Why Is My Baby Crying? How to identify Cues?

For a new mom, one of the most frustrating parts is not knowing why your baby is constantly crying. It's a difficult task to understand your baby's wants and needs right at the beginning. You tend to question your ability as a parent and sometimes you might think you'd lose your sanity as a result of the non stop crying. But these feelings settle with time as you begin to understand your baby more. The question on the mind of every new mom is, Why is my baby Crying? There so many reasons why a baby might cry and crying is one of the main ways in which a baby communicates. Babies have different cries to communicate their wants and needs, with time you will be able to identify their different cries.

Reasons why babies Cry:

• Hunger tends to be one of the main reasons a baby might cry, specially if they are newborn. Newborn babies are hungry more often than we think. Their stomachs are very small and holds very small amounts of what you feed. When your baby is hungry they might suck their finger, or even make sucking noises and turn towards your breast. These are the cues to look out for if a baby is hungry, you can look for these cues every 1-2 hours for newborn babies and every 3-4 hours for an older baby.

• Another important reason why your baby might constantly cry is colic. If your baby is healthy but cries a lot during the day she might have colic. Colic happens if your baby has reflux, constipation or gas. It can also happen due to an allergy or an intolerance to what she is fed.

• Sleepiness or fatigue is another common reason why a baby might cry. Contrary to what we believe babies tend to get tired more often. When a baby is tired they get quiet and would stare into the distance. They lose interest in their toys and people around. When a baby is sleepy they usually rub their eye and ears and starts sucking on their thumbs.

• Babies cry when they need to be held. As a new mom, it's easy to get lost in the debate where every one around you argues about the amount of times you should cuddle your baby because they might get overly clingy. But in the end it all comes down to how you feel about it. Contrary to what we are told your baby needs a lot of cuddle time to comfort her. In my new mom experience when you baby cries and holds her hands up it means she wants some cuddle time.

• Your baby might cry when she is too hot or too cold. The easiest way to check whether your baby is to feel the nape of the baby's neck, whether its too hot or cold to the touch. If your baby is feeling hot she might have flushed cheeks and might look like she is sweating. You must be vigilant as an overheated baby might become restless and even develop a fever.

• Another simple reason a baby might cry is because she might need a nappy change. Babies don’t like their skin feeling damp or irritated. They might get fussy when they have a wet diaper.

As a new mom it's overwhelming when you can't understand your baby immediately. They say once you hold your baby in your arms, there is an instant connection between you and your baby. But if you are one of those moms who did not feel that connection immediately and it took you time to have a special bond with your baby, it is OK. You learn everything with time, and whether you know it or not You are a Supermom.