Reflection:

I chose to do my infographic on the Period of the PURPLE crying. The PURPLE is an acronym
that stands for the following letters: P: peaking of crying meaning that your baby may cry more
each week, U: unexpected meaning the crying can come and go and you don’t know why, R:
resistes soothing meaning your baby may not stop crying no matter what you try, P: painlike
face meaning that your baby may look look like they are in pain even when they are not, L: long
lasting meaning the the crying can last as much as 5 hours a day or more and lastly, E: evening
meaning that your baby may cry more in the late afternoon and evening. The purple crying
period lasts around 2-3 weeks of the 3-4 months of age.

While learning about this period of purple crying I was just picturing my life with a baby. I found it
fascinating and interesting because you know that babies cry but you don’t usually know how
long it will last and really understand what you need to do in order to help your baby. Learning
about this period has made me more aware and educated for when I do plan on having a baby
that I know what I should be looking for and how to help my baby. I can now see why it is very
important that individuals are educated on the period of babies life if they already have a baby
or they are intending to have one in the future. I now understand that crying promotes
development in communication, relationships and provides auditory stimulation. I think that
knowing about this period, it will relieve some stress and anxiety off parents shoulders and
maybe even knowing how to comfort their baby in a better way.

According to Dr. Harvey Karp book called the happiest baby on the block, there are treatment
with 5’s. Those treatments include, swaddling, side or stomach while holding your baby, “shhh”
sound, swinging movements but no more than 1 inch back and forth, and sucking. These 5’s are
very important because high levels of parental frustration can lead to increase risk of abuse,
neglect, depression, and even shaken baby syndrome which means that motion that may
rupture blood vessels in the brain or break neural connections. The shaken baby syndrome is
the leading cause of child abuse fatalities in children under the age of 1. The point of performing
the 5’s to your baby is to calm and distract them from crying.

I think that it benefits many people who know about this period because those who know about
it are probably less likely to get frustrated or even less stressed about their baby. I think that
having less stress and anxiety about the baby crying all the time will also reduce the abuse and
neglect for the baby. If more people knew about this period and the 5’s, then I honestly think
that there will less stress and have more confidence as a parent because you know exactly
what to do to make your baby feel better rather than just let them cry and neglect them. This
period is very useful for parents and upcoming parents who need extra help and tips to get them
through that stage of their babies life.