Saturday 16 July 2005

Understanding your baby

Saturday 16 July 2005
Right from the start I've been told that I'll get to understand what DD's crying means and that, with her body language, will tell me what she wants from life.

Fair enough, I thought, if everyone says it happens, how hard can it be?

Hmmmmmmmmmm, pretty damn impossible it would appear. I've decided she's actually tapped into the Greek half of her make up to do the crying so me as the English parent has no idea what it all means.

I've been reading a book (something I didn't think I'd resort to but more of that next post) and it lists the types of crying that babies do. Great, I can read the book and figure her out.

So, first of all, the hungry cry. It goes waaa, waaa, waaa in a rhythmic kind of way apparently and can get stronger and more persistant the longer it's ignored. So basically sounds like crying no?

The tired cry. That goes waaa, waaa, waaa in a slightly less rhythmic kind of way and gets stronger and more persistant quicker than the hungry cry. So basically that one sounds like crying too no?

The book even says that the tired cry is often easy to mistake for the hungry cry.

Okay, so it also discusses body language, maybe that'll help. For example, if the baby is making sucking noises or sucking it's fist it's hungry.

Unless of course it's not hungry in which case the sucking is just relieving it's need to suckle.

So the book advises you to couple the body language with the crying type. If the baby is sucking and making the hungry cry, it's hungry. If it's sucking and making the tired cry it needs to suckle and be put down so it can sleep.

Anyone else see the fundamental problem I have with all of this??????

I didn't even get as far as the bored cry, or any of the other examples listed as I figure they all must go waaa, waaa, waaa in a rhythmic kind of a way and sound like crying.....

Maybe I'm missing subtle nuances and I should really pay closer attention, or maybe I should do what I'm resorting to at the moment. If she's crying and has eaten within the last three hours, she ain't hungry, she's tired or bored. If she's crying and has eaten within the last three hours and she ain't yawning, she's bored.

Maybe someone out there reading this can enlighten me further on this whole issue, or maybe I'm expecting too much from a six week old relationship and one day soon it's all gonna fall in place.......

6 comments:

Lorna said...

Yeaaa...... By the time I worked that one out they were old enough to tell me in English.

Gina said...

I never worked that out even after three of them....I just tried everything until they stopped.

Kitty said...

Hmm yes, I've heard about this. Apparently on one occasion my cousin found her husband standing over the crib of their first saying (in a very confused/distressed voice) "What? what do you want from me, please tell me, what is it, WHAT!?!?!?!?!" *smirk*

Lorna said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Lorna said...

The last comment was me. Very stupid grammatical error.

Wait until she's a teenager! Then you will have to translate the grunts instead of crying (or sometimes crying as well).

I agree with Gina. I think most people try everything until something works. (((hugs)))

Joyus said...

Well, I certainly won't lose any sleep over this one as I'm losing enough anyway.

I forgot to add though that I have worked out the 'I'm pooing' face so that makes me feel a bit better LOL

 

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