Deb West, RN, Director, Women's & Children's Services at Parkland Medical Center and Maria Doyle of NH Children's Trust
Derry, NH – "It was so discouraging," said one dad. "Our baby giggles and seems fine during the day and almost like clockwork, he starts crying around 6 pm. He is growing and healthy, so why does he cry like this?"
"Frustration" barely scratches the surface of what you're feeling. Many parents don't know that increased crying is normal and sometimes the only thing to do is put the baby down in their crib and walk away.
Deb West, RN, Director, Women and Child Services at Parkland Medical Center states, “We know that frustration with crying is the number one precipitant to shaking or harming an infant. This program provides a powerful tool to help parents soothe their babies and to cope when the crying doesn’t seem to stop.”
Parents who give birth at the Family Birthing Center at Parkland Medical Center will learn one more thing about what they can expect from their new baby before they return home with their new arrival. Parkland joins 16 other NH birthing hospitals to share the Period of PURPLE Crying® infant abuse prevention program with parents. This program educates parents about a developmental stage of increased crying that can occur when a baby is between two weeks and six months of age.
West says, “We are pleased to join this statewide effort to equip parents to cope with this stage of crying. The Period of PURPLE Crying provides important information for parents on soothing infant crying, and ways to cope with the frustration that can result from crying that can sometimes last hours.”
Trained nurses will discuss the Period of PURPLE Crying with each parent and then the parents will view a 10-minute movie with more in-depth information. Parents are each given their own DVD and booklet to take home. They are encouraged to show it to anyone who will care for their baby and not to leave their child in the care of anyone who might frustrate easily.
The Period of PURPLE Crying was developed by the National Center of Shaken Baby Syndrome. NH Children’s Trust, whose mission is to lead NH’s drive to eliminate child abuse and neglect, spearheads the initiative to see all of NH’s 20 birthing hospitals implement this program by 2016. At the beginning of April, Julie Price, the international program director of the Period of PURPLE Crying program at the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, traveled to New Hampshire to recognize the state’s accomplishment in now reaching parents of over 80% of NH’s infants born in hospitals. Maria Doyle of New Hampshire Children’s Trust works with organizations across the state to make the implementation of PURPLE possible by providing funding, training, and resources for hospitals and other community organizations.
“It has been inspiring to see the enthusiasm that hospitals and other health care providers, family strengthening and support programs, home visitors and others who support children and families have demonstrated for bringing this important information to parents of infants,” Doyle shared, “We are so pleased to have Parkland Medical Center join this effort and reach even more parents with this important information.”
For more information on the Period of PURPLE Crying visit www.nhchildrenstrust.org