New Born Behaviour and Early Parenting.

Your pregnancy has culminated in a newborn with beautiful translucent eyes looking at the world with wonder and fear. How do you handle this life-changing moment or any of the emotions your baby is feeling?

Newborns will feel, not think, be attracted to colours, lights, and patterns, smile by five to seven weeks, recognize the human face as the first object, laughing aloud by the first three months.

And just like the cavemen who drew pictures on walls, just like Samuel Morse, who invented the telegraph, or just like you with your unique body language; your newborn is a darn good communicator. From early on your baby will give you signals conveying its needs, moods, and emotions. As new parents, you need to read these signals correct and establish a bond so your baby feels you’re there for him/her when he/she needs you the most.

Crying is one such channel of communication. Once you understand that this is natural and only to be expected it will be easier for you to remain calm trying to understand why your baby is crying.

These are some of the cues for you to act on when your baby is hollering:

Sometimes your baby will stop crying the moment you hold them close, talk or sing to them. That means the cuddle was essential and a flow of oxytocin, the love hormone helped establish a deeper bond between you and your infant. But a cuddling overdose can make your baby turn his head away from you indicating that he is fed up and needs leaving alone.

Babies often have shifting moods conveyed through sudden changes from laughing and babbling to whining and crying. Wondering why? Well - your cutie pie simply wants your attention. Talk to her, imitate the sounds she is making and watch her break into a beatific smile.

Babies love being cosy - that’s why it’s important to check your baby’s belly or back to see if a blanket needs removing or adding - otherwise, you’ve got a crying session on your hands.

A hungry baby will let you know; he will cry or open his mouth or latch on to your finger when you touch his cheek, a less irritated one may make murmuring noises, turn his head from side to side or lower his head down to your chest when you cuddle him or if he is older suck his fingers or his fist.

Also, you will know that your baby needs a good burp if she is crying and kicking her legs with a pained expression. And of course, crying might warrant a change of nappy as well.

But what if your baby is sleepy?

Sleep cues are equally important to be read and understood. A sleepy baby will often rub his eyes, cheeks, and keep crying. Your overtired baby can be very quiet or still, keep staring into space, yawn or fuss, or rub his cheeks or eyes, clench his fists so you know that it is now sleeping time for your tiny little munchkin.

While sleep patterns of newborns vary, 3 to 6-month-olds establish regular sleep patterns to sleep through till dawn. A better idea would be to rock your baby to sleep before she gets overtired and cranky because overtired babies often find it difficult falling asleep.

Establishing a sleep cycle will let your baby get a feel of sleep routine. Play with him a lot during the daytime to keep him awake. Feed them in a room with soft lights when it is night. This can help them get used to their environment and condition them to sleep when it is time for bed. Overfeeding your baby when they’re falling asleep is best avoided but it all depends on the cues your baby is communicating to you. As a new mother, learning to read and understanding your baby’s signals will help you improve your parenting methods to a great extent.

Being a mother is much like a rollercoaster ride, each new challenge being a complete surprise. At BirthNBeyond, we conduct Lamaze certified childbirth and early parenting sessions. We also offer counselling services on lactation and breastfeeding. Keeping in mind each woman’s unique needs in the postnatal period that is often physically and mentally challenging, our customized postnatal exercise programmes are specially structured with physical exercises and relaxation techniques that address postnatal challenges, helping new mothers to remain fit and manage their postpartum blues and depression.

To know more or call +91 9820967012 to book your appointment today.