(no subject)

[cybermule]

This is about the time Ben should have arrived - we had a whole extra fortnight with him. He's now at the stage where he seems to cry a lot, and I have no idea why. It's a guessing game where the answer is mostly "food". When you try to find out anything about babies, the advice is always conflicting. I'm trying to just feed him on demand as I can't bear the thought of starving something that small.

Yesterday, we all went for a walk in Dyrham Park in the thunderstorm, which was more the picture of parenthood I'd imagined. His pram's built like a landrover. And we all still have a life and some shreds of sanity.

Comments

[framlingem.livejournal.com]

Not a parent, just a babysitter, but the best advice I ever got regarding babies was to "put food in one end, keep the other end dry, and cuddle the whole. And don't drop them."

My mother also informs me that as one gets to know a baby, one learns to tell the difference between "I'm hungry", "I'm wet", "I'm sleepy", "I'm bored" and "I'm sick and cranky" crying. She hasn't had a baby of her own in nearly twenty years, and can still pinpoint the cause of a cry at twenty paces. But she did tell me that it took her a couple of months of me to teach her.

[ninneviane.livejournal.com]

Baby advice *is* conflicting. I'm sure it's done on purpose!

In the end I ditched reading books because the inconsistencies left me feeling even more confused than I was already..the last thing I needed in a totally hormonal and vulnerable state. Asking other Mums first hand is usually the best bet. I'd have gone mental if I hadn't had M's x-girlfriend to call on after I had J.

The important thing to remember is the source of crying in these first few weeks is a guessing game and nothing more hun. Although I had more experience by the time I had J, ultimately every baby is different, so it often felt like back to square one. If they're fed, dry, comfortable and loved and those haven't worked, he could be over stimulated by something like noise, surrounding activity or light.

I always found moving about with mine in my arms while I rocked or gently bounced them could often soothe them where all else failed, also tapping out the rhythm of my heart beat on their back would work a treat too. On the subject of rhythm I'd have chucked all mine out the window if I didn't have a cheap, wire frame baby bouncer. I never had the need for anything more fancy, as that was a god send all on it's own - slightly reclining, tap it with your foot...voila! Sleeping baby :)

Try not to let it get you down **hugs** If it starts to get to you in the moment, put him down somewhere safe and leave the room for a breather - it won't hurt him to bawl to empty space for a few minutes. And remember, you can always call if you want to - I might not be able to help, but sometimes just hearing an adult voice can be sanity saving if all you've heard for an hour is bawling :)