Get this book *immediately* - The Happiest Baby on the Block. It will teach you how to take care of your daughter's "colick". Don't believe anyone who tells you that it is caused by gas pains or whatever. Get the book. You can try doing this right now, but I would get the book so that you have a full understanding of what to do.
1. Swaddle your daughter. Watch a couple of videos for how to do it on youtube. The important thing is that you swaddle her *tight*. She needs to (1) feel like she is still inside your womb, that was pretty snug and (2) not be able to move and startle herself.
2. Give her noise. When she was inside your womb the sound of your blood moving through your body was as loud as a vacuum cleaner. When she is crying, put your mouth near her ear and say "SHHHHHHHH" just as loud as she is crying. When her crying gets quieter, you can "shhh" quieter. Give her noise when she is sleeping. I think the easiest thing to do is to put a fan next to her crib, point it *away"* from her and turn it on high. Fans are pretty noisy and easier than running a vacuum. You can also get a sound machine that plays the sounds of the ocean or streams...try to make sure that it has a "white noise" option. Adults like the ocean sounds, but your baby wants the white noise. Turn the machine on very loud...you can turn it down some after your daughter has been asleep for an hour.
3. Jiggle her. Basically, she needs to feel movement because when she was inside of you she got wiggled around all the time. Hold her and jiggle her, dance with her, put her in a swing - reclined all the way back - turn it on high and let her sleep in it. You should definitely get the book and read about this step so that you do it right.
4. *Hold her* on her side or on her tummy. She likes to be on her side or on her tummy. Being on her back makes her feel like she is falling. Just hold her in your lap. Don't put her in her crib on her side or tummy, that is very dangerous.
5. When she is a couple of weeks old you can add a pacifier to the mix...just make sure you take it away before she hits four months old, so she doesn't get hooked on it.
When she is crying uncontrollably, swaddle her tightly, put her on your lap lying on her side, support her head with your hand, start rocking your legs back and forth *very fast* with small movements (like 2 times a second - more jiggling fast than rocking) and say "Shhhhhh" very loud into her ear. She should stop crying.
Colic is defined (roughly) as 'excessive and inconsolable crying [commonly in the evening] that CANNOT be explained medically. So you first need to rule out medical issues (gas, reflux, hunger, allergies, etc.) -- once all else has been ruled out and/or fixed, if baby is still crying a lot ... that's colic.
Of course you also need to be sure that you're meeting baby's needs. Are you nursing on demand? If your milk hasn't yet come in she may be a little extra hungry/fussy, but don't be tempted to give her bottles. Once the milk DOES come in (which should be soon) she'll get plenty of milk.
And many newborns just need to be held a lot. Dont' be afraid that you'll spoil her by holding her. The world is a big and scary place for a newborn, and lots of contact with mama will make her feel more secure. Swaddling may also help.
Comments
Get this book *immediately* - The Happiest Baby on the Block. It will teach you how to take care of your daughter's "colick". Don't believe anyone who tells you that it is caused by gas pains or whatever. Get the book. You can try doing this right now, but I would get the book so that you have a full understanding of what to do.
1. Swaddle your daughter. Watch a couple of videos for how to do it on youtube. The important thing is that you swaddle her *tight*. She needs to (1) feel like she is still inside your womb, that was pretty snug and (2) not be able to move and startle herself.
2. Give her noise. When she was inside your womb the sound of your blood moving through your body was as loud as a vacuum cleaner. When she is crying, put your mouth near her ear and say "SHHHHHHHH" just as loud as she is crying. When her crying gets quieter, you can "shhh" quieter. Give her noise when she is sleeping. I think the easiest thing to do is to put a fan next to her crib, point it *away"* from her and turn it on high. Fans are pretty noisy and easier than running a vacuum. You can also get a sound machine that plays the sounds of the ocean or streams...try to make sure that it has a "white noise" option. Adults like the ocean sounds, but your baby wants the white noise. Turn the machine on very loud...you can turn it down some after your daughter has been asleep for an hour.
3. Jiggle her. Basically, she needs to feel movement because when she was inside of you she got wiggled around all the time. Hold her and jiggle her, dance with her, put her in a swing - reclined all the way back - turn it on high and let her sleep in it. You should definitely get the book and read about this step so that you do it right.
4. *Hold her* on her side or on her tummy. She likes to be on her side or on her tummy. Being on her back makes her feel like she is falling. Just hold her in your lap. Don't put her in her crib on her side or tummy, that is very dangerous.
5. When she is a couple of weeks old you can add a pacifier to the mix...just make sure you take it away before she hits four months old, so she doesn't get hooked on it.
When she is crying uncontrollably, swaddle her tightly, put her on your lap lying on her side, support her head with your hand, start rocking your legs back and forth *very fast* with small movements (like 2 times a second - more jiggling fast than rocking) and say "Shhhhhh" very loud into her ear. She should stop crying.
Definition Of Colloquy
Define Colloquy
The word is colicky.
Colic is defined (roughly) as 'excessive and inconsolable crying [commonly in the evening] that CANNOT be explained medically. So you first need to rule out medical issues (gas, reflux, hunger, allergies, etc.) -- once all else has been ruled out and/or fixed, if baby is still crying a lot ... that's colic.
Of course you also need to be sure that you're meeting baby's needs. Are you nursing on demand? If your milk hasn't yet come in she may be a little extra hungry/fussy, but don't be tempted to give her bottles. Once the milk DOES come in (which should be soon) she'll get plenty of milk.
And many newborns just need to be held a lot. Dont' be afraid that you'll spoil her by holding her. The world is a big and scary place for a newborn, and lots of contact with mama will make her feel more secure. Swaddling may also help.