The first 3 months of life can be a stressful time for a baby. Imagine, you just moved, you know nothing, no one is recognizable, and you need someone for everything! Add to this that you are feeling and experiencing many, many new sensations, not all of them pleasant. I think we'd all likely feel nervous and fearful at the very least. This is what the initial period of life after birth is for many babies. A huge change! While change can be amazing, it can also be stressful. Luckily, there are some things that we can do for our babies, to ease and reduce these feelings of tension and to help them to adjust to their new world.
One of the easiest ways to sooth an upset baby, and to help her to feel comfortable, is to have her close and hold her. Wherever you go, if your baby is awake, and even if she is asleep, take her with you and hold her close. There are some great wraps and slings that can help you do this for your baby and still be hands free too! Another way to be close, and to sooth your baby is by nursing on demand. Babies are naturally soothed by sucking. And the feeling of hunger is foreign and often very stressful for them. So nursing when the baby requests instead of a pre-determined schedule is a great way to help them to feel at peace in their new environment.
Another thing that many newborn babies like are continuous and rhythmic sounds and motions that imitate what they heard when they were in utero. This is where saying "shhhhhhh" to upset babies came from. Making that sound, gently near your baby's ear while rhythmically bouncing/swinging and walking her, or while rocking her gently will often calm her if she is upset. Swaddling (the art of snugly wrapping your baby in a blanket for warmth and security) can also imitate the feeling of your baby's first environment. Babies really didn't have all that much space near the end of their stay in your womb and swaddling helps to recreate this sensation. It is important for your baby to be able to move freely at times also though so that she can continue to work on developing her muscles. So, make sure that the swaddling is loose enough that your baby can kick it off when she is ready to.
As much as we may try to sooth our babies each time they need us, inevitably, there will be times that they just need to cry. We all have times like these, where the only thing that will make us feel better is a good cry. Babies are no different. Emotions and tensions build up, and crying is the only way to "reset the system" so to speak. So, begin now at this early age, to let your baby know that you are there for her and offer her your loving arms to hold her while she works out these feelings.
As your baby gets older, she'll begin to adjust to her new world. She'll begin to understand that you and your partner are there to help her and to care for her, and she will feel more at ease. Part of how she learns these things is how you respond to her in the early days of her life. When you consistently come when she calls, work to help her adjust to her new environment, and meet her needs with love and care, she learns quickly that this new place she is in is pretty nice after all!
