Why did the baby cry?

Babies cry for a variety of reasons. And you must always be diligent about the reason why babies cry. Although on a regular basis, crying babies can be managed easily. (Yeah yeah, easier said than done.)

I have found that my baby cries for some very specific reasons:

• She is sleepy - so i rock her and put her to sleep, or in the cradle
• She is hungry - obviously I feed her then (Feeding calms down my baby in almost any instance- except colic- then she is bound to throw up, or if she is not hungry and I still try to feed her, she cries even more)
• Do not be scared of a child's throw up. It is quite natural and common. But do read up or research it if you need to hone your gut instincts- after all, your gut instincts need to depend on some basic knowledge!
• There's something blocking her nose (lovingly called googa in my Gujarati sasural and shenda in my peehar!) or the dryness is causing her difficulty in breathing- we use a small humidifier for a few minutes to take care of such a scenario. Or if there's dried mucus, you need to get it out.
• Nappy is wet or diaper is heavily soiled- change it! I have learnt to smell it out- gross as it sounds- it is very useful in case i cannot afford to lay her down and check the diaper from the side!
• She has colic- will feel better if you try burping her or cycling her legs, and if it doesn't resolve, she will need colicaid or some other medicine
• She simply wants to be held- so i hold my little baby and rock her till she is calm and her breathing settles down.

These are common manageable reasons for a baby crying. And i have found these in my baby , she is 4 months now. It helped me manage better knowing what the issue could be.

But be warned babies cry for a lot of reasons, including sickness.

Here are some things to remember when your baby cries:

• STAY RATIONAL. STAY CALM. I cannot emphasise how much this has helped me. Staying calm helps me think about what could be causing my child grief and also helps me screen through the instant, worried, and sometimes  voices coming towards me.
• Do not get angry on yourself or your partner
• Do not get angry if the baby cries because of a minor accidental event- it could have been done by you too. Explain this to your family too, accidental reasons for crying will happen- despite all you care. So don't go about blaming yourself or anyone else.
• It is normal for a baby to cry. It is literally their only way of communicating.
•  It is not anybody's fault that a baby cries. No one is making the baby cry.
• Have faith in yourself. You are the mother/ father of the child. You can do this.