Patient's question:
My baby is 5 months old. Since he was 3 and a half months, he hasn't been sleeping until 2 or 3 in the morning. But recently, he hasn't been sleeping at night at all. In the morning, he sleeps from 8:00 a.m. to noon, and I can't wake him up during the day. Now, with me being the only one taking care of the baby, it's too exhausting. Please, anyone who knows, reply if there are any better solutions besides giving him sedatives. Thank you!Doctor's answer:
Crying comes in two types: one is physiological crying. This is an instinctive response and a way for babies to express their emotions and needs, possibly due to hunger, temperature changes, being startled, or having nightmares. In this case, parents only need to calmly soothe the baby to help it calm down. The other type is pathological crying, which should be taken seriously. Any illness that causes pain, itching, or discomfort to the baby can make it cry uncontrollably, such as fever, eczema, rickets, oral herpes, pinworm infection, and intussusception. When a baby cries without apparent reason at night, parents should first consider physiological causes, then think about pathological factors, and seek medical attention promptly if necessary.