Kamis, 24 Mei 2012

Babies left to cry are still unhappy hours afterwards as stress hormone remains high

Babies left to cry are still unhappy hours afterwards as stress hormone remains high

By Fiona Macrae

PUBLISHED: 19:19 EST, 23 May 2012 | UPDATED: 19:20 EST, 23 May 2012


Don't be fooled: Babies continue to be unhappy for hours after crying as the levels of stress hormone cortisol remain high, but just keep quiet about it, a study has found (file picture)

Don't be fooled: Babies continue to be unhappy for hours after crying as the levels of stress hormone cortisol remain high, but just keep quiet about it, a study has found (file picture)

It is a blissful moment for any parent, when a once fractious baby finally learns to fall asleep without a murmur.

But mothers and fathers should not be lulled into a false sense of security, because their child may actually still be upset.

A study found that levels of the stress hormone cortisol remain high in ‘cry babies’ even in the days after they have apparently learnt to settle themselves.< /p>

In other words, the child is still unhappy but just keeping quiet about it.

The research will reignite the debate  about the pros and cons of controlled  crying â€" letting unsettled babies sob themselves to sleep.

Sticklers for routine, such as childcare guru Gina Ford, say that if babies cry during designated sleeping hours they should not be picked up.

But others, including fellow author and childcare expert Sheila Kitzinger, claim mothers should be guided by their instincts and not by prescriptive routines.

The study involved tracking hormone levels in babies and their mothers.

Many of the children, who were aged between four months and ten months, had trouble getting into a routine or settling without being comforted.

During the study they were put to bed and left to soothe themselves to sleep, and the length of time that they cried was logged.

More research needed: The brevity of the study means it is not clear if cortisol produced by the babies does eventually drop, so a larger one is now underway

More research needed: The brevity of the study means it is not clear if cortisol produced by the babies does eventually drop, so a larger one is now underway

Their mothers stayed in a room near enough to hear any cries but were not allowed to go to their children. Levels of cortisol were measured in the women and in their babies on the first night of the study and on the third.

By the third night, the infants cried little before dropping off. However,  their levels of cortisol remained high, the journal Early Human Development reports.

In contrast, the amount of cortisol in the mothers had dropped, sugge sting that they had relaxed due to the lack  of crying from their baby.

Enlarge   How babies filter out information

How babies filter out information

Wendy Middlemiss, a researcher at University of North Texas, said: ‘Although the infants exhibited no behavioural cue that they were experiencing distress at the transition to sleep, they continued to experience high levels of physiological distress, as reflected in their cortisol scores.

‘Overall, outward displays of internal stress were extinguished by sleep training.

‘However, given the continued presence of distress, infants were not learning how to internally manage their experiences of stress and discomfort.’

The brevity of the study means it is not clear if cortisol produced by the babies does eventually drop. The researchers are now doing a longer study, to see if the hormone’s level falls with time, as babies learn to cope with going to sleep alone.

Siobhan Freegard, of the parenting advice website Netmums, said: ‘I don’t think anybody would ever say that you shou ldn’t use controlled crying â€" it is about getting the balance right.

‘If you are on maternity leave with your first child and can have a nice lie-in and breastfeed the baby in bed, that is very different to being a single mum who needs to go out to work or no one will eat.

‘I have been advised many times to try controlled crying, but it caused me much more stress than picking up the baby and doing what comes naturally.

‘But I know other mums who have found controlled crying short, sharp and successful.’

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

  • Newest
  • Oldest
  • Best rated
  • Worst rated

My son and daughter-in-law let their daughter cry herself to sleep. I think it's stupid and goes against all my natural instincts - babies cry for a good reason and need attention. It's just another of the many idiotic modern ideas that fly in the face of nature and common sense.

Report abuse

I have 3 children, all raised using Gina Ford methods - they never cried for long, slept thru after 8 weeks, everyone commented/still comments on how contented they are - they are not perfect, and have their tantrums, like all kids, but I truly believe in not running to them every 5 seconds, this only makes them fractious, needy and un-realistic.......end of!

Report abuse

My number one baby was rocked and soothed and was two years old before he slept all night!.....By the time I got to baby number four, he got around 9 months of night breast feeds..........one totally exhausted mother and father and very happy baby! One night of crying later baby slept all night.......it was difficult but necessary for everyone!. He was a happy baby before and a happy baby after........He is a happy 21year old. One night of crying is hardly going to scar a baby for life. Oh and baby number one is a disgruntled 32 year old!

Report abuse

I followed Gina Ford with both my children (now aged 5 8) - you can critisise it all you want, but if you have a baby who sleeps 7pm-7am from 8 weeks old and naps for 2 hours every lunchtime for at least 2 years, then it's amazing! Mine did cry themselves to sleep occassionally - they're very contented with the Gina Ford routine, so crying is pretty minimal anyway. Total rubbish article! - SGT, Solihull, UK, 24/05/2012 06:17 Hear hear! Praise the Lord for Gina Ford!

Report abuse

Years ago before TV, internet, books and self proclaimed experts, we lived in caves and mud huts and relied on instinct to survive. We still have all these instincts so if your instinct tells you to go and comfort your child when it cries then that is exactly what you should do.

Report abuse

No baby should be left to cry there is something bothering them so you must solve it! Toddlers however can be left to cool down during a crying tantrum. - me, the world, 24/5/2012 06:29 We are all born selfish and must learn tolerance and thoughtfulness, and lessons must begin immediately we are born. The neighbours' 6 week old baby may look like a wrinkled,senile and incontinent old man to us, but the parents will describe an individual with his own personality already emerging. These kids are not stupid. They learn very early how to get their own way and screaming is their only tool. Suggesting that, whilst toddlers can scream to their hearts content, a baby must be immediately lifted and comforted, begs the question: what is the cut-off date at which one changes the system? Could the fact that the toddler throws many of its tantrums have anything to do with always getting its own way for so long? There are no hard and fast rules. Every case has its own merits.

Report abuse

As an old woman, I am so happy to read the comments of those wonderful young mums who do not ignore their babies when they cry. I well remember over 50 years ago a Hospital Sister in a baby ward telling me that no baby was left for more than 5 minutes to cry, I didn't and had 2 wonderful independent, non clingy sons. Go with your maternal instincts Mum and cuddle when they cry. There's no such thing as child experts....only loving Mums.

Report abuse

babies only stay babies for such a short time. Next thing you know theyre catching the school bus. If you cant give yr child all the attention it needs for a few years then dont have them. Get a dog instead.

Report abuse

A mum knows the cry is baby is upset or just tired. The study did not say if the parents and babies taking part were used to being left to cry or not before the test. Its totally flawed. Leaving a baby to cry a little is ok if its very staggered when you do it. i would never leave a baby to cry for ages even if I knew they were overtired. My best advice is not to talk when you go in to comfort especially at night as if you can get the associating quiet time with night it quickly makes a big difference. A gentle stroke of the face to soothe is sometimes enough for them to drift back off. The little spot of skin at the top of the nose between the eyes is a sure fire spot to gently stroke with one finger to get them to close their eyes. My sister taught me that one :)

Report abuse

We have a 6 week old, and the Health visitor has told us that if a child is left for 20 mins crying non stop something is wrong. However, if they start and stop they are just wanting a cuddle. No matter what these reports say, nobody can hold a baby 24 hours a day.

Report abuse

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Diposting oleh di

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar

Langganan: Posting Komentar (Atom)