Archive for August, 2009

Time to sleep… your baby’s tired signs

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

babyyawn2

While babies cannot talk, when it comes to their most important requirements – the need for food, comfort and lots of sleep - they can communicate very clearly!

Ask any parent and they will tell you their new baby was soon able to tell them what they needed and when! Even the very youngest of babies can communicate when they are tired and need to sleep. And, no, it’s not necessarily through crying.

Most babies give quite clear signs and signals that they are tired. For new parents, recognising your baby’s tired signs is an important skill that will help you get your baby off to sleep with little fussiness.

Common signs young babies are tired include:

·         Changing facial expressions – relaxed to grimacing

·         Frowning and looking unhappy

·         Looking away from you or staring into space

·         Rigid, Jerky or tense arm, hand and leg movements

·         Fists clenched

·         Rubbing eyes and ears

·         Yawning

·         Crying, fussing, being unsettled – this is a late cue! Sometimes too late…

Early tired signs may be subtle and easy to miss. Certainly not as obvious as being completed unsettled, fussing or crying, crying, crying! Watching your baby and understanding their tired signs will help you know when it is best (and easiest) to put them to bed.

For babies, being tired and needing sleep is not just about the length of time they have been awake, so the signals that your baby gives you are a helpful and reliable cue that sleep is near! Observe your baby, trust your own knowledge and read the signs your baby is giving you.

When your baby shows some, or all, of the tired signs listed, it is sleep time! Some babies settle best when put to sleep at the first sign of being tired (such as staring into space) while others will need to be a little more tired before they are ready for bedtime. Trust yourself that you will learn and know your baby’s tired signs best.

Both you and your baby will be pleased that when they have ‘spoken’ about their tiredness, you have listened!

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Baby Sleep, Baby Sleep Problems, Newborn Sleep | 11 Comments »

Fussy baby, crying baby, baby with colic…

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

 

crying-baby1

Baby with colic? High needs baby, crying baby, unsettled baby? Fussy baby? How do I soothe my crying baby? Baby not sleeping, helping my baby sleep, sleep deprived parents…

 

I could go on, but really it does not matter. Regardless of what label you put on it, or how you shape the question, this issue is the same. A fussy, crying baby is extremely common and for parents, this is hard, hard, hard.

Infact, infant irritability (excessive crying, colic, being unsettled) and sleep problems (difficulty settling, will not sleep, short sleeps) are two of the most common issues for which parents seek advice from their health professional. Almost all babies will have unsettled behavior at some stage and this presents an exhausting challenge for parents. Even so called ‘good sleepers’ will have fussy times. It’s true that if you are a parent pacing the floor with a crying baby, you are definitely not alone!

So how can we help? What do parents of fussy babies need? As a Pediatrician and father of four children all of whom cried alot as babies, I believe parents need uplifting reassurance as well as expert information. When it comes to matters of unsettled babies, there is much to be said and a wealth of useful (and not so useful) information to be sought. In fact, sometimes there is too much information! Complicated, contradictory and judgmental information. And so I have set myself a challenge…

To blog as many issues to do with sleeping, crying and fussiness as I can think of! Simple, clear, credible and relevant blogs just for parents. Here’s my list so far (but please let me know what you want to know):

·         Crying and colic (the causes of crying; controlled crying; myths about fussiness; excessive crying; managing colic…)

·         Settling issues (settling and burping; safe sleeping)

·         Sleep solutions (using a dummy or pacifier; crying babies and medication; settling a baby with sound, white noise, lullabies; swaddling a fussy baby)

·         Baby sleep information (your baby’s tired signs; baby sleep patterns; sleeping through the night; how much sleep is needed?)

·         Help for tired parents (crying and parental guilt; reassurance; parents intuition)

 

 

 

 

How’s that for a start? Pretty good, I think! Parents of fussy babies, watch this space for Dr Harry’s Crying Baby Chronicles!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Baby Sleep, Baby Sleep Problems, Colic Baby, Newborn Sleep | 4 Comments »

Pig in a teacup?

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

coldflusneezing1By the Chinese Zodiac Calendar, 2009 is the Year of the Ox. Forgive me for thinking it is the year Two thousand and Swine. Turns out we are not only in a global economic meltdown, but also a pandemic of panic. Not a day has passed in recent months that we do not hear updates about Swine Flu. How many new cases, government responses, expert opinions, media sites and the now, sadly, deaths.

In context, H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Flu) is still a ‘flu in a teacup. Ordinary Influenza A is more dangerous, and always has been. The World Health Organization’s decision to raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6 is not a response to the severity of illness caused by the virus, but a reflection of its rapid spread.

So what can we do to help? How do we prevent Swine (or any other) flu from reaching our home? Simple measures are the best and no different from any other pandemic or seasonal influenza:

*      Wash your hands often and well

*      Stay away from sick people and crowded areas if there is an influenza outbreak in your area

*      Cough and sneeze into a tissue

*      Keep your immune system healthy with lots of sleep, exercise, water, good food and less stress.

Sound familiar? This is probably the same advice given to you by your mother to prevent spreading the latest cold or flu when you were a child!

While the current outbreak of Swine Flu should not be dismissed as unimportant, we need to keep it in perspective. Deaths from Swine Flu are a reality. However they tend to be in those patients with predisposing factors. Chronically ill children (and elderly people), perhaps with ongoing lung or heart problems, are more prone to influenza, swine or otherwise. These vulnerable areas of the population (including those who are pregnant) should be vigilant. Alert but not alarmed, as they say.

 To deal with the panic and inevitable media-hype that surrounds us with Swine Flu:

*      Stay informed and link to credible information

*      Don’t panic or buy into the fear

*      Be sensible and use simple preventative measures

*      Be vigilant if you are pregnant or care for vulnerable people

There is no vaccine for Human Swine Influenza as yet. Unfortunately, neither is there one for panic. I am pleased to read in the Medical Journal of Australia that people’s level of anxiety surrounding H1N1 is decreasing and I encourage us all to continue protect ourselves from the contagious nature of both panic and swine flu.

Tags:
Posted in Illness | No Comments »