Baby language/sounds

[~LoriMum~]

With DD1 I was so stressed I never really worked out her cries or anything - if she woke up crying I'd feed her and/or go through the "checklist" for what might be wrong (and still sometimes never figure it out!). This time around I somehow very quickly (within a couple of days) worked out her hungry cry (not that she gets a chance to use it much as I'm usually there before she gets to the crying stage), what she looks lie just before she's about to throw up, etc. However, there's one little noise she makes that has me baffled - although it might be for wet/dirty nappy... still investigating that pattern... So, I thought I'd run it by you lovely people and see if anyone here had heard this sound and figured out what it meant!!

The best way I can describe it is a staccato, stuttering type sound like a bleating goat! Imagine you are making an "eh-eh-eh-eh" sound to clear your throat - like a child making a machine gun sound... does that describe it!! Any ideas???

[Tea Lady]

You might find this helpful ... I found these sounds were pretty spot on for my #2. Like you I was so out of it with #1 that I never really figured out her cries, but I felt much more confident figuring out what #2 was crying about. I never bought the Dunstan book or anything, but I found the description of the cries very helpful.

[jbie]

did you hear about dunstan baby language? it's by pamela dunstan, who observed 1200 babies or something, about instinctive sounds they all make before 12wk old regardless of background etc..
she was on oprah..

anyway, it was too late for me when i heard about her, but i had recognised in my own bubs some sounds she suggested.

you can prob google it, but from memory..:
eh = gas sound, ie need to burp! this sounds like what you describe. short eh-eh-ehs..
neh = hungry
heh = skin discomfort
airgh = bowel discomfort, eg bowel gas

i forget the last one.... anyone in retrospect they were true for us!
there're more comprehensive descriptions around.. she's also got a dvd

[Tea Lady]

Snap Jbie!

Originally Posted by ~LoriMum~

The best way I can describe it is a staccato, stuttering type sound like a bleating goat! Imagine you are making an "eh-eh-eh-eh" sound to clear your throat - like a child making a machine gun sound... does that describe it!! Any ideas???

I know that sound!! Becky makes it too. I'm not sure what it means exactly for your daughter, but for mine it almost always means "GET ME OUT OF THIS CAR SEAT I'M REALLY REALLY UNHAPPY MUM I'M NOT COMFORTABLE PICK ME UP THIS INSTANT!!!"

I'd never heard a baby make that sound before! It really took me by surprise - it would actually be quite a comical noise if it wasn't for the fact it's so heartbreaking hear her sounding so sad.

[~*Bron*~]

does she make it while beign held? if not, that may be what she's saying 'i need my mama!'

[tiffanysmummy]

We bought the Dunstan Baby Language DVD and found it to be spot on.

The sounds are:
Neh - Hungry (Look for the tongue trying to touch the roof of the mouth)
Owh - Sleepy or tired (Look for the 'O' shape of the mouth)
Eh - Upper Wind (Look and listen for the chest tightening)
Eairh (sounds like air) - Lower wind (Listen for a more urgent, distressed sound)
Heh - Uncomfortable (Listen for the breathy 'h' part of the sound)

The challenge initially is picking between the similar sounding ones, but with the visual cues as well, it made it easier to work out.

[~LoriMum~]

DD1 never made the noise that I remember, so it's a new one for me Thanks for that info on the Dunstan stuff - I had heard of that lady. The Neh sound is spot on for hunger. DD2 has some wind most of the time (shes always grinning away in her sleep) but it doesn't SEEM to be bothering her - it doesn't keep her awake or anything. Ummmm, just trying to think about when she makes the noise... it's definitely not that she is away from me and wants me... I'll check with the wind thing - it could be that. It sometimes sounds like she's chuckling away to herself, and the other night when I was burping her she was doing it as if I was tickling her!! Quite a cute sound, actually.

[tiffanysmummy]

Sounds like 'heh' to me. On the DVD, it sounds like the babies are laughing, almost. Probably is wind.

[~LoriMum~]

Yep, thanks for all your help - I do think it is wind. She just did it straight after her last feed and stopped after I got a massive burp out of her!! So "smiling" and "laughing" are connected up as a wind reflex - kind of funny, huh?!