Another day in a row that I am going to write about my baby, well not really about MY BABY but babies in general. It is because tomorrow is a day which is related to so many emotions breeding inside me so I will write about them in my other blog.
Talking about the emotions, here too, I am going to write about emotions in babies. What is actually emotion? Emotions refer to some sensation inside our bodies that signals a feeling. This inside sensation soon appears to an observer who can judge what is going through the person he is observing. Babies are born with two emotions. In fact, these emotions develop way before you are born. Anger and Joy. Some lucky couples get to see one of these emotions via 4D ultrasound. In the picture below, you can see this 17 weeks old fetus smiling implying that feelings of happiness or anger develop much earlier before it was previously thought.
These two emotions are result of two types of chemicals (hormones) in the body; the one related to anger is called "Noradrenalin" and the one related to happiness is called "Endorphin". If a baby is born without "Anger", this is a major point of concern for the ones assisting in the birthing process. The impact of this emotions "Anger" is that the baby starts the breathing process (a vital function ensures your survival). The second emotion "Joy" is the result of Endorphin. Yes, this one is also essential because the process of birthing is not only painful for mother, but also for the baby. This hormone is generated to act as a painkiller or to create numbness so that the baby is born healthy without any fetal distress or something causing danger to the life of the baby.
So now, we already learnt how essential these emotions are for the birthing process. We can order them into Endorphin coming first, then Noradrenalin. But that's not the end of the story. Babies need these emotions essentially for the initial days of their birth because they cannot "express" their needs. In an hour or so, Endorphin comes into play again resulting into (may be a smile) and then baby starts to feel hungry so it generates the sucking reflex. Babies only need two of these for the next couple of months. Gradually, they learn how and when to use one of the other.
Initially, babies cry a lot because they need to feel secure, taken care of their hunger, cramps, sleep, uneasiness caused by a wet/ dirty diaper or a diaper rash and the list goes on. Hence, the starting month can be a lot stressful for especially mother and then those taking care of the baby. However, it is very important that those dealing with the baby are not traumatized themselves. They need to fulfill the needs of the baby all the time- most importantly HAPPILY. There are various reasons for it:
1) Your baby has a very strong need of "Security" and the first year is very important for his/ her physical as well as psychological growth. Don't do anything that may cause the baby to feel insecure.
2) Don't underestimate your baby. Your baby knows you more than you know your baby and he/ she can really feel what's going with you. If you are distressed, the baby can easily get distressed (Angry) and the anger multiplies so you are in more trouble.
3) If you are stressed, you can harm the baby. Baby shaking syndrome is a type of child abuse caused by an angry adult. This results into a permanent paralysis or even death.
4) When you smile at your baby no matter how angry you are, your own body automatically start to release Endorphin. Most parents experience a refreshing sensation by merely seeing their baby. This is also due to the play of Endorphin.
As I mentioned in my previous post, a crying baby can even upset people not related to you. This may put parents into more distress. Remember, you should never feel embarrassment or distress, this is very very important. How people feel is not your business. You cannot do anything more than what you are already doing to calm your baby down.
In this journey of parenthood, you will also come across some evil people (sorry for using this) but they will always tell you how easy their babies are. Remember, all babies are different but most importantly Every baby is easy is one sense and difficult in other. Babies come in package. It might be that those easy babies might come in package with some other annoying habit or comfort.
Giving yourself and your baby time to learn each other is very important. You don't become friends with somebody just in one second. Sometimes, friendship is a work of years of stressful fights with each other. Same is with the baby. Again, first year is very important for bonding. This year will be full of sleepless nights, stressful days, dirty house, laundry bag full, stinky house, uncombed hair and so on. Don't get carried away by those who are judging you especially at this point of your life. As most mothers told me, "Enjoy this time because babies grow very fast".
You and your baby are co-evolving with each other. Both of you have to compromise on various things. Although mothers have to compromise most, but sometimes, making your baby compromise on few things doesn't make you a bad mother. But remember, Your baby is an uncolored drawing book. It is you who has to fill color in the baby. So better fill it with the colors of love, joy, empathy, care, determination, balance, management and whatever you think is best for your child.
Last thing for now, every time your baby wakes up, welcome him/ her with a big smile and hug. I still can't forget the memories when I used to wake up, my mother would always welcome me and how I was feeling like a Queen. Instill this love in your baby becuase he/ she will reflect the same in their kids/ people surrounding them.
This topic is just too big that I need more space to write. So I will write later about it.
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