Newborn Crying and Newborn Colic
By Loraine Stern, MD
 Newborns
cry for many reasons - hunger, fear, tension, pain, and it is not always
clear in the first days which cry you are hearing. You will quickly
learn to distinguish a hunger cry from the others.
When your baby cries excessively, how do you
know if it is newborn colic? Dr. Stern's rule of thumb is that you know
your newborn has colic when you have an irresistible urge to get him his
own apartment.
Newborn colic is diagnosed when an otherwise healthy infant cries
inconsolably for a total of 3 or more hours a day. Walking, bouncing,
singing, feeding - nothing seems to help. Nobody knows what newborn
colic is but we do know that it seems to have no long term effects. It
usually starts around one month and goes away by itself by 3-4 months.
During that period you may need to see your pediatrician a few times to
make sure that something else is not going on.
You will need some help to give you a
respite from constant crying. Grandparents, other relatives or a
neighbor who has faced this herself can give you an hour or two away
from it. Sometimes if there is nobody available and you are at the end
of your rope trying to comfort your child, leave the newborn in the crib
for a few minutes, take a hot shower with the radio playing and renew
yourself temporarily.
This is the time that some parents may be so
frustrated that they shake their baby, which can cause brain damage or
even kill. If you feel this way, you must walk away from your newborn
and call someone for help. The
newborn
care video will cover newborn colic in more detail.
The newborn video makes a
great baby shower
gift, present for new parents or family of the newborn, as well as
taking the place of a newborn class. The newborn DVD and guide were
created by two pediatric doctors and a clinical psychologist with over
50 years experience.
Click
here for more about the pediatricians.
Click Here
to purchase the newborn video and guide.
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