Calming a fussy baby

Wails and waaahhs are important ways for babies to communicate. Interpreting these cries takes some trial and error. Here are some of the most common things your baby is trying to say:

"Feed me." Being hungry makes a baby unhappy. Some will continue to fuss even after they've begun feeding, so don't give up too soon if a bottle or your breast doesn't seem to be working immediately. If it's time for a feeding and your baby is making a rhythmic cry along with other hunger signs like tongue thrusting, he may need to get enough in his stomach to feel fuller before he calms down.

"Change me." Some babies don't mind being in a wet or soiled diaper. Others will object right away — and let you know.

"I don't feel well." A shrill cry can be a sign of illness. It may also be your baby's way of letting you know that something is poking him, such as a scratchy clothing tag. Check to see that your baby isn't too hot or too cold. A good rule of thumb is to dress a baby in one more layer than you're wearing yourself, and remove a layer if he feels warm or seems to complain.

"Get me out of here." If a room is too noisy, the lights too bright, or too many people are handling your baby, he may react to the overstimulation by looking away and fretting.

"I'm tired." Watch for yawns, whines, and eye rubs that signal fatigue before your baby launches into an all-out cry. Try rocking or nursing him to sleep.

"Hold me." If you've checked all the possible causes and your baby is still fussing, he may simply crave the calming effect of being cuddled and rocked. Some babies will relax in a mechanical cradle or vibrating bouncy seat. Some like to be wrapped in a tight swaddle, and others just prefer being held. You can't spoil a baby at this age by holding him "too much."

Life with Baby

Allen is 4 weeks old and almost perfect... he is so delightful. I spend at least half of my day just holding him in my arms, watching him, and marveling at just how wonderful he really is. He has one little dimple on his cheek when he smiles, just so darling. He will look at me and my heart just melts with love for this little guy.

The bond between he and I is just awesome~ I know moments before he actually awakes that he is getting ready to wake up which is a bit odd. I don't remember doing that so much with the older kids. Only when they were waking up hungry.

Anyway, not much to update this week~ just some observations about how wonderful my son really is!

So a little about the last few weeks of the pregnancy and the first 3 weeks of Allen's life...

Allen's Dad and I seemed to fall into a routine that let him be around the whole last part of the pregnancy, the birth and the last three weeks since Allen was born. It was nice to have him here sort of helping out and just being there. He has potential to be a great dad.

Allen kept trying to come early and we had several trips to the hospital to have labor stopped. Our little boy held in there and came right on his original due date (or two weeks early by the adjusted due date). His birth was fairly uneventful~ again his dad was right there and offered up a lot of emotional support during the labor and actual delivery. I am glad we were able to do the delivery together.

Allen came home at about 31 hours old. He was just about perfect... he nursed wonderfully well, he was poo'ing and pee'ing and he was doing all the stuff a newborn is expected to do. Then...

Wednesday after he was born we took him to the doctors. His billirubin was elevated and he was hospitalized. Billirubin lights overnight had him all better. But my little guy who was sleeping for 4-5 hours at night had to be woke up every two hours to eat to flush out the billirubin.

Then we go to the next follow up visit and my little guy has not gained as much weight as expected. So I had to really push the 2 hour feedings and watch what I was doing so that Allen got proper nurishment.

Things in my life are pretty stressful and so I am having to pay extra close attention to my eating habits to make sure my baby gets all he needs. This is my #1 priority right now... making sure Allen is healthy and well cared for.

I will try to keep this updated a little better now that we are settling into a routine here at home with Allen and the others. Also Baby's Daddy has gone back to his home now so he may want to have more updates through the blog...

And so here we are.... Allen John Dale Bernal joined our family on January 3rd 2009. I failed to blog about the last few weeks of the pregnancy~ we had a few memorable moments. I will try to post about them in the next few days...

Until then here is Allen's info:

Allen John Dale Bernal born at Banner Lassen Hospital in Susanville, California at 6:09am on January 3, 2009. He weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces and was 19 inches long.