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What are some reasons that my baby will be fussy or cry?

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Host: What are some reasons that my baby will be fussy or cry?

Dr. Ann Kellams: Well, crying is the only way that babies talk and express themselves and it can mean any number of things. The things that we usually check first are, "Okay, when was the last you ate and could you be hungry? Are you in pain? Is something pinching you or poking you that you don't like? Have you wet your diaper or had a stool, bowel movement that needs to be changed?

Then beyond that a lot of it has to do with -- they have really spend very little time awake that they are not doing some degree of fussing. So it might just be, "Ah, once I have started crying I can't slow my arms and legs down and I don't know what to do.

" So it might be a matter of getting closed with mom and hearing that heartbeat. It might be helped with swaddling. Bring everything in and just help them induce that calming reflex. Then also crying that is inconsolable can mean that there is a problem that the baby is really not feeling well. So we usually tell parents if it has been going on for three hours or more and nothing is stopping it, then they need to looked at.

Expert: Dr. Ann Kellams

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. Ann Lenox Kellams, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics and medical director of the newborn nursery at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, is an expert in newborn care and breastfeeding. Kellams teaches pediatric clinical skills to students and residents and authored the Newborn Nursery Resident and Student Curriculum and Orientation Manual for UVA More »