Understanding how the infant brain develops can provide some much neededencouragement to new parents. In a nut shell, babies are born incredibly under-developed. Most other mammals can get up and run within minutes of beingborn—we take months to even roll over. Your newborn is completely and utterlydependent on you for EVERYTHING, and the only way she can tell you she needs youis to cry. Sometimes, a lot.
The way you respond to her crying lays the groundwork for her future attachments.(No pressure, right?!) She is wet. She cries. You change her. She is hungry. She cries.You feed her. She is cold. She cries. You cover her up. In this, she learns that she isimportant, and that someone is there to take care of her. Sometimes, the crying can’tbe fixed with a new diaper or some milk. Sometimes you find yourself at the end ofthe checklist of “to do’s” when your baby cries, but she is still crying. When you hangin there and keep bouncing, singing, driving—whatever it takes—you are sendinga strong message to your baby. Even when things are tough, you are there. Thismessage helps neurological development. So hang in there!
What helped you make it through those first three months?
http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2013/04/understanding_infant_brain_dev.html#incart_river
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