Birth trauma. Think about it – being born into the world must be a shock, more so if the birth was complicated or perhaps a C-section

Medication. The effects of medication used in pregnancy and birth can disrupt baby’s sleep/wake cycle. Pain medication and antibiotics have can have a dire affect your baby’s gut health – and a healthy gut = healthy sleep! See my blog here

Hunger. Getting to know your baby’s hunger cry is crucial to helping you manage your baby’s appetite and sleep. As a rule of thumb, babies need feeding every couple of hours. Try and give baby a full feed so that they are not kept awake by hunger and, this way, you’ll soon learn your baby’s hunger cry.

Poor sleep/wake cycle. Help your baby learn the difference between night and day. Humans are wired to sleep at night so start as you mean to go on!

• keep the bedroom for night time sleep. Other areas of your home can be used for play and daytime naps
• ensure the bedroom is dark at night – perhaps have a hall light on with a dim bulb (not LED) but no bright or direct light in the bedroom. Invest in blackout curtains if necessary
• Ensure the bedroom is quiet & warm (not too warm). Use background noise, e.g. a quiet radio for soft voice or soothing music
• Spend time with your baby in the bedroom – rock, snuggle, read and communicate to help them drift off to sleep.

Swaddling. Swaddling is really useful to help your baby learn the sleep routine. Swaddle your baby at night to signal sleep time and unswaddle during the day so they are free to play, feed and wriggle. This routine becomes an association with the sleep/wake cycle which will bring comfort to your baby

Babies who are not swaddled wake frequently and sleep lightly because the startle (Moro) Reflex causes their arms to rise up and they appear startled. If they aren’t in a deep sleep cycle this might be enough to wake them and disrupt the normal sleep cycle for your baby. For more tips see Swaddling | NCT

Melatonin. Your baby relies on your Melatonin levels in the run up to birth and in the first month after birth. Top up on sleep friendly foods and try and sleep with baby at least part of the day.   Tune into my ‘Eat to Sleep’ webinar (30 mins) here.  Getting outdoors will also help boost yours and baby’s Melatonin level

Colic & Reflux.

• Colic occurs in newborns and usually ceases around 6 months. It is thought to be a problem digesting food. Colic occurs in breastfed and bottle fed babies. The main keynote for colic is frequent crying, say, more than 3 hours per day, more than 3 days per week for at least a week. Colic crying tends to be more prominent in the afternoon and evening. Your baby is hard to soothe and settle with clear signs of pain (clenched fists, reddened face, knees to chest, arched back, windy).
• Reflux. This is the name for a condition when a baby brings regurgitates milk, or is sick, during or shortly after feeding. It is common and usually resolves itself. I believe that gut health once again plays a vital part in managing reflux. Symptoms of reflux in babies are always around feeding – coughing, hiccoughing, being unsettled, swallowing, gulping and burping after feeding, crying, not settling and not gaining weight. Another variation of Reflux is Silent Reflux. The signs of reflux are there but the baby does not actually regurgitate or vomit milk.

Teething. Babies begin to teeth as young as 4-6 months these days. Keynote signs are a change in nappy/diaper contents, red or pink cheeks, chewing fingers and anything they can get their little hands on and, of course crying and screaming!

Health problems. If you’ve tried all the above, and crying or sleep problems persist, you should let your GP know as soon as possible to rule out any medical problems.