How will I know what my baby wants and needs?

Like what the other mummies have mentioned, learning to recognise your baby's different types of cries may help you better to his/her needs and wants. As a guide, there are a few different types of cries that signify different needs. They are (taken from: http://sg.theasianparent.com/what-your-babys-cries-mean/): - A hungry baby’s cries will be rhythmic and repetitive. The cry will often be accompanied by sucking sounds, rooting or sucking on fingers or hands. Timing also plays a big part in a hungry cry. If your baby hasn’t eaten in 3 hours or so, chances are pretty good that he/she wants to eat. Dunstan baby language tells us to listen for ‘n’ sounds in a baby’s hungry cry. - A tired baby’s cry will start slowly and build in intensity. A tired baby will also rub their eyes, yawn and move around as if trying to keep themselves awake. The ‘ow’ sound is heard in a baby’s tired cry according to Dunstan. - A stressed baby will toss and turn while crying in a whiny sort of way. The cry is often described as fussy. They will turn away from the sounds or sights that are stressing them out. - The cry of a baby who is suffering from colic is persistent, loud and sharp. They will often draw their legs up in pain. The ‘eh’ sound, according to Dunstan’s language of babies, indicates a need to be burped or to be relieved of gas. - Sudden, intense, sharp cries that come suddenly indicate pain. This type of cry can also indicate extreme fear. - Whimpers and soft cries or whining are signs of not feeling well. They are sending the message of “I need some TLC”. A ‘heh’ sound indicates discomfort in Dunstan’s baby language. Regardless, always respond to your baby’s crying. Comforting your baby when he/she needs you will help settle and make your baby feel more secure. Every baby will have their own styles of whining and all, once you are able to decipher the different types of cries, you can better attend to his/her needs.

It can be pretty daunting trying to figure out a newborn's wants and needs since there's no way for your baby to tell you anything. But don't fret, newborn usually cries if they're hungry or needs a diaper change like Diana mentioned or if he's uncomfortable (too warm), wants a cuddle or too tired. Learn to recognize cues e.g. rubbing of eyes and faces are usually signs that baby is sleepy so put him to sleep before he starts fussing too much. Don't worry about not being able to catch on his cues, as Heena mentioned, as you spend time with your baby more often, you'll be a pro at recognizing his different cries. Before I used to panic at the slightest cry bcos I wasn't sure of what my son wanted but now, I can easily remain calm and attend to whatever he needs quite promptly.

For newborn, most of the time will be 'NEEDS'. He/she needs to be fed, to be patted, to be cuddled, to be changed after pee/poop, needs sleep and etc. A newborn will not manipulate at such a young age and their only way of communication is through crying. Thus, never ignore a baby's cries as it indicates he/she needs to be attended to. You can read up more on the reasons for young babies to cry and how to soothe them: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a536698/7-reasons-babies-cry-and-how-to-soothe-them

For the 1st month for a new mom its difficult to understand what your baby is trying to communicate,but as you spend more time no one better than you will understand your baby. When my daughter was born i also had the same question on my mind and as i was searching for answers, i came across this interesting piece.. http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/952759/cracking-the-code-the-secret-language-of-babies

Some based on the patterns of cry. Every cry dictates the needs of the babies. This link might help you determine you baby's needs:http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/motherhoodinthemountains/newborn-cries-the-five-cries-you-need-to-know

thanks