Soothing Your New Born: Diary of A New Mum

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As a new parent, it's quite difficult hearing the cries of your new born. And what's even more difficult is getting to figure how to soothe the tiny bundle.

If you're a first time parent, it's only natural that your baby's smallest of cries can get you all worked up. As soon as that tiny mouth puckers up and the first sound of the cry is out, you're frantically wondering what it is that baby is crying for. Especially if you've just fed baby, it's difficult to figure out why the crying.

With most first-time parents (and even some of those who've had more than one kid), what happens is mostly that the baby's cry almost makes the parents cry too! It's sweet, but if you're the one who'se going to be soothing the little one, then this could get a bit difficult.

 
Understand that if baby doesn't sense an absolute calmness from you, baby won't calm down...so the first thing for you to do is to calm down yourself. Don't worry, you're there, so nothing can go wrong with baby, right? Right!

One main thing to remember as a new mum/parent is that each time baby cries does not mean baby is hungry. So don't just rush to feed baby the moment you hear baby crying.

Some of the main reasons that your baby may be crying are:

• hunger
• sleep
• over exhaustion
• some loud noise
• wetness
• painful gas

There may be other reasons too, but with most new borns, these are the main and most common reasons for crying.

Sometimes, baby will cry out for just a little while, or give the first sounds of cry and then fall back to sleep - so wait for a moment before you decide to get involved. This is not really self-soothing, I will talk about it later in a different post.

Once you've understood the reason baby is crying, it's easier to calm down baby. 

If your baby is crying a lot, you may first want to soothe baby before changing the diaper or before even giving a feed. Once baby has calmed down, it will be easier for baby as well as for you.


A few ways you can help soothe a crying baby:

While baby is still lying down:

• put your baby finger in baby's mouth and let baby suckle. Often this can calm down a stressed baby
• touch baby's finger and soothe baby by placing your hand on baby's tummy and gently rubbing
• gently massage baby's head and speak softly to baby
• try patting baby's back gently to ease out any gas pains or colic issues
• rock baby slowly with your hand movements

If this is not helping and baby is still crying, pick up baby gently and:

• put baby's head on your shoulder and slowly rub baby's back
• gently pat baby's back to ease out any gas
• rock baby slowly and gently
• make cooing sounds and soothing sounds to ease back baby into sleep
• walk slowly with baby 
• sit in one place and place baby across your lap, now rock back and forth slowly and gently

Every parent and baby develop their own comfort ways of soothing and easing back to sleep. Hopefully, some of the above might help.

If you have a different way of soothing your baby do share that in a comment here with us to help other mums and parents.

- Debolina Raja Gupta

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And like I always believe in and say:
'Heal the world we live in
Save it for our children' - MJ

Happy Parenting!!!!

Be good to your little one, and to the millions of little ones out there who truly need every bit of love and compassion they can get.....Be a grown up...save the little ones.... Debolina Raja Gupta