My Facebook inbox is a mess. You will find all sorts of messages from people of different walks of life. I scroll through sometimes and if there’s a group I pay attention to always, it’s the new mothers. I answer all their queries with the little knowledge and time I have.
There’s this disturbing topic that I normally find: inadequate sleep at night. Most parents say they can’t take another sleepless night and are trying to look for a solution. When my children were little, I personally had trouble putting them to sleep. When they were a month old up to when they made three months, I barely slept. My eyes were always heavy; I had a terrible headache every day! I lost my joy and sometimes I found myself crying with them. It’s like colic waited for the most comfortable time of the night to attack.
My personal experience has taught a few useful lessons: if your baby is suffering from pain in the stomach try relievers like grip water or a spoon or two of warm water. There’s no specific medicine for colic but there are relievers that a pediatrician can recommend.
If your baby is not being sleepless because of colic then look for possible causes of sleep trouble. When your baby wakes up crying, try feeding them. Bottle feed or breastfeed them. If it’s not hunger disturbing their sleep, try changing the diapers. This should give them some comfort.
Also, check for ill-fitting sleepwear or a stuffy nose. A bedroom that’s too hot or too cold or dusty will cause trouble in breathing and your baby may find it hard to sleep in this condition. If eliminating these doesn’t help, discuss possible medical causes, such as reflux, food or milk allergies, or ear infections, with the doctor.
Babies eventually learn to soothe themselves to sleep. As your child grows, encourage them to fall asleep on their own by putting them in their crib while they are still awake and staying until they nod off. Once your baby sleeps through the night, try increasing the distance between you and her crib, or put her to sleep in her own room.
Put your baby to sleep on her stomach. Even when there are sounds like a banging door, your baby will not jump out of sleep.