People always have an opinion how to soothe a crying baby. The most common advice is to let the newborn cry out their frustration, particularly if they have been fed and changed already. It’s hard to walk away and leave an inconsolable babe in the crib. Dayna Mager, from Michigan knows exactly what she has to do when her baby girl sobs. Luella was born in October 2015 and every time she begins to stir and weep, Dayna does something most moms are warned against doing. Dayna knew she would begin this approach after attending a Christian concert and hearing a missionary speak. She shared a photo on Facebook of her soothing method, her post has been liked over 60,000 times and has received over 22,000 shares. You may be changing the way you react to your baby crying from now on.There is a myth that babies cry because they need something specific; nursing, diaper change or gases. It is not always about wanting attention for basic necessities. Their cry for help is often times for a very specific reason.
Dayna Mager is a 28-year-old new mom. The woman recently posted a photo of herself sleeping with her baby girl. Her husband Matt took the photo when he came home late at night and found Dayna in the crib.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan couple attended a worship concert where a missionary spoke about his experience visiting an orphanage in Uganda. In the nursery room, the missionary saw about 100 babies, all of whom were silent.
The missionary was surprised at how quiet the babies were. He asked one of the workers for the reason and the response changed Dayna’s way of parenting. “Her response to him is something I will never, ever forget. Ever. This was my ‘why’ moment,” explains Dayna.
The woman in Uganda told the missionary babies always cry when they arrive at the orphanage. Initially, their cries can last hours but within a week the crying stops. The babies realize no one is coming for them.
“They stop crying when they realize that no one is coming for them. Not in 10 minutes. Not in 4 hours, and maybe, perhaps, not ever,” says Dayna. The professional photographer knew this story changed her life and the way she was going to take care of Luella.
Babies love to be close to their mom’s heartbeat, it’s what they heard in the womb for nine months. They love their mothers’ scents. Hearing their voices soothes them. It is not possible to spoil or create bad habits when it comes to holding a baby.
“I literally could have picked up pieces of my heart scattered about the auditorium floor,” says Dayna after she heard the story. When she got home later, Dayna promised Luella that she would always go to her.
Dayna recognizes motherhood comes with challenges but she says its important to remember that babies need protection. Giving a crying baby a soothing hug is something infants in other parts of the world never receive.
The new mom has received friend requests from people from all over the country. She believes her story has hit a nerve because she says, “it’s helping us focus on the important role we can play in our children’s lives, not being perfect, but knowing that our love is limitless.”
Cuddling and holding a baby helps them develop coping mechanism, empathy, and healthier adults.
The mom promises to be there for Luella’s first heartbreak, when she makes tough decisions, she will be there to hold her the same way she is doing it for her as a baby today.
