Advice About 8 Week Old Son

Hi. Someone else mentioned acid reflux and I wanted you to know that my son was diagnosed with acid reflux when he was about two months old. He cried and cried and cried and always wanted to be held--all day and all night. Our pediatrician said he could tell he was having heart burn because he arched his back when he cried and he cried soon after burping. Another sign is when the baby acts hungry but then cries soon after beginning to eat. It's something to look into and it can be treated with medication.

Also, my sister's son didn't have acid reflux but wanted to be held all the time. She and her husband both worked and couldn't hold him all night long, so they let him sleep in his car carrier in his crib. I think maybe it made him feel as if he was being held. It got them through the nights and when he started being able to roll onto his side he stopped needing the car seat. Apparently he found a comfy position on his side.

I hope you find a solution!

I too am a new Mommy and my son is now 13 months but at 6 weeks he did the same thin gyour lil guy is doing and guess what? He had acid reflux-moderate. We found out through an upper GI and actually saw the refulx on the screen. He was on Zantac and Nutramigen (I suggest Nestle Good Start)formula and then he was much better. Make sure you burp him well too! COngrats on you rlil guy and let me tell you, they are the best!
Good Luck
Christina

Hi R.,
Sorry your little guy is fussy. I have 3 little (well, an 8,7, and 2 1/2 yr. old) so I have had my days of fussiness. I always feel like until they hit that 3 month mark there is a lot of fussiness going around. Do you have a baby bjorn to try and carry him aroun in? Bouncing seat with vibrations? Happiest baby on the block book does give good ideas and you can usually buy on half.com for cheaper price. Besides gas, could be early teething....or just being a new guy out in the world. Take care and try not to stress out too much. He'll be a big boy before you know it. Maybe going for a walk in stroller- even in the house if too cold can sometimes work like a charm. Good luck and I'll be thinking about you when you have to go back to work. T.

i found gas to be source of baby's unhappiness a lot to and those mylicon gas drops work great.

One thought I had was a classical music CD. This always calmed my son and seemed to sooth him. Keep in mind that you can't hold an infant too much! Probably just a little adjustment phase....it will pass. Hang in there. My son liked when I walked him around the house talking about the stuff we would see. And of course the ten millionth chorus of "Hush Little Baby'!

Hi R.
My son was born Dec 13 2007 . congrats. there is no better thing than being a mom. My 2 yr old was 11 weeks early . and spent five weeks in the nicu at that time when my 12 weeks was up i returned to work,it was very hard as a first time mom .I cried every day for the whole year that i worked missing him terribly.Then i injured my back and have been home since. Is your son breast feeding or formula feeding? His fussyness could be caused by several things. If he is getting breast milk, it could be something you are eating. choc,broc,caulif,gas causing foods could be causing your little angel to have bad gas pains, if he is getting formula. he could have an intolerance to cow milk. do you notice that he has a lot of gas and is he constipated. you can try an isomil formula which is soy based give it about a week and see if it helps. Ill look back later today to see if you have responded.I have some other suggestions if none of this seems to be the problem good luck. this is also my first day on mama source M.

I suggest wearing him in a sling. Its a wonderful bond, you will be able to use your arms, and studies show that contrary to popular belief it promotes independence. Email me for info on where to get a sling for a good price and instructions on use. If you have time try reading the book, "The Happiest Baby on the Block".

Is he getting some activity when he's awake? They start staying awake longer between naps around then, so maybe he's just not tired... (but don't keep him up too long--an hour or two at that age is plenty)

And they do get fussier around this age, unfortunately.

My youngest son was like this. I had to "sling" him and wear him around the house. At the time I had another son who was only 1 1/2 so having a fussy baby was miserable. I even asked the ped if it was colic and they told me that first of all breast fed babies don't get colic, second colic is defined as 2 or more hours of continuous crying without the ability to be comforted by the parent. They told me that sometimes babies are just fussy and as hard as it is for us mom's who want to fix all of their problems, we have to just get through it somehow. You mentioned that you gave him more food. Our ped suggested no food until 6 months because their digestive system can't handle it and there was also a choking hazard. Maybe his tummy just isn't mature enough for food yet, digestive pain is hard for them.

My advice is to just hold him, he will grow out of it probably in a few days to just over a week. Hold him skin to skin and try letting him chew on your finger or knuckle, teeth are not unheard of at this age. My boys all went through a week or two of that and then it passed. Good Luck.

Could be a few things. Gas is one possibility and you can try Mylicon gas drops before he eats. The other possibliity is acid reflux, very common with newborns. You may want to ask the doctor and get an opinion as to whether or not it could be reflux. Eating will often aggravate the situation if its reflux and/or gas. Does he burp well while eating? If not, gas is the likely culprit. It never hurts to call your doctor and ask to be checked out.
R.

hi R.. congrats on your new born! sorry he seems to be a little fussy at times. im sure things will get better. at least he hasnt been cholicy since birth! cholicy babies cry for 3 hours at a time for months... so count your blessings! :o) my daughter would cry too when i didnt hold her. it wasnt a very long stage. but i do remember being frustrated too, just like you. all i can say is just enjoy the time you do have with your baby at home. hes not going to want you to hold him forever. someday he will be a very active little boy squirming from your arms so he can get down and play and wont want to be held. i realize its hard to get housework done, and bottles washed. i did have a little sling holder type thing that i would use sometimes to get things around the house done. but for the most part, i would just leave the housework for when she was napping. will he sleep when you lay him down? or does he wake up right away and only nap when you are holding him? also, sometimes feeding them more, can cause a belly ache. but you as his mommy will ba able to tell if hes really hungry. if you think he ate too much and is gassy, try the mylicon gas drops. they are safe to use for infants. sometimes exercising their legs like a "bycicle" motion helps them to get the gas out too and they are more comfortable then. do ask your pediatrician though. once in a while they can get allergic to their formula. even after this long. so just double check on that, sometimes they will have you try isomil in that case b/c its more gentle on their tummies. good luck and i hope you are able to enjoy your time you do have at home with your little guy!

Try to wrapping him up nice and tight, but not too tight in a soft blanket. sometime babies feel insecure coming from that small womb and they need to feel secure. so give that a try and if it doesnt work, consult with your peditrician.
Good Luck and Congrats!!!!

it might be colic, my daughter had it real bad & we changed formula & that helped ALOT.

Hi R.,
When I had my son (my 2nd child) he was soooo different from my first and I felt like I was a new mom again, he was very fussy all the time. I was afraid that he was going to be a colic baby, but he wasn't. He was a very bored when I put him down and was more than happy if I just held him and walked with him. There was no rhyme or reason to his fussiness, didn't seem connected with a feeding or being tired. If this sounds like your little guy check out the moby wraps, there is a website believe it is just www.mopywraps.com They are a very comfortable thin fabric that you can wrap multiple ways and it holds the baby in snug comfy positions for them and I have yet to see one mom who doesn't swear by it! And it keeps you 2 hands free! It actually holds them they way that they were all squished up in the womb, so its very relaxing for them and you can turn them around and have them facing forward much like a baby carrier but much more comfortable. I liked this better over a carrier b/c you can do it yourself and there are no buttons, snaps, zippers to rub on your skin or bother you. Its really really great.
Also, if you feel like he is fussy and trying to tell you something, like he is gassy or tired or bored. Check out Dunstan baby language on the internet. There is an amazing woman who figured out the baby language and she tells you exactly what each cry means and once you hear her explain it it isn't hard to figure out on your own! She was on oprah a while back, really wish I had this when mine were little. She does say that by 3 months or so the baby will stop using the language if isn't responded too. So if you're interested check it out and get the DVD soon. Hope that helps and good luck with your little guy, enjoy every minute and the fussy ones, it flies by! Jennifer