Just thought I’d give an update, I’m on  my third week with Claudia.

Since eleven days old Claudia is sleeping through the night.  Her day naps are good but, during her waking day, she is only happy while being carried over the shoulder.  Try to put her down and she screams, and let me tell you she has a good set of lungs, the volume going from 0-60 in under 30 seconds.  I thought this might be just personality but with four older siblings, lots of attention and being carried and held for the first week of life she has got used to being carted around and not put down.  Babies do learn quickly that the best place to be is strapped to Mummy or Daddy.  A newborn needs time on their play mat to look around and build confidence without constant attention and being held. Besides, how are you going to manage the bathroom with baby in arms?

So after two weeks of encouraging some down time…… she still cries when ever she is not feeding or over the shoulder where she will coo and smile and be perfectly calm.  At first I thought it could be digestive and have put her on a course of probiotics,  made an appointment with a cranial osteopath and have asked Claudia’s mother to cut dairy  from her diet.  The next step is to test for acid reflux but, like no other baby I have had with this condition, she will calm down once picked up and put over the shoulder, and she feeds and sleeps well.  Could she really be that strong in personality and particular in where she wants to be and how she is held at three weeks old? Yes!  this is what happens when you spend the first few weeks of a baby’s life being carried around. Starting as you mean to go on with a balanced approach makes for a much happier baby term.