Whew, another whirlwind day is coming to an end… There were several clients in and out of the counseling room watching all types of informative videos, but I think the most interesting one today was about how to understand the different cries that your baby can make and what they might mean…

The “Understanding Your Baby’s Cry” video introduces an interesting concept that suggests that there may be different types of cries depending upon what your baby is trying to tell you. What? Yes, that’s what I said… your baby may already be trying to communicate with you using specific patterns.

The video went on to say that it’s best to focus first on what the words (sounds) are and then to listen for those words when your baby cries. The key is to try to listen for one of the five words before the baby gets to the screaming stage of the cry. And if you are hearing multiple “words’, you should pay more attention to the first word that you are hearing as they start to cry.

-The first word we learned is Neh, which means hungry. What you are listening for in this cry is the “n” part of the sound. When your baby says, “Neh” this is when you feed them.

-Then there is Owh, which means tired. This word is pronounced when sound is added to the yawn reflex. Try it yourself. Your baby’s mouth will make an oval shape, the shape of a yawn. When your baby’s says, Owh, this is when you help them to fall asleep.

-The next word is Eh and this means burp me. It is pronounced when the muscles in your infant’s chest tighten and sound is added to it. When your baby says the word, Eh, this is when your help them to burp.

-The biggest word to listen for is Eairh, which indicates lower wind pain. This sound is produced when muscles around the lower abdomen are constricted and sound is added. To make this sound yourself, push your stomach out, breathe down into your stomach and push the air out slowly. When your baby says the word, Eairh, they might have lower wind that needs relief.

-The final word is Heh and this word means that they might be uncomfortable. Try this sound yourself by constricting the muscles in your chest, then breath down into your diaphragm and allow the air to fan over the pallet of your mouth. When your baby says the word, Heh, she is uncomfortable and may be too hot, too cold, or need a diaper change.

Did you that if your baby is burped regularly they might not need to make the Eh or Eairh sound at all. Good to know!

This was a lot of useful information so if you know someone who would benefit from this information please share this post along with this link for a full list of all of our services at the Pregnancy Resource Center of Statesville.