From Un-happiest Baby to Happiest Baby
I took my little sweetie home and he was so adorable. All he did was sleep, feed and gaze into my eyes. That lasted a few weeks. Then the crying began. And it seemed to never end.
I was bewildered. So was my husband. No one at the hospital had prepared me for this. No parents had mentioned this type of experience to me. It was terrifying! My confidence as a mother was being threatened by my inability to soothe my son. I felt I must be doing something wrong and the comments I got from family members didn’t help. In a nutshell, we felt helpless, almost as helpless as our little guy.
And then I decided to open up the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and book set my mother-in-law had gifted me a few months back. It was shoved in a dresser and basically disregarded, but what did I have to lose at that point?
I popped the video in and saw this man, Dr. Karp, repeatedly soothe frazzled babies and parents by introducing them to the 5 S’s. Side or stomach position, Swinging, Shushing, Swaddling and Sucking. These all trigger a newborn’s calming reflex. I couldn’t wait to try this technique on Dominic, the Unhappiest Baby on the Block!
I knew he would wake up, feed and then cry for a half hour or more. So that is when I began to practice “Cuddle Care,” the 5 S’s all at one time and the most effective way to trigger the calming reflex.
Guess what! It worked! He stopped crying. I began to tear up with gratitude because I finally felt like I was doing “my job” as a mother. Being able to sooth my baby was the greatest gift I have ever been given aside from seeing his face for the first time. And I’ve been doing it ever since. If there is one thing I know I’m good at above all else, it is baby soothing!
Please, new moms and dads, if this experience is sounding all too familiar, seek out the Happiest Baby on the Block book and video. You deserve some relief.
Find out more about Happiest Baby on the Block at:
http://www.happiestbaby.com/learn-about-your-baby-toddler/the-happiest-baby-on-the-block/
-Amanda Hammond
Ready or Not- A Baby Planning Service
