The Baby Whisperer
Yesterday, I had a flood of new babies in my practice. By noon, I had seen four new babies; average age 3 days. Our hospital nursery is full. I wonder what was going on nine months ago. Maybe there was a power outage? Or, perhaps there was nothing on TV.Having spent most of my career in family practice, I had my share of newborns, mostly since I took care of their mothers. However, when you limit your practice to pediatrics, every day is baby day, and I love it. Seeing those proud new parents (and grandparents) makes my day unbelievably pleasurable.
Babies cry. That is what they do. They cry when they are hungry or gassy, or they just cry for no particular reason. They are not necessarily unhappy about their entrance into this world, although they must be a bit puzzled. A few days prior, they were floating and bobbing around in warm amniotic fluid, upside down, like little astronauts. Suddenly, they are squeezed into the light -- into a world of loud noises, strange shapes, even stranger people, and of course, odd smells. C-section babies must really get a shock. Their birth would be like someone removing the roof of your house, reaching in, and pulling you out!It is perfectly normal for healthy newborn babies to fuss and cry about two to three hours per day, continuing to hone those crying skills, reaching a peak around age six weeks. New parents are always looking for some medical explanation for this normal crying. There must be something wrong.
Babies like to be held and cuddled. Babies like to nurse or suck on a bottle/pacifier. Babies like to be warm (but not too warm). Babies like to be stroked and touched. Babies like to be snug and feel safe. Babies are not particularly fond of being flat on their backs most of the day. This is an unusual position for them.Remember, they were upside down a few days ago!
Because babies who sleep on their backs are less likely to have sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), parents have become absolutely fanatical about this. Although they do give their babies "belly time," they worry about it, even when babies are old enough to flip over by themselves. When they are old enough to flip over, they are old enough to sleep anyway they like. One new mother in my practice hadn't had a good night's sleep in months. She would watch the baby on the monitor. As soon as her baby would turn over on her stomach, she would rush in and flip 'em back on the back. I told her it was okay just leave him be now, otherwise she might continue to do this into his teenage years.
When I entered the examination room this morning, a new mother was desperately trying to comfort her crying newborn. Grandmother was offering suggestions, but nothing was working. She tried nursing her, but she wasn't hungry. After I finished taking the history, she put the baby on the examining table, on her back, in preparation for the exam. The crying continued.
"Would you like to see a little trick?" I asked.
I picked up the baby in her soft blanket and gently laid her over my arm, like those lions in Africa hanging over a tree limb. I held her close to me and rocked her just a bit, while stroking her little face. Within seconds, the crying stopped. In less than a minute, she was sleeping and the room was quiet and calm again.
"Are you some kind of Baby Whisperer?" the mother asked.
That was probably one of the nicest compliments that I have ever received.
Related Topics: Technorati Tags: babies, crying, parenting, SIDS, medical practice, health-and-wellness
1 Comments:
my little girl has had an ear infection in her left ear. the day before yesterday she woke up with blood coming out of her ear. the same thing happened today. i am going to take her to the doctor first thing in the morning, but i would like to her what you have to say about it and what might be wrong with her.
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