Rock-a-Bye Baby (10 page)
Authors: Penny Warner
I always did my childbirth breathing and relaxation techniques while breast-feeding. This helped me relax, and I think it also helped my baby relax and get to sleep.
âMary W
.
I tried to make her bed a fun and happy place where she could play with her toys if she woke up or couldn't get to sleep. Just before bedtime, I'd take her into her room, and we'd play with her toys on the floor. Then I'd transfer her to the crib and include the toys we'd just played with.
âAnn P
.
I didn't use the mechanical swingâI used my arms and just swung her back and forth while walking around the house or standing in front of the TV. That way I got some exercise or was entertained by the talk shows.
âKelly V
.
My husband and I took turns getting our baby to sleep. It wasn't a rigid patternâwhoever had the most energy went first. When one of us burned out, the other took over.
âStephanie C
.
I think I was trying too hard in the beginning to create a schedule. I had to learn to take it easy and work around the baby's patterns, and to let go of some of the other things I was trying to do. I mean, what's the hurry? This period doesn't last long, when you keep it in perspective.
âChloe W
.
I always wrapped my baby in her special blanket for feedings. Then, when she fell asleep at the breast, I would use the blanket as a transition from me to the bed.
âChris S
.
Gentle stroking on the baby's back worked for us.
âTrudy C
.
Walking the floor with the baby's tummy pressed against my chest seemed to be comforting if she was too upset or had a tummy ache and couldn't get to sleep.
âConnie B
.
Even though your baby is too young to understand the story, your soothing voice can help put him to sleep.
âVicki H
.
My son would fuss in the middle of the night, so I would change his diaper and try to get him back to sleep. One night I was so tired, I just patted him without changing his diaper, and he went right back to sleep! Try not to change the diaper in the middle of his sleep period if you can get away with it.
âKathy J
.
A colicky baby can add extra stress for a new parent, especially if he's interfering with everyone's sleep. If your baby cries regularly for long periods (over three hours), it's usually because of an immature nervous system that is affecting his tummy and digestive system. The good news is that most babies outgrow colic by three months. The bad news is that it's difficult to cope with. Here are some tips for handling colic until your baby matures:
⢠Swing or rock him. Movement seems to help calm the fussiness.
⢠Play music or sing. Soft sounds and white noise seem to distract colicky babies.
⢠Massage him. Give him a back or tummy rub, to help the digestive system and process the food, in case it has become stuck.
⢠Switch formula. Sometimes the milk doesn't agree with your baby, so try another type of formula.
⢠Cut out gassy foods. Eliminate anything from your diet that seems to affect your baby after nursing, such as caffeine, cabbage, beans, etc.
⢠Check with your doctor. If you've tried several remedies and your baby continues to cry, check with your doctor to see if something else is causing the problem.
My Lamaze teacher said babies have a hard time distinguishing day from night in the beginning, because they're rocked during the day as we move around, and when we lie down to sleep, they wake up and party. So I made an effort to reverse that by rocking him at night to get him to sleep, and keeping him busy during the day. After three or four days of that, he seemed to understand that night was sleeptime and day was fun time.
âCarole P
.