Infant - Newborn Development
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Language development
Crying is a vitally important means of communication. By the 3rd day of life, mothers can distinguish their baby's cry from others. By the first month of life, most parents can tell if their baby's cry means hunger, pain, or anger. Crying also elicits a nursing mother's milk letdown. The inherent biological response in most humans to crying insures the infant's survival.
The amount of crying in the first 3 months varies in a healthy infant between 1 to 3 hours a day. Infants who cry more than 3 hours a day are often described as having colic.
Colic in infants is rarely due to a physiologic problem, and many experts believe it is associated with excessive gas in the bowel and or the inability to digest certain formulas. It may be associated also with overanxious mothers.
Excessive crying is can be associated with child abuse. Regardless of the cause, it is a complex problem that deserves a medical evaluation.
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