in a wind-up swing or vibration chair.
Take him for a stroller rude, outdoors or indoors.
Do anything else you think may be comforting ( such as a gentle massage or warm bath).
Caution: You should try to avoid baby slings while the baby is not up to four months old since this could cause suffocation in babies as there were past records on this.
WHEN A CHILD CRIES TO SLEEP
When you’re unable to stop the crying of the baby and you’re sure he’s not hungry, reacting to weather or having any health problem, you’re advised to just let the baby be and sooner than you expect, he’s gonna sleep.
For some over tired babies, this is the only answer. You may strap him to the back firmly, because if more than three hours have elapsed since he had the last nap, you can be sure your baby needs to sleep.
WHAT TO DO TO TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM
- Encourage night time sleep( rather than daytime sleep): Try to keep your child from sleeping excessively during the day. If your baby has napped two hours or longer, gently wake him. Play with him or feed him to satisfaction.
- It will enable you to reduce and limit the time he’s awake at night. Note: Never shake a baby. It can cause bleeding on the brain and severe brain damage. Also, Don’t you ever try to keep your baby with someone who’s not matured to manage a baby or has a bad temper. If you are frustrated, put your baby down in a safe place and get help!
- Once you get it right, the crying should decrease to one hour per day. Colic improves after two months of age and is usually gone by the time the baby is three months old. No medication is required!
Conclusion
Call your paediatrician ( baby doctor) if your baby starts to look or act abnormal, if he cries constantly over two hours even when you are using this device; or if he cannot be comforted or the child berse.