How To Understand What A Newborn Baby Needs

Motherhood is a beautiful chapter in every woman’s life. It is filled with various emotions and struggles interspersed with moments of happiness. From the day of conception, every parent must plan toward the day of delivery. The days following delivery usually are tough as the baby learns and adjusts to the world. However, careful preparations can make these days comfortable for the baby towards it.

A newborn needs various things to make it through the first few weeks, first few months, and first few years.

Usually, a baby is born ready to communicate with you. Its movement may look random, but he will try to tell you what he needs and disclose its likes and dislikes through its behaviour.

And while a baby is trying to communicate his needs to you through its behaviours, it is watching your behaviours. So it is a feedback system.

Benefits Of Understanding Your Newborn Baby

The advantages of knowing what your baby needs are many. They include;

• It helps it relax: A quick response to your baby’s need will soothe and reassure it.
• It helps you understand what it is responding to by observing your baby, and you would know its individual preferences, whether he prefers a slow, gentle rocking or a brisker approach.
• It helps build trust in your baby: From seeing people look after it daily, it will learn to be reassured and confident. This makes it builds confidence in other humans.
• It teaches your baby about emotions: By observing your baby, you will learn how it shows emotions. By reciprocating with your emotions and expression, it understands emotions.
• Understanding a newborn makes you feel more confident as a parent.

How To Know Which Mood Your Newborn Is In? 

You can learn much about your newborn’s mood from the response to sight, sounds and touch. Its behaviour falls into one of six different states.

• Deep sleep: your baby’s eye will be closed and still in this state. Its breathing will be regular with occasional startles.
• Light stage: This is also known as rapid eye movement (REM). The pupils move rapidly under the eyelids, but they may open briefly. Your baby may move, startle and make occasional sucking motions.
• Drowsy: in this style, your baby is not fully asleep. Its eyes open occasionally, and its movements are smooth.
• Alert: In this state, your baby’s eyes will be open and attention focused. It will still be.
• Active and alert: your baby’s eye will be opened during this stage. It may move around and make brief cries and stifles.
• Crying: Your baby is difficult to comfort in this stage as the cries will be hard, and he may squirm.

While understanding your newborn, different expressions and responses will be observed while doing a lot of stuff for it. This will make you understand which experiences he enjoys and those that he doesn’t.

Your baby can show sensitivity by squirming, whining, and crying at things it doesn’t like, at the same time, laughing and staring intently at something that appeals to it. When fired, babies tend not to feed well, as there can be communicated through the state of being drowsy. During this time, the baby needs sleep, and you can put him/her to sleep. A baby will also not play when irritated. Paying close attention to your baby will make you observe their patterns. As a result, you become confident in the coming days

Does your baby want to be Fed?

A baby crying tends to be discomfort, irritated or hungry. A cry of hunger is usually a loud, unending cry which can be very loud and irritable.

The first few times of their expression can be confusing, but with time, if it is offered food and the cry ceases, it should be identified as a cry to be fed. Your baby may also turn its head firmly to one side while opening its mouth, showing that it wants to be fed. This action is called ROOTING.

Does your baby need to sleep?

Your baby may probably cry when it needs to sleep. It may stare with drowsy eyes before dozing off. Shortly before sleep, your baby will be disinterested in playing and other activities around it.

Is your baby bored?

While your baby will be interested in playing with you, it doesn’t need constant play. Whenever your baby is ready to play, it will become still and follow with its gaze while smiling. Peekaboo is a typical play to show your baby in its first few weeks.

This is by placing your palms in front of your face and suddenly revealing your face while saying “peekaboo”. This usually excites babies, and they laugh whenever people do this to them. You can also stick out your tongue while sticking your fingers to the side of your head and wiggle it.

Does your baby have wind?

If your baby has wind, they may cry, whine or seem agitated. Screw up his face as though in pain, pull his knee up to its stomach and kick its legs.

Is a wet or soiled nappy making your baby uncomfortable?

Most babies are restless whenever their nappies are soiled. This is because of the irritable feeling it gives. This is because of the irritable feeling it gives. This can make a baby cry, whine, and disturb you until you change the diaper.

Is your baby too hot or too cold?

Your baby’s temperature can be checked easily by feeling its tummy or back of the neck. If those regions are too hot, your baby is probably hot. Other signs that your baby is hot are damp hair and rapid breathing.

Feeling if your baby is cold through the feet is not adequate, but if you feel your baby is cold, try using mittens, socks, or boots. Dress your baby with layers of clothing. If they feel warm, remove some clothing; if they feel cold, add some.