cry baby-help

kvicka

hi everyone,
i am not sure where to begin but to cut it short our 6 week old daughter cries all the time. When she sleeps she is fine but she only sleeps once a day when walking. After waking she becomes so unsettled and tense and I have to entertain her more or less 24/7 but even that doesnt really work. She cries so much that she even starts shaking sometimes. I get so upset over it and want to sit down and cry with her. We tried so much but nothing really seems to work. I am exhausted from it and wonder is anyone else out there experiencing the same nd has any advise? I do bf and it seems to be working <doesnt help that our p health nurse only came to see us once, not much of a help there. she sleep ok at night.
We spent X mas at a freinds and had to leave early because she screamed so much and just couldnt settle. She wont sleep when we put her into her cot or moses basket., The minute she realises it she gets a fit. Even when she is in my arms she d scream. We have our 6 weeks check up tomorrow, so hopefully the doc may be able to give some advise. In the mean time...pls feel free to help an exhausetd and upset mom:(

Hobbitfeet

You poor thing can imagine how exhausted you must be. Does your babe have wind problems or reflux? How was your birth? Maybe your babe would benefit from seeing an osteopath, I hear the work wonders for all sorts of problems.
Where about are you? You could try a le leche or cuidiu bfing meetings will get good support there. Phn generally are crap when it comes to bfing I know my one didn't have a clue and told me he should have a nursing routine every 3 hours!! So you might be better off that she's not coming to you
Sorry I don't have any better advice for you

Julo12

Sending lots of hugs and sympathy your way. I know it's not much consolation now but this will pass before u know it. I didnt have all day crying but did have it for a few hrs every evening for about 8 wks. A lot of the time it was over tiredness so getting in the car and driving for 45 mins or so gave me a break from carrying her and meant she got a nap. Wind seems to be another big problem, got some gripe water on amazon and it worked great for my lil one. Other ppl swear by infacol.
Even now at 5 months I have to bring her for a walk twice a day to make sure she gets two naps or she'll be like a bear! But there's v little random crying or crying for prolonged periods.
Just remember it does get better and ur doing a great job- this has happened pretty much every mum I know. If u can and again I know it's hard when ur bfeeding but see if u can leave baba with ur oh or family for half an hr and u just go to the shop, for a coffee or a walk around the block to clear ur head. I found that a great help when was about to crack up!
Sending good wishes ur way.

Moonbeam

If she is breast fed cut dairy out of your diet and see if it makes a difference ,if she is not talk to go or phn about other formulas .

pwurple

Oh gosh that sounds exhausting. I would start with the simple needs, sleep and food. Would she sleep in a bouncy chair with the vibrate on? Or in a flat buggy or a sling while you go for a walk? Mine really needed 3 or 4 naps a day at that age, when she missed them she was so grouchy.

A bit of sound and movement can help them nod off easier sometimes... It was noisy and bouncy in the womb, Cots and moses baskets are still and quiet, a lot of babies take a while to get used to that.

Can you feed more often, is she looking for boob when she cries?

Have you tried a soother? The sucking reflex can be relaxing for some babies.

cyning

Oh hugs x

My little girl used scream and scream and scream at me. I know at about 6 weeks I sat in my breastfeeding group as the nurse walked babs around and I drank a cup of water. It does get easier though.

I found a few things helped: baby massage there's loads of YouTube videos and a sling if only to let me clean up or eat. Make sure you remember to eat and mind yourself too its not good for anyone if you get run down.

Try and find a baby group aswell: it's good to meet other people, and good to give you a reason to get out and about.

I ended up co sleeping because she never would settle for long in her Moses basket at night. During the day I had mattress tilted which helped you could try that?

Oral Slang

Have you tried a sling? 1 sleep a day sounds like far too little for a baby that small (not that mine has ever been a great sleeper and she's 14 months now).
I find my stretchy sling great for getting her to sleep. They can feed away in them & if there's any reflux there, it should help as they are upright in the sling. Have a look at www.babywearingireland.ie or www.koalacubs.ie for different styles & types and for very helpful advice. You can hire slings from both places to try them out, or even try make it to a sling meet (on regularly all around the country.

KGLady

Sounds like a really rough time for all of you

1 sleep a day is very little so whatever is going on to cause the crying, her tiredness is going to be making it worse as she should be sleeping anything from 15-18hrs per 24. First thing I would do is PHONE your PHN, they are there to support you when you need and not only there for set appointments.

Other tips above are very good - a baby sling or mei tai might help you both, keeping baby close and to give your arms a rest. Do you spend much time with her in skin to skin contact? The warm heat and familiar smell and sound of your body is soothing for her, try lying down with a blanket over you and holding her on your bare chest with her only in a nappy as it might be calming and comforting for both of you. Sing to her too, even if it feels silly to you give it a try Babies are very in tune with their mother and the calmer you are (as tough as it is to be calm in the middle of such difficult times) she will react to your mood and slip into sync with you.

Does she show signs of having wind? Like tension in her body, fists clenched legs pulled up and a blue-ish sort of colouring around her mouth? Is she having regular poos and are they reasonably normal? If you have lots of dairy or chocolate for example it can be hard for her digestion and she'd have weird nappies.

Mostly, hang on in there and be assured this isn't how it will always be. It sounds like baby needs a little help with something that isn't immediately obvious and your PHN & Doctor will support and help you if you reach out to them.

lounakin

My daughter had a few screaming days when she was a few weeks old, it passed. It was mostly in evening time and the only things that would settle her eventually were the hoover/ the water running loudly in the bathroom/radio static, held in a sling or swaddled, in the dark.