This is the entry who won the Momsquawk Facebook Contest. The winner chosen was based on the total number of likes and comments on the note. Congratulations Samantha Bangayan! You can click the title to go to the Momsquawk Facebook Page of her entry or click her name to go to her site.
Why Does My Baby Cry So Much?
by Samantha Bangayan
If there was only one thing I could tell all new mothers, I would tell them about the “Period of PURPLE Crying.” Dr. Ronald Barr, the Canada Research Chair in Community Child Health Research, discovered that infants between 2 and 16 weeks of age go through a normal stage of development when they cry more often. Despite being healthy, babies at these ages may cry for no reason at all and nothing the mother does will be able to soothe the baby. Mothers need to know that they are not bad mothers and that their babies are not bad babies when this happens.
Dr. Barr identified six characteristics of this period of crying that you can easily remember with the acronym, “Purple”:
P = The peak of crying happens when the baby hits 8 weeks.
U = Crying can happen unexpectedly.
R = Your baby may resist soothing.
P = Even though your baby may show a pain-like face, he or she may be just fine.
L = Periods of crying can be long lasting.
E = Babies often cry more during the late afternoon and evenings in this period.
When you feel like you’ve tried everything and you’re at your wits’ end, here are some tips to deal with the frustration:
1. Accept help from others. You need to take care of yourself too, so take your parents or friends up on their offers to babysit. As much as it’s valuable to model self-sacrifice for your baby, it’s also important to be a model of self-care. Parents need breaks too!
2. Connect with other parents. There’s nothing more relieving than being able to relate with others who are in the same boat. Share stories, tips and ideas on how to soothe your baby, regain your composure and cope as new parents.
3. Put the baby down. If there’s no one around to lend a hand, know that it’s okay to place your baby in a safe place for 5 to 10 minutes. Leaving your baby for a short amount of time will not lead to abandonment issues; on the contrary, babies will eventually learn and have confidence that when a parent leaves, they will always be back.
This entry of Ms. Bangayan was an eye-opener for me for many reasons. Though I do not totally agree with this but I could say that to some extent I have experienced such stage with my babies. I have a long story to tell of my experience so I'll just give you a link to my own journey in what is called 'Period of Purple Crying'.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Kids Are Mirrors
This is my official entry to the Momsquawk Facebook Contest. You can read this entry here or at the Momsquawk page and read also other entries as they are pretty helpful to all parents.
I always wanted to have an affectionate family of my own. I envisioned myself to be able to raise a family where hugging is abundant, appreciation is addressed well and humility is practiced.
I realized that in order to achieve that I have to make a decision, a decision wherein as a parent I will be modeling such affection in the family. So I resolved to find someone who had the same views as I have.
And thankfully I did marry a very affectionate guy. We both wanted to show and tell our affection to our kids. We now have two young boys (a 2 & 9 mos. and an 8 mos. old) who are full of hugs and kisses and receive loving words from us.
Hammie, the older son loves hugs, kisses and the endearment that we shower him. When he was still a baby my husband and I would hug and kiss him at the same time. After hugging him, we would ask him if he wanted more, he would nod smiling and he received another round of bear hugs and long kisses on the cheek until he had enough.
Louie also is receiving the same warmth that we gave Hammie. And it’s a pleasant feeling that Hammie does not get jealous instead he just smile looking at us, his parents hugging and kissing Louie. We then call on to Hammie to join us for a big family hug, to which he laughs off and tries to run away smiling as his father would go get him. In the end, he would be the one asking for more affection.
Today, Hammie also practices greeting everyone in the family when he wakes up in the morning and before he sleeps at night. And he makes sure that he does his series of goodbyes with his father before going to work. That’s a kiss on both cheeks, a kiss on the nose and a light bang of foreheads. He looks for it even if he is still half asleep when his papa leaves for work.
There are moments in a day that he would just go to me or his papa and give a hug, kiss or tell us ‘I love yous’ spontaneously. Being the elder brother, he hugs and kisses his little brother without us telling him to. He passes on the affection that we showed him. It’s so heartwarming to see him display his love for his brother, his papa and me, his mama like that.
It made me realized that whatever you do in being a parent is reflected in how your kids interact and grow. Children are mirrors of their parents’ value system. And though it’s a new world for me to be expressive, it sure is something that I look forward to everyday of being a mother to two such adorable kids.
I always wanted to have an affectionate family of my own. I envisioned myself to be able to raise a family where hugging is abundant, appreciation is addressed well and humility is practiced.
I realized that in order to achieve that I have to make a decision, a decision wherein as a parent I will be modeling such affection in the family. So I resolved to find someone who had the same views as I have.
And thankfully I did marry a very affectionate guy. We both wanted to show and tell our affection to our kids. We now have two young boys (a 2 & 9 mos. and an 8 mos. old) who are full of hugs and kisses and receive loving words from us.
Hammie, the older son loves hugs, kisses and the endearment that we shower him. When he was still a baby my husband and I would hug and kiss him at the same time. After hugging him, we would ask him if he wanted more, he would nod smiling and he received another round of bear hugs and long kisses on the cheek until he had enough.
Louie also is receiving the same warmth that we gave Hammie. And it’s a pleasant feeling that Hammie does not get jealous instead he just smile looking at us, his parents hugging and kissing Louie. We then call on to Hammie to join us for a big family hug, to which he laughs off and tries to run away smiling as his father would go get him. In the end, he would be the one asking for more affection.
Today, Hammie also practices greeting everyone in the family when he wakes up in the morning and before he sleeps at night. And he makes sure that he does his series of goodbyes with his father before going to work. That’s a kiss on both cheeks, a kiss on the nose and a light bang of foreheads. He looks for it even if he is still half asleep when his papa leaves for work.
There are moments in a day that he would just go to me or his papa and give a hug, kiss or tell us ‘I love yous’ spontaneously. Being the elder brother, he hugs and kisses his little brother without us telling him to. He passes on the affection that we showed him. It’s so heartwarming to see him display his love for his brother, his papa and me, his mama like that.
It made me realized that whatever you do in being a parent is reflected in how your kids interact and grow. Children are mirrors of their parents’ value system. And though it’s a new world for me to be expressive, it sure is something that I look forward to everyday of being a mother to two such adorable kids.
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