Hello happy baby!

I gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Apgar score 9-10. She took to nursing like a pro in no time. She was our little 6-pound angel. We take her home from the hospital and after a few days, the nights become short of, uhm… nightmarish.

The baby that was so peaceful and content for most of the day turned into a non-stop crying machine at night. The crying jags would last for one or two hours. We had even reached 3 hours non-stop. Witching hour would begin almost like clockwork sometime before 8 in the evening. After a few nights of this, I ended up crying along with her.

Her pediatrician said it was colic that was agitating her at night. If this story of the non-stop crying newborn sounds familiar, don’t worry there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A lifesaver for us then was a book called The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. Read more to find out what advice he gave celebrity moms Madonna and Michelle Pfeiffer to keep their babies happy – and colic-free.

Dr. Karp, pediatrician to the stars, has a theory. He believes humans are actually born a bit too early – that babies still need to go through a “4th trimester”. But since humans are only inside their mothers for 3 trimesters, we’ll need to simulate the womb environment to make the transition from womb-to-world much easier.

Those babies that are considered colicky are the ones extra sensitive to this transition. Hence, all the crying and fussing. In a way, you can say that they’re the ones taking the transition the hardest.

Dr. Karp has done extensive research on baby behavior. Among his notable observations were tribeswomen who carry their babies on their bodies for most of the day. They also sleep with them at night and would breast feed on demand. These mothers don’t know about colic. They have never experienced it.

Putting  observations like this together with sound theories, Dr. Karp has come up with the 5 S’s that could spell Sssssleep for a colicky baby. Let’s face it, most of us modern mothers can’t replicate tribe life. But he believes all parents of newborns should be doing these:

• Swaddling– Tight swaddling mimics the continuous touching and support the fetus experiences within the womb.
• Side/stomach position– The infant is placed on her left side to assist in digestion, or on his stomach to give support. This is also feels very reassuring to a baby. But do note this warning form Dr. Karp: “Never use the stomach position for putting your baby to sleep.” Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is linked to stomach-down sleep positions. When a baby is in a stomach-down position do not leave them — even for a moment.
• Shushing sounds— Going shhh, shhh, shhh imitates the continual whooshing sound made by the blood flowing through arteries near the womb. This kind of white noise is soothing to immature babies.
• Swinging– Newborns are used to the swinging motions within their mother’s womb. Coming into the world of gravity after life in-utero is like a sailor adapting to land after nine months at sea. “It’s disorienting and unnatural,” says Karp. Rocking, car rides, and other swinging movements all can help. Rocking chairs and gliders are very useful.
• Sucking– “Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system,” notes Karp, “and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain.” Nursing your child at the breast – on demand, like the tribeswomen – is ideal for fussy babies.

When baby is extra fussy, using all the 5 S’s together can do wonders. It did help with our night-time diva. After just a few days of applying the 5 S’s the extended non-stop crying got better. She would still get antsy near bed time, but the nursing with the simultaneous shushing and swinging got the fussiness under control.

Before she hit her third month, she was a happy baby – day and night. See, light at the end of the tunnel? She’s a happy preschooler now.

If by chance you’re expecting – get yourself Dr. Karp’s bestselling book. Get better acquainted with the 5 S’s even before baby arrives. These days, they even have the video version. Lucky you!

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