At MamaDoula, we follow the wisdom of Dr. Harvey Karp when it comes to newborn sleep and calming.  All of our doulas are trained in his Cuddle Cure for soothing a fussy baby as well as the theory of the Fourth Trimester.  Let me explain.

Your newborn baby, age 0 to 3 months, has an ability to cry that is only one of her many brilliant and normal means of communicating.  And your desire to comfort your new baby is a built-in survival mechanism for our species!  However, that is also why when your new baby continuously and inconsolably cries, you become physically and emotionally exhausted.   

Most newborns sleep up to 18 hours per day.  However, all of that sleep is initially in short bursts lasting only 2-3 hours.  Hence, the newborn sleep pattern is not particularly conducive to rest for an adult.

Twenty percent of babies will develop colic, a distressing  and misunderstood condition that manifests itself as fussing & crying in a new baby older than 2 weeks and younger than 4 months, usually in the evening and after feeding.  It is often the cause of sleep deprivation, loss of confidence, relationship strain, and even decreased time of breastfeeding in new parents.  The combination of colic or excessive crying and parental exhaustion have also been correlated with an increased incidence of postpartum depression in new moms.

How is a parent to approach these daunting facts?  Most parents-to-be choose to ignore the possibility of exhaustion, primarily because newn parents are offered few techniques to use to help their baby calm down and get to sleep.

But we are pleased to say that there is another choice! 

In Dr. Harvey Karp's book, Happiest Baby on the Block, Dr. Karp, and pediatrician and child-development specialist,  describes how to calm a crying baby, get her to sleep, and help her to sleep longer each night.  He bases his findings on cross-cultural and scientific research and summarizes his theory as the "missing Fourth Trimester." 

According to Dr. Karp, excessive crying and difficulty calming is based on the sensitivity of newborns to life outside of the womb. Therefore, mimicking a baby's original environment (the womb) plays a critical role in soothing a crying infant and helping her to sleep.  Dr. Karp describes it as stimulation of the "calming reflex".

Dr. Karp cautions that his method is simple but must be done precisely.  Be sure to learn the method only from a Certified Educator in your area.   

MamaDoula now offers FREE CONSULATIONS on the Happiest Baby program.  Please contact us to take advantage of this valuable service!