Monday, November 13

Baby Language

Alright, did any of you watch Oprah today? I hadn't planned on it, but my friend Dee called and said "You have to watch this, or tape it, because it could change your life!". Well, when someone tells me that something may change my life, I'd BETTER watch it! So I flicked on Oprah at 6:00, and I'm sure glad I did!

Her guest speaker was a lady from Australia who was diagnosed at an early age with an acute photographic memory for sounds. Once she became a mother, this lady was able to differentiate between 5 different sounds her infant son was making - and began to recognize that these 5 sounds were 5 different "words". She thought it was just her own son, but eventually she realized that other babies were using the same sounds to project the same "words". She began a study of over 1000 babies, of all races, cultures and nationalities and found that all babies use these same sounds. She is now trying to educate mothers to recognize these 5 sounds so that they can better take care of their babies. This was TRULY remarkable to watch!

It probably works best to actually hear examples of these sounds. However, I will list them here. A DVD called "Dunstan Baby Language" will be available online at www.oprah.com come November 27. I'm thinking I might see if a few of my friends want to go in on it with me. I think it may be worth it.

These sounds are heard in babies ages 0-3 months, and during the initial pre-cry state. It is almost impossible to discern the sound once the baby is in full tilt crying mode.

"Neh" - means HUNGRY. The emphasis is on the 'N' sound in the beginning.

"Owh" - means SLEEPY.

"Heh" - means DISCOMFORT. The emphasis will be the 'H' sound in the beginning.

"Eair" - means LOWER GAS. It will be a sound that comes from the tummy.

"Eh" - means BURP. The emphasis is on the 'E' sound.

Once you learn these sounds from your baby (it takes practice to recognize them), you will know better what your baby needs or wants. It was really amazing to hear the baby doing the "Eh" sound, simply to be propped up for a burp and immediately stop fussing. I'm definately planning on trying this out. If you have a baby, I'd be really curious for you to try it and report back if you think it works.

11 comments :

Unknown said...

DANG IT!

You didn't have the baby yesterday like I predicted!

Heather said...

it does work.. even in my six month old twins.. like she said we have always responded to their cries immediatly so we can still hear those sounds.. i was listening all day.. it was amazing..

Drea said...

owh sounds complicated :-) but neat. May have to look into it.
I used SIGNING a lot with Caleb at a young age, still do.
I recommend it highly!
The best way to know what your baby wants though is to keep them on a schedule. Im going to post the schedule I used with Caleb later this week on my blog. So check back. It got him sleeping through the night at a week old. WAS FANTASTIC!!!

Becky said...

I SAW THAT TOO!!!! I CALLED ALL MY FRIENDS WITH BABIES AND WAS COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY!!!! So cool. I taped it so I am ready for my next baby. It's just too bad it's too late for Sammy.

Jamie said...

I missed it, but I think I can catch it on another channel tomorrow morning so I'll definitely plan to (if I'm not in the hospital - lol!) It sounds fascinating!

Gina said...

I was just out with a friend of mine that is pregnant and she was telling me about it. She was also interested in purchasing the DVD's.

kelly ens said...

hi heather,
i found your blog through jamie's. very interesting. I hope i can catch it on another channel in the morning too! and i will definitely be listening to my babe's cries tomorrow to try and sort them out!
hope your baby comes SOON!

kelly ens said...

Heather,
Go ahead and add me - i'll assume it's ok to add you to mine as well! :)

Trev and Rebekah said...

Wow, that is interesting.

Amber said...

Although I am not a fan of Oprah at ALL, I'm recording it as we speak...can't wait to watch it later and see what you are talking about. It sounds interesting!

Anonymous said...

i just recently found out that i'm going to have a baby and i plan on trying out your technique.