Calming a
crying baby: Why babies cry at night?
A baby crying all night long … This is the life
that mothers live after giving birth, where they enter a new stage of raising
their baby and coexisting with him, the mother always suffer from the constant
crying of her baby and seek to search for a good way to deal with him and calm
him, especially in the first year of motherhood and there are various reasons
for the continuous crying of the infant, especially during sleep.
Newborns may cry throughout the night, and most mothers suffer from not understanding the reasons that lead to the crying, so they remain confused with the child, especially new mothers who gave birth to the first baby.
Among the most important reasons that make a child cry at night are the following:
1- Hunger:
A hungry child This is the first thing most mothers think of when a baby cries at night. Of course, a newborn has a small stomach and cannot tolerate hunger for long periods, so it is advised to breastfeed a child every two hours.
2- Colic
Most infants suffer from colic, as it is one of the most prominent reasons that cause the crying of the baby during the night, so if he continues crying for long periods many times, he must be presented to a specialist doctor.
Why colic at night?
Colic at night is caused by liver enzymes, incomplete digestion or indigestion due to external or natural feeding or swallowing of air and the formation of gases.
To differentiate between gases and stomach ache, you will notice during his crying that he bends his legs to his stomach with redness in his face if he has colic, but in case he was suffering from gases, he will cry during the passage of gases for a few seconds and calm down after that, but be aware, there may be colic and gases together.
3- Safety:
The child may cry because he needs you to carry him, hug him, or maybe he needs some physical contact to feel comfortable and secure, so you can sing to him or distract him, or you can use the baby carrier.
4- Night terrors (sleep terrors):
Children have night terrors and periodic nightmares, but both of these are different.
Night terrors are just annoying and frightening ideas in children's heads, but they do not wake them up and they are only seen when the child passes from a period of deep sleep to light sleep, usually after the first third of the night, and as soon as he wakes up he forgets what happened, these seizures take between few minutes to 45 minutes.
Nightmares in the other hand usually come later in the second half of sleep and they result in waking the baby up then he starts screaming and feeling terrified. The child is usually able to remember those dreams and may feel bad for several days because of them.
Usually, night terrors happen only once per night, and the following symptoms and child's behaviors may be a sign that he is experiencing them:
- Screaming with irritation.
- Sweating.
- Luster in the eyes as if they are glass and completely open.
- Fast breathing.
- Fast heartbeat.
You may not be able to calm your child in this situation and he may not respond to any attempt, because even if his eyes are still open he is actually sleeping, so it is advised to be calm because in a short time the child will re-enter deep sleep again and forgets everything that happened in the next day (but unfortunately nightmares will remain stuck in his mind).
According to specialists, sleep terrors for infants are caused by the activity of the baby’s central nervous system as a result of its development and this is resulted by a life that is full of activities and new things for the child.
5- Comfort and sickness:
The child's crying during sleep may be due to fatigue and exhaustion and searching for a bit of rest or the child may suffer from a disease that causes him discomfort such as entering the teething stage (and its symptoms are many).
A baby always expresses his feelings by crying, for instance, he may cry because he needs to change the dirty diaper since it causes him perturbation and inconvenience, or the atmosphere may be inappropriate (there may be excessive heat or cold on the child), so you should pay attention to his clothes and diapers.
What should I do if my baby doesn't sleep at night?
- Avoid shaking the child while he’s crying; according to specialists the blood vessels in his head may not bear the result of the vibration, causing them to tear.
- The mother must be calm and well-behaved in such cases, as your calmness is reflected on your child.
- Paying attention to feeding times to avoid causing hunger to the child at night, and it is better to give him your natural milk by breastfeeding, as it provides tenderness and safety.
- Use quiet sounds such as music or calming lullabies to help the child relieve stress and anxiety.
- Give the child the comfort and hold him to your chest so that he feels safe you can use a swaddle by wrapping the baby in a blanket.
- Massage the child with warm natural oils, especially olive oil, as it helps the baby to relax and sleep without insomnia or tension.
- Pay attention to room light and to calming the atmosphere, using quiet lights that help the child relax