The Secret Behind White Noise

I’ve written before about the power of white noise, and the reasons why babies respond so well to it. If you’re not sure, take a read of this post here. This week we’re looking at the secret behind white noise, why its a tool parents need to use and how it works in the early days with a new baby.

Understanding the fourth trimester

One of the first things I need to know from new families, who come to me for help in the early days with their baby, is how familiar they are with the concept of the ‘fourth trimester’. This is something that more and more books, websites and magazines are talking about (especially compared to ten or twenty years ago) but still a topic that many are unsure about. We’re taught from day one that a pregnancy is three trimesters long, and after that our baby must adjust to living in the outside world. So while we now understand what the fourth trimester is and how it can impact on sleep, families still don’t really apply this knowledge to their feelings of frustrations surrounding sleep. Many parents still want a baby that sleeps through the night early on, without our help and without the disrupting the family routine too much- a total contradiction of the fourth trimester!

The fourth trimester is that period of time after a baby is born, in which we as parents must help them to transition and adjust as gently as possible. The period of time where baby seems to cry for no apparent reason and will only be comforted by being held. The period of time where you become more and more creative in seeking ways to calm and soothe. Hello, funny songs and strange swooping dance movements! Basically, the fourth trimester is a period of time where your baby is trying to figure out what the heck happened to their safe, cosy cocoon and why they’re suddenly finding themselves in such strange surroundings. Its little wonder sleep can be a tricky topic.

Emulating the womb

Basically your baby wants you to emulate conditions in the womb, to help them feel safe, secure and loved. There are a number of ways that you can do that, but first you need to consider what it must actually have been like in there. First of all, noisy! And dark. And snuggly. All the things that the world tends not to be when you bring baby home. You ask visitors to keep their voices down. You have electric lights and you expect baby to sleep alone in a crib or a bassinet. These are all the things that we’re taught to do with babies, but they don’t ease our children into the world very gently at all.

Noise

Let’s focus on what your baby hears in the womb. Blood whooshing around, muffled sounds form the real world. Your heart, beating. All backed up with a constant, low level white noise that serves to create soothe and calm atmosphere. And this is why white noise is so very special. As humans we’re all very sensory creatures, and as babies we use our five senses keenly when we want to understand the world around us. What we see, taste, touch and smell is hugely important, and for babies the sounds around them are even more so.

White noise

Using a white noise machine can be a game changer when it comes to sleep. For a baby who is unsettled, upset or anxious the only way to help them relax is to guide them towards feeling safe, secure and loved. Re-creating elements of the conditions in-utero is the answer, and for many babies white noise can be all it takes. Studies have found that many babies fall asleep within 5 minutes if white noise is used, and many parents report back to me that their sleep issues are all but resolved thanks to this little tip. Download an app, set a Youtube video going, or invest in a specific white noise machine- its up to you how you choose to administer it. You can even set the washing machine on a full spin if you need to! Just know that white noise is going to change your family’s sleep.