You see it in the movies all the time: new mommy trying to soothe newborn but for some reason baby keeps crying. Well, it’s true, this happened to me! When I first brought baby Arianna home, she cried for what seemed like the whole night and I did everything from breastfeeding to skin-on-skin contact, my mom even tried and nothing. To be honest, I am not sure why babies cry so much when they first come home. Perhaps it’s the new, unfamiliar environment. I’m not an expert so I don’t know.
What I do know now is after that first night, my Arianna hasn’t cried as much or as long. So I did some research online and honestly, didn’t really find much on the topic. I did however see a health video on HBO via iTunes where doctors had been discussing health of a baby and mommy during pregnancy and soon after baby arrives. That’s really what inspired me to write this post because I started thinking about all the reasons why my baby cries.
And I’ve learned that babies cry, sure, but it may not necessarily mean baby is hungry. Here are my top five reasons why baby might be crying:
- Discomfort
- Boredom
- Seeking attention
- Needs mommy or daddy-and-me time
- Needs brain stimulation through play, reading, or other floor physical activity
For me, the earlier I learned to identify my baby’s needs the better off baby was in learning to manage and most importantly communicate her needs. And often times just picking her up and looking into her eyes, offering lots of hugs and kisses did the job. Sometimes, it’s a legitimate “I’m hungry, feed me” cry. So my advice is whatever you do, avoid handing baby a bottle she cries. You wouldn’t want your baby to grow up associating eating with soothing emotions. (Hmmm…I wonder if this is why most people emotionally eat?) Just a thought.
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