Help, My Baby Won’t Stop Crying
Your first child can be a harrowing experience, especially when you first arrive home, and you realize that you are totally responsible for this precious, little life. This is a huge responsibility and entails more than you ever imagined. Sure, you knew you'd have to change diapers, get up several times a night, feed the baby, bathe the baby, and dress the baby, but now that you're home and the baby is fed, burped, bathed, changed, dressed, and refuses to go to sleep, but is still wailing, you have no clue what to do. There may be a number of things wrong with your baby, and if you've already taken care of the obvious basics, it's now just up to you, through trial and error, to figure out what is wrong. The following are a few things that you may not have thought of, which may be the cause all of the crying.
First of all, make sure your baby is not hot. It is a common misconception that babies should always be bundled up. Sometimes, your baby is just, plain hot, and this can make her very uncomfortable. Try unwrapping the blanket, taking off the extra layer of clothes, or removing her hat and socks. Lay her out on a blanket or next to you on the bed and see if this helps. You may be surprised to find that your baby is calmed pretty quickly once she begins to cool down a bit.
Another thing that may be bothering her is stress or tension. You might not think that this has much of an affect on a newborn, but research has shown that babies are very susceptible to this. Too much stimulation -- a mobile, flashing or loud toys, a room full of people -- are all things that can cause an infant to become a bit stressed. Tension can also be the culprit, and although you might not think you and your husband's minor argument is having any affect on the baby, she is more tuned in to your emotions than you may realize. Try turning off the toys, removing her from the commotion of people into a quiet area, or toning down your voices and stress levels and see if the peace and quiet doesn't begin to give her some comfort.
"I'm bored over here" or "I just want to be held" are two more things your baby may be trying to say to you through her crying. Although many babies are perfectly content to stay in the same spot, even a moving swing, for long periods of time, eventually they will all become restless and maybe even just need something different at which to look. And, again, she may simply want the comfort of your arms. Try turning her swing or seat in a different direction or move it to a different location, or just pick her up. After all, would you want to stare at the teddy bear wallpaper for an hour, and who doesn't want to be held and cuddled?