7 Week Old That Cries and Cries and Cries

Just a thought. My son was like that and we found out he was SERIOUSLY allergic to eggs (and milk and soy) and got it through my breast milk. He'd cry for approx 4-5 hrs. We used gas medicine (wouldn't always help) I would give up milk for a week (all diary/whey/casiene), then after a week see if its better. If not, give up the egg for a week, after a week see ifi ts better. We tried different types of music and believe it or not JAMES BROWN got him quiet sometimes. THat and giving him an enormous stuffed duck (we wouldn't let him sleep w/it). He now loveingly refers to him as "duckie".He still likes it : ). Other timse i'd put in the ear plugs and just rock him. I wondered if its a certain time or day or near feeding times or any bowel issues. ... good luck!

My son went through the same thing from about 5 weeks to 14 weeks. I was miserable and thought the crying would never stop. I found that going outside instantly calmed him. It seems way too easy but I would try everything I could think of and nothing would soothe him, but once I stepped outside he seemed to be distracted and went from screaming to peacefulness. Maybe that might help. But if not, just know it doesn't last forever!!

For both of my daughters I tried soy formula when they were infants and it did seem to help a little with fussiness. They weren't necessarily lactose intolerant, but hte soy seemed to give them less gas and they cried less.

Have you downloaded or bought the cd "sleeping baby" you can get it on itunes, it has multiple sounds like the womb, a clothes dryer, vacuum, etc. One of those might soothe her as well.

Have you noticed that she's extra fussy after you eat particular foods? I found this to be the case with my son when he was around that age (we exclusively breastfed). Otherwise, it sounds like you've tried almost everything in the book - how frustrating :(
My son LOVED it when I would wrap him up in a sling and walk with him. He liked being carried much more than riding alone in the stroller. Plus, if it's cool out you can pull your coat over the baby then. And, you can actually "wear" your baby inside the house if this is soothing to them.

A.,

Long story short...we had a VERY VERY colicky baby in 2005 (Jacob). He was horrible and it was very stressful. We decided to have a another baby and I delivered him this August (Ryan). My DH and I were expecting the worst and we signed up for a class "Happiest Baby on the Block" towards the end of my pregnancy.

As it turns out, I delivered Ryan the day before the class, so we couldn't take it until he was about 9 weeks old. We were blessed this time with a very content baby who is comforted very easily. But, we went to the class anyway and it looks like it truly works. I would recommend finding a class in your area and sign up.

As long as you have ruled out medical reasons with your peditrician, this very well could be colic. Colic rears its ugly head in different ways and at different times of the day for babies. Jacob (Mr. Colic) was fine once we were able to get him to go to sleep at night and would sleep for hours at a time and would wake for a feeding ready to play and coo with us in the middle of the night. During the day, he was miserable. Not much soothed him, but here's what I found did work:

Walking around holding him (or in a sling) and bouncing.

Me singing to him (I have a terrible voice, maybe he thought it was funny, lol).

A bath always calmed him down and got him to smile. He STILL loves his baths.

"Shh, shh, shh, shhhhhh". It worked to quiet him down and we were surprised to see that taught in the "Happiest Baby on the Block" class, too.

A pacifier. I was set against them and no WAY was my child going to use one. Yeah, we just got rid of his 2 weeks ago. Lol. He needed it. The sucking soothed him and kept him content.

Good luck.

My daughter was very crabby as a newborn...she began spitting up all of the time and when I saw blood in her poopy diapers I really began to think her stomach was making her so crabby. The doctor knew what it was immediately...I had to stop eating anything with dairy in it until she was 6 months old b/c she couldn't tollerate the whey and cassein that is found in milk, cheese and alot of other foods you wouldn't think of that contained these dairy elements....obviously she was breastfeeding...but as soon as I did that, it was like having a whole new baby...not fussy at all! Although you didn't mention the symptoms, I just thought you might want to know about this, just in case it might be something in your diet getting into the milk supply and upsetting her tummy. Hang in there! Goodluck!

My daughter went through a similar phase around that age. Definitely check for allergies.

For our daughter, she wasn't allergic to anything ( I think that would have been easier!) - she just had her "witching hours" as my sisters referred to it from their own kids. My daughter's would start around 7 pm and sometimes not end until 11 or so. The only way we got her to go to sleep is for one of us to hold her with her body facing the floor, rock her back and forth pretty briskly while bounce-walking around and saying, SHHHHHHHH. I know - it was exhausting, but it worked. She preffered my husband to do it. It lasted for a couple months, and then she got over it. Hopefully you'll find your own rhythm that will calm her when you repeat it.

She was also a tummy sleeper, and would NOT sleep on her back. Even in the hospital, I had to put her on her tummy so I could get a little sleep. She's almost 2 now, and still has to sleep on her tummy.

Good luck!!

Hi A.,
My daughter was very fussy, and I thought it was just colic. She cried a lot and it seemed like nothing could soothe her. It turned out she had reflux, but without the major symptoms like projectile spit-up. Once we thickened her formula and gave her some medicine (and consulted with the doctor), she was almost instantly better. We didn't figure it out until about 10 weeks, and she was like a different child afterwards.

Maybe something to ask your doctor?
J.

A.,
I noticed some people mentioned Happiest Baby on the Block - Edward Hospital has a class which follows this method which I found helpful. I would try calling and getting in...from what i hear the class is better then just getting the DVD (which you do get when taking the class) because you can put the method to practice right there during class.
Good Luck!

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. Hopefully your baby will be like most other babies and the crying will end around 3 months. In our family, our baby slept wonderfully at night, but would cry all day long. We were told that most babies grow out of it by 3 months, so I counted down the weeks and sure enough - just like flipping a switch - the crying stopped.

Things you can try:

For Crying Out Loud - it's a cd with various 'noise' situations, so you don't have to burn out a vacuum cleaner or hairdryer. It has storms, restaurant chatter, traffic, etc. I think I got mine from Barnes & Noble or Babies R Us.

Read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. It gives tips on how to calm a fussy baby, and the paperback version is like $7.

-Vibrating bouncy seat
-Try Dr. Browns bottles for feeding
-Make changes in your diet if you are breastfeeding (consult a lactation consultant for suggestions, but cutting out dairy and cruciferous may be a good place to start).
-If you have one of those large exercise balls or even a beach ball, place the baby face down on the ball and roll back and forth (if she has digestive issues, this pressure on the tummy can give her relief).
-Get outside: there were days when we would take 1-2 hour walks in the stroller because my baby just was fascinated and mesmerized by the outdoors. Since it is November, the mall might be good (unless all the noise and commotion is too much for her).

Good luck to you - colic is heart-wrenching and cruel, but know that it won't last forever. Make sure you also take time for yourself to get out and get a break from your kids once in a while; it'll really help you.

I am with the "wear your baby" moms. This worked wonders for my little guy at that age. To the point we called our sling the "magic" sling. I used one I purchased at Babies are us for $40 (I think it was called the Ultimate Baby Wrap). It was a long piece of fabric you wrap around, a little tricky the first 1-2 times you wrap it but easy after that and VERY comfortable. There were days I wore my baby for 18 hours! Good luck!

My daughter was very fussy at night because I had an over active letdown and she was gulping air all day. The gas drops usually helped, but if it is your let down, there are a few things that you can do...

Only nurse on one side per feeding.
Express some milk to get the let down going and put it in a cup or towel (anything but your baby) or I used my daughter to get it started and then released the latch and sprayed into a cloth diaper that I had laying under her head.
Burp really well.
Learn infant massage.

It is hard sometimes to do this, and I didn't do the one side thing...but eventually they start being able to handle it.

Take care,
H.

You are going to think that I am absolutely crazy but my little one did the same at that age and the only thing that worked was sitting in the warm bath. We did this every night! We would sit in the bath and nurse, sing, whatever and my husband would keep us company...it was relaxing for all of us!Good luck!

I am not sure if this will work but my daughters new baby was crying a great deal also. She found that turning on the fan over the stove and sitting her little one in the bounce seat, he quiets down instantly nad actually it also will put hime to sleep when he is over tired.

Try wearing her in a baby sling and see if that calms her.

I went through the same thing for 8 weeks. Turned out that my daughter was 'allergic' to my breast milk as well as any formula. We tried the Nutramigen and the crying stopped. It was like a miracle. Yes, it's expensive but a little time on eBay is worth it as it can be found much cheaper and in bulk.
Good luck. It's hard when they can't tell you what's wrong.

Hello! I know how it is with 4 children! My youngest is almost 9 mos., and with all of mine, I've pretty much had to hold them all the time, and that has made for very happy babies. I have a great baby carrier called "beco baby" and I use it almost daily. When I am tired out, and the baby is tired, I just put her in it, and do something around the house... before long she's asleep.
A friend of mine that did a lot of pumping of breastmilk, for her own convenience, and once she went back to work said that the rule with bottles is that anyone other than mom(yourself) should feed with bottles, and that your method of feeding should be nursing exclusively, that way, the baby is reassured by you, and knows what to expect. Try this to see if that eases some angst. I hope things get easier, or at least happier:)!
Another thing I've done is just go outside for a walk!(And I'll ask mother nature to give us a few warm days for that activity!

A.
So sorry to hear your newest addition is a bit on the cranky side. My two daughters responded well to the hairdryer. Also the sound of a running shower soothed my second daughter very well. Good luck, I hope you find a source that works for you.

I think a few people may have already mentioned it but I would consider the possibility of dairy/egg (or other) food allergies. This was the case with my daughter who I exclusively breasfed for 6 months. She was crying out in pain all the time and nothing seemed to soothe her. We sarted her on hypoallergenic formula and within a week or so she was a completely differently child. Now we are dealing with severe food allergies (dairy and egg) and she is 16 months old :(
Also, my friend's daughter cried constantly and tries all the same methods you did. Turns out her daughter had GERD. She saw an excellent DR. at Children's Hospital who thankfully was able to figure it out. Her daughter was on prescription medications but has since been weened off and she is an absolute angel. You would never think it was the same baby!
I would discuss the options with the pediatrician and maybe get some referrals from him/her.
Best wishes.

You could be dealing with colic. colic doesn't just happen at night. I would rule out any allergy or medical issue first. If nothing shows then it is probably colic. I would then suggest wearing your baby. Babies that are worn cry about 50% less than those that aren't. During her fussiest times of the day, there may be a pattern, wear her in the sling or bjorn. You can still do chores and such this way (not as easily of course). My son didn't have full blown colic but was fussy and cried a lot between the hours of 4-8 PM this lasted from 6 weeks until 13. Good luck and seek support or time away from baby if it starts wearing on you!!!

I have also heard of using these noises:
running water
dryer
hair dryer
vaccuum

I would suggest a doctor's visit to rule out anything serious and then look at your diet. She may be allergic to something that you are eating and then she is digesting in your breastmilk.

Have you had her ears checked? My 2nd child was just like that and it turned out to be chronic ear infections. She also slept for 4-6 hours at nite, which made me think no way on ear problems. The ENT said that she was worn out from crying all day so that is why she could get some sleep. Just a suggestion
D.

I know it may sound crazy, but what about running a vaccuum or turning on some music that has a real good beat. This worked for my girls. I also noticed with my youngest two that if it was too quite in the house they would not sleep. How about the bouncy-one that vibrates? Good luck!!

My colicky baby slept just fine at night.

No suggestions, but if it's colic it does get better after 12 weeks, just like the books say. Actually, one suggestion - later on we found out that my son has sensory integration disorder and is sensitive to sound, so it probably would have been best to hold him in a quiet, unstimulating environment during the evening Witching Hours. Instead, we would trade him off while watching TV to try to distract ourselves from the noise. If I had a colicky baby today, I'd get out the sling or baby bjorn, put on my iPod instead of TV, and walk him in a dark room.

Good luck! Also, look into milk allergies

My baby was the same way EXACTLY. I had 2 older children who were the calmest, happiest babies. After going back to the ped's office several times they suggested that we take a 4 day break from nursing, while I pumped to keep up my milk supply in case I wanted/needed to go back. I tried a special hypoallergenic baby formula called nutramigen by Enfamil. It is extremely expensive, just so you are prepared! However, it is totally worth it. Within 24 hours, he was a totally different baby. He stopped crying, stopped arching his back, started sleeping and smiling. I suppose that I could have realy devoted the time and effort to eliminating foods from my diet to see what the problem foods were and gone back to nursing, but I have 2 older kids who need me and I couldn't bear the thought of going back to all that crying while we tried to find the problem food/s. So, we stopped nursing at 8 weeks and life got great. He is 7 months old now and we are going to the pediatric allergy doctor today for our first visit. I'm curious to see if he has a milk allergy. At 5 months of age, we tried to switch from nutramigen to regular formula, but it didn't take. On the bright side, our pediatrician gets free samples of nutramigen often so I stop by to pick them up whenever I can. Give it a try -- you can always go back to nursing if you keep up your milk supply. It made a world of difference! Good luck!

Hi A.,
This is how my daughter acted before she was diagnosed with a dairy/soy allergy. I thought she was colicky, except that, like yours, she slept well at night. Once the dairy allergy was discovered, and I stopped eating dairy/soy, she was great. Good luck, and I hope that isn't what the problem is with yours, but if it is, many kids outgrow by a year. Neither my DH or I have any allergy.
E.

This was my first daughter. She had gerd or reflux. We chose not to medicate her because she was growing. Our Dr. told us it was more for our sanity than to help the baby, so we chose not to medicate. She eventually outgrew it. We went through many a day and night of pure screaming. She was my first, I just had my 3rd 6 weeks ago and I could not even imagine going though that now. Good Luck and I promise it does get better.

Hi there. It can be very frustrating, i have been there. My daughter cried for the first, um, probably 3 months maybe 4 of her life. She did sleep well at night, would not go down for a nap. The only things that worked for her, were her swing (which you already tried), going outside and just sitting or carrying her, or her bouncy. However...when she was in her bouncy, she had to be bounced like no other! I had to buckle her in even when she couldnt even move because she only liked it when i bounced her heavy. I mean, almost like you are afraid youa re going to flip her. I hope it helps. And now...she is great! it didnt last forever, although it felt like it at the time. In hindsight, i am glad she was such a fussy infant, as opposed to being a fussy toddler! good luck hope something works soon!

How about the vibrating bouncy seats? My kids both loved those

Actually, it sounds like classic colic to me.
"Colic is when a baby cries for longer than three hours every day for more than three days a week. It is the extreme end of normal crying behavior. The condition is harmless, though it can be very distressing for parents or carers. The cause is not known, but there are ways to help calm a baby down."

So, it doesn't necessarily mean they don't sleep at night. Have you tried "Gripe Water"? Also, when did it start? Acid Reflux usually sets in between 3 and 6 weeks. Zantac made a HUGE difference with our son. There was still crying, but not like before the Zantac.

Here are a couple websites for info:
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/Mosby_factsheets/infan...
http://www.ask.com/web?q=what+is+colic%3F&search=sear...

Good Luck!

Everything you are doing sounds right. "Happiest baby on the block", watch it so you are sure you are swaddling his way. You'll be doing everything that you are already doing, but maybe technique wise this will help. Also, jiggling, in the movie/book and shooshing for the white noise. Jiggling mimics what the baby actually felt in the womb. It was a life saver for me. Good luck.

Hi A..
Sounds like GURD -- baby acid reflux. Have had some friends with kids that did this as well. Very painful for the babies. Acid up and down esphogus.
Get it checked out!!
Good luck.
S. in Lisle

You should have your pediatrician run a CBC on her. (Complete Blood Count) just to make sure that everything is okay. You also might think about switching her to Nutramagin formula. It is broken down more than regular formulas and breastmilk, and is easier for the baby to digest. I hope this helps. Good Luck

First off congrats on your daughter. Kind of sounds like colic to me. My daughter was the same way. She too slept 4-6 hours at night between feedings at that age, but what led up to it was hours of crying during the day and evening until she was about 4 or 5 months old. THen it tapered off gradually. She was also a very light sleeper at that age...the littlest noise would startle her and the crying would start all over again. As she was able to do more she got happier and happier. She still is a light sleeper to this day, just not as bad, and she is still a bit of a fusser even at 15 months, although she is incredibly independent. She just likes to do her own thing and doesn't like to be interuppted. One thing I was going to mention was this, I noticed you said you were breastfeeding and giving formula, maybe she is sensitive to the formula you give her. Both of my kids had to have Lactose free formula, regular formula made them incredibly gassy, and souy just made them pukey. They still have to drink rice milk to this day. Hang in there it will get better, although my daughter is still a bit of a fusser when she does not like something, she also in may ways after the colic phase, was much easier than my son. Iwas able to put her down and let her play on a blanket so long as she could see me. I always had to hold my son. She is not afraid to try things, my son was and still is much more cautious. One more word of advice, get a sling or carrier, it was a life saver, and sanity saver for me those first few months, it was the only way we all got some peace in the house.

My baby had colic and he used to cry and cry and cry. I was getting insane with the situation. Thank God, babies magic tea finally soothed him.