Thank you for your information, Barbara.
>
You pointed out: > Any theory of crying would have to factor in the enormous
number of subtle
> variables.  I've seen very ineptly feeding babies cry all day when not at
> breast, yet while "nursing", are really just sleeping with the nipple in
> their mouths.  They get just enough CCK to pacify themselves, but never
> enough calories to grow well or feel full and content.  So while it's
> certainly good to respond with more holding, one also wants to emphasize
> assessing the underlying reasons for the baby's distress.  I think it is
> impt. to rule out hunger and organic illness that hasn't fully manifested,
> birth injury, significant reflux (which is characterized by poor growth),
> sensory defensiveness, etc.  I have seen several children with what turned
> out to be bowel rotations or herniated intestines who cried all the time
and
> were just miserable, but the defect was a while in being identified.
>

In developing my "theory" I was not thinking about individual babies, but
considering the research that suggested that there seems to be a common
pattern of crying in babies around the world - that the frequency of crying
peaks at about six weeks, then diminishes to three months, after which it
stabilizes. (The duration of the crying seems to have a lot to do with the
culture.) In some cultures, that frequent crying leads to more frequent
feedings, and one study found babies who cried more were more likely to
survive a famine than those who were less fussy. I was speculating that
perhaps the generalized increase in crying over the first six weeks or so is
designed, in evolutionary terms, to ensure that lots of prolactin receptors
are in place and that milk supply is solidly established. I agree that
individual babies may have many different reasons for crying that should
absolutely be investigated, I was just thinking about possible biological
reasons for this pattern that researchers have observed.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph Ontario

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