My Baby Will Not Stop Crying

It can be one of the most unpleasant sounds you have ever heard. Your baby crying.

You have fed him, changed him and cuddled him constantly. You are at his beck and call ready to soothe him in any way that he needs. You feel as though you have nothing more to give as he continues to cry. Why is your baby so unhappy?

Sometimes it is easy to forget that the only way a baby can communicate is by crying. No matter how attentive we are or how much we do for our babies it is inevitable that they will cry. They will cry when they are hungry, when they need to be changed and when they are tired. They will cry if they are too warm, if they are cold and if they get a little fright. It can be a very stressful experience to not have a solution when your baby is showing signs of being unsettled.

For the first four months my son was very unsettled. We found a solution and purchased a sling. He was a completely new baby from that day on. The public health nurse informed us that he had silent reflux and was having pain when he was not held upright. The sling meant that we could carry him close to us in a comfortable upright position and still manage to put together a dinner or pack the dishwasher. It was a total game-changer. Sometimes it can be something as simple as this and for many others it can be a complex issue such as colic.

According to the NHS Colic is “excessive, frequent crying in a baby who appears to be otherwise healthy”. It is an incredibly distressing experience for all involved. For many babies it simply passes with time and for others there can be ways to help. Dr Sears states that “the movement a baby was used to while in the womb” can really help soothe a baby with colic. This involves rocking, swaying or even dancing while your baby rests in your arms or sling. Another recommendation is the “magic mirror” technique. Simply holding your baby in front of a mirror seems to have a profound affect on the crying spells associated with colic and an unsettled baby. Dr Sears states that this will make the “intrigued baby grow silent”.

During these spells it is often a case of survival mode. A mother and father will do anything to soothe their unsettled baby. For many babies breastfeeding is the perfect remedy. Certain positions alongside the sucking motion can provide a lot of physical and emotional comfort to the baby. For this reason “feeding on demand” really comes in to it’s own. It is as though the mother has a superpower in her pocket at all times. It can be a really empowering moment when feeding your baby instantly cures their crying.

For many parents it can be trickier to find a solution. Talking to a trusted midwife or medical practitioner can certainly help. The main thing to remember is that you are not alone. The babies in the movies generally look calm and happy but in the middle of the night you can be certain that you are one of the millions of parents who are trying to soothe a crying baby at that very moment. You are doing a wonderful job!