When your baby is born he does very little. Eats, poops, sleeps and cries. Crying is the only way that your baby can communicate and at this point, all the cries sound alike. As your baby gets older however you will begin to notice different cries coming from him and you will begin to recognize better what it is that your baby needs. As your baby gets older some of his reasons for crying will change, while others stay the same.

Hunger
Still one of the most obvious reasons for your baby to be crying is hunger. Your little one is growing and burning through calories so fast that it is hard to keep up with him. If he gets a growth spurt it can seem as if never stops eating. You will learn to recognize the cry of hunger from your baby.

Pain
A newborn has very little “pain” in most cases. However, as his grows the pain begins to appear, first in teething, then in bumps and bruises as he gets on the move around the house. The pain cry will probably be more of a shrill cry, one you haven’t heard before, and one you quickly learn to recognize.

Fear/Anxiety
As your baby gets older he may start to feel a little anxiety about being left alone or being away from you. If this is the case for your baby, a brand new cry will be heard and your baby will learn from your reaction to use that cry in these circumstances.

Tired
It is possible for your baby to get over tired. When this happens not only will he not want to go to sleep, but he will probably have a cry that is so pitiful that it breaks your heart. Try not to let your baby skip a nap or get too tired that he doesn’t want to go to sleep. If he does it may be a long night for all of you.

Stubbornness
You can’t spoil a baby but boy can they make you feel like they are spoiled. Your baby may decide to get stubborn and start crying till he gets his way. This cry will probably sound less pathetic than his other ones; instead sounding more angry and upset. If this is your baby, try not to give into his stubbornness, but offer him something else to divert his attention.

As your baby changes so will his ways of communication. Soon will come the day when your baby is talking back to you and you are wishing he could only cry. Remember that at this point your baby’s only way of communicating is still crying and that the faster you learn to understand him, the happier everyone will be.

The babymoon period is that time during the first few weeks of a baby’s life when mom and dad fall madly in love with this cute little bundle of joy that they created. Its’ name is taken from “honeymoon” which is a time when a couple is happy, life is perfect, and normal marital everyday issues have not arisen yet.

When your baby is a newborn he probably doesn’t do much besides sleep. He awakens periodically to eat or get his diaper changed, but for the most part is awake very little and doesn’t interact much. This period can last generally from 2 weeks to one month of age.

Eventually the babymoon period will come to an end. Parents will still be in love with their babies, and the babies will bring a lot of love and laughter to the home, however, the baby may also bring tears. A quick way to bring an end to the babymoon period is with the appearance of colic in a baby. Even some babies who do not have colic may be gassy or just fussy, making it increasingly harder to get things done, and causing some frustration in parents because they can’t figure out what is wrong with their baby.

The babymoon is also referred too as a last little vacation for mom and dad before the baby comes or a time when new parents can break away from the baby for a short time, either for dinner, or a night at a hotel, just for themselves. It is important that new parents have this time together in order to focus on each other. It is too easy for new parents to lose focus of their relationship and not give time to improve on it.

Whenever your babymoon period starts and ends enjoy it. It won’t last forever, and in many cases it won’t last long enough. Soon the reality of a new baby will hit both mom and dad, along with the sleepless nights, and long tiring days.

As always, check with your doctor before starting any kind of diet. The following information is for reference only:

For breastfeeding mothers the joy and closeness they feel to their baby while nursing is undescribeable. Occasionally however the baby will have unexplainable crying periods that doctors refer to as colic. While breastfeeding for the first year is best, formula feeding moms have choices in the formulas they can use to help easy the baby’s crying. However, for breastfeeding moms there is only one choice, the breast milk the mother produces.

There are things however that a mother can do to help change the consistency and nutritional aspects found in her breast milk. These include cutting out a few known gassy foods like broccoli and onions, to cutting just about everything out. Cutting everything out is often referred to as an Elimination Diet and is often recommended by doctors and pediatricians for mothers of gassy or colicy babies that are breastfed.

The Elimination Diet focuses on eliminating all hard to digest foods in a mother’s diet. It also includes eliminating all spices and seasonings except for salt and pepper. This is likely to make the food bland and at times tasteless, but if it helps your baby it would be worth it. On the Elimination Diet was created by William G. Crook, M.D. to help determine what different food allergies a person suffers from. It focuses on eating the least allergenic food in each of the food groups.

For the first two weeks it is suggested that the only meats you eat are turkey and lamb, partnered with baked or boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes. For a vegetable you can have cooked yellow and green squash. It allows you to have pears for your fruit, or pear juice, and rice as a side dish as rice is easy to digest. It suggests using a rice-based drink in place of milk to drink or cook with.

After the first two weeks you are allowed to slowly add foods back into your diet starting with items such as sunflower seeds, carrots, beets, salmon, oats, grapes, avocado, and peaches. Add one new food every four days and keep a journal documenting what you add, when you add it and what reaction, if any, that your baby has to it. After you have successfully added the above foods to your diet with no visible problems in your baby you can begin adding other foods like wheat, beef, eggs, nuts, and corn.

Once you determine that these food items are not bothering your baby it is safe to slowly begin adding back in the dairy products to your diet. Other items you should wait on include peanuts, shellfish, coffee, tea, colas and other beverages containing caffeine, chocolate, gas-producing vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, green peppers), tomatoes, and citrus fruits.

Like any “diet” you may begin to feel deprived of your favorite foods or hungry when you first start on the Elimination Diet. It is important not to let yourself starve but rather to make and eating plenty of the foods you are allowed to eat at each stage. Once you determine the foods your baby’s belly can tolerate you will successfully be able to add back in some of your favorites.

Because breast milk is the only form of nutrition to most gassy and colicky babies, they normally respond to the diet change quickly, and begin to act happier and healthier relatively soon. For older babies who are still nursing as well as eating baby food and other solids, it may take longer to see a response and change in the fussiness. It is important to remember NOT to give up and to give both your body and your baby a chance to adjust to your change of diet.

One of the possibly least anticipated milestones your baby will hit is when he starts teething. We say least anticipated because parents often know the pain and discomfort it will bring to their baby, and they do not want their baby to undergo it. How does a parent know however when teething has begun?

The average baby cuts their first tooth anywhere between five and six months old. There are some however that will cut a tooth as early as two months, or as late as a year. Occasionally, some babies will only have two-four teeth until several months after their first birthday. There is not any rule as to when your baby should sprout teeth. Just like most other milestones, it is different in all babies.

There are many signs of teething in a baby. Your baby might become incredibly fussy and cry more all of a sudden. When it is teething related then the normal things that work on your baby like feeding, changing, bathing, and playing with him, will not work.

The excess production of drool is a telltale sign of teething. When you are getting soaked just holding your baby because they are slobbering so much, it is a good sign that teeth are coming in the next few months. It isn’t necessarily a sign that they are coming soon though. A baby could start drooling during their second month of life, but not actually have any teeth pop up till they are nine months old. When your baby starts drooling, be sure to keep a rag or towel near-by to dry you both off with.

Another sign that your baby is teething could be them pulling on their ears. Since the “ear, nose and throat” are all connected, teething can cause ear aches in babies, which can lead to crying and fussiness. Other signs of teething include:

• Swelling around the gums where tooth is about to break through
• Redness in creases around neck from the excess drool getting stuck
• Irritability
• Restlessness/Sleeplessness
• Sucking thumb/fingers
• Fussy feedings

There are things that can be done to help your baby feel a little more comfort however. Baby companies market heavily to parents when it comes to teething time. There are all sorts of toys that have chewable rubber pieces on them designs to let the baby gnaw at will. Some of the bigger toys like walkers and exersaucers also have attached toys with rubber ends for chewing.

There are teething rings that are either filled with water, or can be filled with water and stuck in the freezer for you to take out as needed. These are great to chew on for baby because they are cold and get soft as they thaw out. If you don’t have a lot of extra money to spend on chew toys, you can wet a wash cloth and stick it in the freezer. It is a soft, reusable and inexpensive way to help your baby with his teething pain.

There are also medications you should speak to your pediatrician about. There are gels that are created that are supposed to help numb the gums. There are specific formulas of these for both day and nighttime. Some pediatricians will also recommend giving your baby over the counter pain medicines.

Remember, teething is just another stage that your baby goes through. Hopefully you will be lucky and your baby will be one of the ones that isn’t bothered by it too much, but if not, keep in mind that it won’t last forever and that soon your happy baby will be back in your home.

In many ways, a fussy baby may be worse than having a colicky baby. At least with a colicky baby you generally know that your baby will be screaming from 6pm to 9pm, or whatever hours you have been “blessed” with, and that there is probably nothing you can do about it. With fussy babies, that isn’t the case.

Fussiness can come at anytime of the day. It can be intermittent or at times last all day. With fussiness guessing what is wrong with your baby and helping them feel better can take hours to accomplish. It isn’t always an easy answer. A fussy baby will generally not cry, but make little and constant growling/groaning type noises. Enough to catch your attention and let you know something is wrong, but not enough to pinpoint the problem after you have learned to understand your baby’s different types of crying.

Reasons Fussiness May Occur
There are many reasons that your baby might be fussy. These include, but are not limited too:

Rashes, colds and upset stomachs are common baby ailments. But the occurrence of one or more of these symptoms can signal a serious allergy. If unrecognized, these symptoms can make an infant miserable and malnourished.

More than 100,000 babies each year suffer from milk allergy. The condition causes digestive, respiratory and/or skin problems and is often difficult to recognize.

“These babies cannot process the complex protein chains found in milk-based baby formula. And many also react to soy-based formulas,” says Dr. John Moissidis, a Board certified pediatric allergist at The Asthma Allergy Clinic in Shreveport, La.

Infant milk allergy is treated by either eliminating the milk proteins from the nursing mother’s diet, or by replacing the regular formula with an amino acid-based formula.

“An amino acid-based formula is safe for babies with milk and soy allergies because it is comprised of non-allergenic amino acids, the building blocks of protein, instead of partial or complete protein chains found in other formulas,” says Sarah O’Brien, nutrition specialist for Nutricia North America, the manufacturer of amino acid-based formula Neocate.

This specialized formula does not require a prescription, but infants taking it should be under the care of a physician.

Here are eight signs, provided by Dr. Moissidis, to help parents of infants identify a potential milk allergy.

1. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is common in babies, but if it is persistent (an average of two to four times a day for more than five to seven days) and/or if there is blood in the stool, it could signal a more serious milk allergy.

2. Vomiting
Babies often spit up bits of food, but vomiting beyond the typical mealtime regurgitation should be examined by a doctor. Reflux symptoms, such as spit-up and difficulty swallowing, can also be milk allergy symptoms.

3. Skin Rash
There are many causes for infant skin rashes like eczema. Milk allergy is one possible cause, especially if the rash occurs along with some of these other symptoms.

4. Extreme Fussiness
Every baby cries, but crying continuously and inconsolably for long periods of time is abnormal. When there is no apparent reason, this is usually called colic. Sometimes this extreme fussiness is actually caused by the gastrointestinal pain resulting from an allergy to the proteins found in milk.

5. Low or No Weight Gain
Most infants double their weight by six months and triple it by 12 months. But when babies are not getting the nutrition they need because of excessive diarrhea and vomiting, they are unable to grow like they should.

6. Gassiness
All babies have gas, but when it occurs along with several of these other symptoms, it can also signal an allergy to milk proteins.

7. Respiratory Problems
Colds are common for infants, but wheezing, struggling to breathe and developing excess mucus in the nose and throat is not. For some kids, these respiratory problems can be the baby’s reaction to the protein found in milk.

8. Failure to Thrive
Babies with milk allergy often suffer from a lack of proper nutrition characterized by dehydration, loss of appetite and lack of energy. This overall failure to thrive is often the result of the effect of the other symptoms effect on the infant’s body.

Parents can take the allergy test and learn more about infant milk allergy and amino acid-based formula at www.testforallergy.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

by Michelle Higgins

Does your baby yell and cry non-stop without any apparent reason? Excessive gas in a newborn baby could be the culprit. Gassy and colicky babies present a perpetual challenge to their parents. Welcome to the rocky world of parenting.

Gassy Babies
Accumulation of gas in baby’s tummy can make her extremely fussy. Your newborn has an immature digestive system that is prone to accumulation of gas. The kinks will eventually straighten out but until they do, they can drive both you and baby crazy.

Explosive bowel movements and passing gas are extremely common in newborns. Some babies appear to suffer more than the others. The gassiness is sometimes more severe during the night.

Was it something I ate?
Gassiness in baby could be unrelated to your diet. It was believed that if a mom ate certain foods that caused gas, the gas would be transferred to baby via breast milk. This belief is not entirely true.

But wait; this theory has not been totally disproved either. Try avoiding foods like cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, beans and any other foods that are potentially gassy. Eliminating them one at a time can help you detect the culprit.

Breastfeeding a gassy baby can be a Herculean task, but it is well worth it.

Pin the cause down
Your baby might be swallowing a lot of gas while she feeds. Suckling very vigorously makes baby gulp a lot of air.

Bottle feeding babies tend to take in more air while feeding than their breastfeeding counterparts.

Allergy to formula this could result in gassiness too. Lactose intolerant babies cannot digest cow’s milk, which makes them gassy.

Sucking pacifiers and empty bottles for a long time can lead to gas accumulation.

Prevention is better…
Time is the best healer. As your baby grows older, her gassiness will gradually reduce as her digestive system becomes more mature. In the meantime……

Burping baby between and after feeds is probably one of the best solutions.

All men might be created equal but all bottles are not. Choose a bottle with a curved neck to avoid gulping of excessive air.

If you suspect milk allergy in your baby, you could try changing formulas or switch to soymilk.

Hush baby
Even if you know the reason for your baby’s gassiness, this is of little use to you during a crying bout. Deal with your baby’s crying spells as calmly as you can.

You can also try baby bends and tummy rolls with advice from your healthcare professional. Ask your doctor about antigas medications with simethicone.

The time-tested method of rocking can often soothe a gassy baby to sleep. Make sure you take a break to soothe your frayed nerves.

Take breaks, get help, join discussion groups, blog, talk about it…do anything that helps. Rest assured that baby’s gassiness will significantly reduce by the time she is six months old.

About the Author:
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