Understanding your baby's cry

As a new mommy, I was a "little unprepared" so to speak for exactly what 24/7 care of a new person entailed.  Yes, I'm a nurse and I'd also been a Nanny for over a year.  I was sure that I could tackle anything she could throw at me.  I, Mommy, could soothe my baby!  I had this!  After all, there are only a few basic needs to be met right?

Is the baby hungry?  Yes or No
Is the baby's diaper wet/dirty?  Yes or No
Is the baby hot/cold?  Yes or No
Is the baby tired?  Yes or No
Is the baby gassy?  Yes or No

I felt confident that with my past experience and my arsenal of soothing techniques, I could get even the fussiest baby soothed in no time.  Before becoming pregnant with our Dirty Little Hippie, I had been a Night Nanny for two beautiful twin girls and I always thought them easy to soothe.  I would run quickly down my list and remedy the situation causing all the fuss.  The end result, two happy babies.

However, when my own offspring arrived I apparently lost my Mojo.  I was a new breastfeeding, non-sleeping and overly worried new mommy.  I had just delivered weeks early,  requiring an unexpected induction and several blood transfusions.  I was tired, drained and to be perfectly honest.....clueless.  When going through my "list" I would forget entire categories.  "Oh yes!  She's wearing too many clothes and is hot!" would come after an hour of trying to feed her and get her to sleep. 
I would spend half an hour trying to burp her after a feeding forgetting that she might have wet herself while eating and that could be the cause of the commotion.

After one particularly stressful night of high pitched painfully shrill crying, I was almost ready to throw in the towel and cry out to the world what a horrible failure I was as a mother!  She cried, I cried and even Square Daddy almost cried.  It was, in all honesty, a very difficult evening.  Not knowing what your baby is trying to tell you when they need you is the most heart wrenching feeling on earth.

Then I remembered something that someone (I don't remember who) had told me about awhile back.  It could have been a co-worker, my boss or a friend off of one of my mommy facebook groups that had mentioned it.  They had told me something about a baby language video on YouTube.  They didn't really say much about it, just to look it up and I might like it.  Why hadn't I paid more attention?  Who had told me about it?  I decided that I would make it a point to find it that very next day.  And, I did.

I have to say, it is by far the best thing I've ever seen as a new mommy.  THIS is the sort of thing that every new parent needs to make mandatory viewing!  In fact, they should offer this as a part of every birthing or parenting class. 

I have provided the links to the Videos that I found on YouTube. 

Dunstan Baby Language Video 1 (Lesson 1 Part 1)

Dunstan Baby Language Video 2 (Lesson 1 Part 2)

Dunstan Baby Language Video 3 (Lesson 2)


Since watching these videos, we have become much more aware parents.  Our Dirty Little Hippie has expressed every single one of the sounds and emotions detailed in Dunstan Baby Language.  We now know when she is hungry, when she is tired, when she needs to burp etc. etc.  No guesswork required!

Have you viewed the Dunstan Baby Language Videos?
Have you been able to interpret your baby's cry?  

Don't forget to Pin this post and share your comments below.