Your baby has been in a soft, dark little womb for 40 weeks and suddenly appears in a loud and bright world. You talk about a change of course. (The man with the camera! The lights! The booming voices!) Your baby is overwhelmed with information from his first day on Earth thanks to the senses he acquired in utero . The relentless onslaught of lights and sounds from your little blueberry is more than enough to warrant a few tears.
Researchers have found, however, that by successfully stimulating baby's senses during their first few months, you can return them to that relaxed state of mind they enjoyed when snuggled up in your womb, and prevent them from crying immediately. .
It's a change for a child to get used to being outside the womb. How in the first five years of life the brain and mind develop. But babies adapt very quickly , especially when they encounter sensations to which they have already been exposed while in their mother's womb.
Soothe your baby with touch
In your belly:
Before birth, massage your belly. This will help the infant get used to his mother's touch, and it lays the foundation for a soothing post-natal technique. The baby can feel stimuli on the lips and nose during the first trimester, and he will be able to assimilate the movements (and warm up to body temperature later). In the comfort of your womb, your baby feels comfortable and protected, and the movement of your day is soothing to him . In the third trimester, when you stroke your belly, the baby will also be able to feel your touch.
When you're comfortable, such as when doing yoga, it's a good idea to start massaging your stomach in the second trimester. The trick is to perform light circular movements on the abdomen.
Outside :
Keep your baby close and cuddle him. Approach him when he is bawling. Everything we know indicates that newborns not only want close contact, but also human contact . Skin-to-skin contact (also called "kangaroo care") is much better than average hugs. According to experts, it is in the womb that you most feel like you are in contact with your mother's flesh and feel her pulse, and holding her close to you recreates the movements and the warmth. he felt when he was in your womb. According to a report from Vanderbilt University, newborns who share shirtless hugs with their mothers breathe better and cry less.
And skin-to-skin cuddles work with dad, too. Babies love the tactile feel of daddy's hairy chest.
Give him a massage. Every time you lay him down to rest, give him a massage. You don't have to hire a masseuse to crack your joints. Be gentle and attentive to an infant's joy or pain. Here is one of the methods: put your baby on his abdomen. Gently stroke his shoulders, arms and legs for about a minute each time. Then, lay him on his back and spend about 1 minute stretching his arms and legs and flexing them. This increases your little one's muscle tone and helps him calm down.
Soothe your baby with taste
In your belly:
Eat healthy. Your baby may start to taste the amniotic fluid around him during the second trimester. How it tastes is partly up to you.
We know that fruits, vegetables and spices like garlic, onions and vanilla influence the taste of amniotic fluid and breast milk. There is also a name for this: prenatal flavor learning. This means that in the familiar flavors that the mother may have tasted during pregnancy, after childbirth the baby will find warmth. Newborn babies are naturally inclined to desire breast milk, which has a very pleasant sweet taste.
Outside :
Feed yourself the same way as when you were pregnant. Breastmilk is your sweet little one's comfort food as he makes the transition from life in your womb to the outside.
Breastfed children are advantaged and thanks to mother's milk, they continue to have common tastes. When breastfeeding your child, try to keep a diet close to what you had when you were pregnant. In other words, now is not the time to go eat Ethiopian food on a whim.
You are not breastfeeding? This is not a problem. When your baby needs help calming down, you can also try a vanilla-scented pacifier. You see, the child has the same cravings, just like you, and the evidence shows he already had it in utero.
In the womb, as sugary substances are added to the mother's diet, her baby can swallow more amniotic fluid. A sweet-smelling lollipop can play on his penchant for sweets, giving him a particularly tough time. But don't worry, you'll be able to break out the nutritious pureed vegetables again after your baby has calmed down and is no longer beet red.
Soothe your baby with sounds
In your belly:
Play a lullaby. Your baby can hear after 18 weeks, when you're pregnant he's constantly listening at around 36 weeks . What does he pick up? Outside of all the background noise coming from your heart, stomach, and intestines, it's just you.
Your baby probably hears a distorted version of mom's voice even more than mom's heartbeat. He also listens to what you say, like talking to your partner or your grandmother's new jam. In fact, according to one study, during the third trimester, you could feel it moving in response to outside sounds . Babies sway more when they hear a lullaby playing.
Outside :
Talk, sing to your child and read. Your familiar voice, like your scent and your touch, brings your child immense consolation. Babies often tend to be soothed by white noises like fans, vacuum cleaners, or recordings of rain, perhaps because of all the gurgling they hear in your belly. Zen sounds, such as a pulse or a soft song, can also be downloaded to calm your baby.
Keep the volume down. Turn the volume down a notch, literally, if baby is in a bad mood. Although a baby's hearing sensitivity is less sensitive than yours, their inner ear is still very sensitive to loud noises . During the first months of his life, stop shouting and being surrounded by other talkers who make you listen, avoid noises and noisy places.
Soothe your child through smell
In your belly:
Choose your favorite baby scent and get to know it. At 15 weeks, a baby's nose will develop, and in the third trimester, he'll be sniffing aromas that he can recognize later. According to a study by the European Center for Taste Research, babies of mothers who ate biscuits filled with licorice anise during pregnancy were attracted to the scent once born.
A baby seeks out familiar scents after birth to find comfort. Within hours of birth, newborn babies identify their mother by her scent. The smell of a mom is really soothing for the baby.
Inside the world:
Keep familiar smells from birth. The baby is born wrapped in vernix, a white, cheese-like substance. Its smell is close to that of the womb and this scent can be used to your advantage. Don't let too much of the baby's vernix wash off. After a hectic journey around the world, the smell is familiar to him and will bring him peace.
Don't hide the smell. Get some emergency perfume and deodorant in the weeks following the birth. Stick to what the child is familiar with. You go out ? Give him a garment with the scent he knows to comfort him when you leave your baby with a babysitter. It has been shown to help the baby breathe better and calm down.
Soothe baby with sight
In your belly:
Prepare to stare. A baby's eyes are closed until you are about 26 weeks pregnant. It's definitely dark in the womb, but for the last couple of months enough natural light seeps in that he can see the movements of his hands and legs as he opens his eyelids. At this time, your child will turn to a source of light that shines on your abdomen. He won't be able to see much when he makes his big debut in the world, but he will be able to focus on one obvious source of pleasure: you. There is a pre-programmed urge for babies to look at your face.
Inside the world:
Make your child's room brighter. A difficult baby may need stimulation. This is where the designs and colors on the walls come in. Babies can only see very bright colors , essentially, so neutral, pastel-colored objects that are differentiated by soft hues are not seen. A blanket, toy, or tablet with exciting designs in bright colors, such as yellow, red, and orange, will grab a young child's attention and help calm their tantrums .
Allow eye contact. To relax baby, pace, sing. Here's an idea: Stop everything and look into his wide, bright eyes. This is a boon to bonding, as her vision is blurry beyond about 25cm for the first few months and the baby comes into the world with the ability to focus on your face while eating. Multitasking is part of a mom's life, but you don't have to get lost between bottles, laundry and dinner preparation to make eye contact while your little one is fidgeting.
Do you want your baby to sleep through the night?
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With a unique approach and practical tools for success, this guide will help you and your baby sleep better through the night.
