Colic or Just Not Wanting Bed Time ?

I'm so sorry you are going through this. My youngest daughter had "colic" from 5-10pm every night until she was 3 1/2 months old. Basically, her pediatrician said she was on overload by the end of the day. They just cry from over stimulation. The pediatrician said I could put her in a dark room for 5 to 10 minutes then go get her and hold her, that she may be a little calmer. I couldn't handle hearing her cry either. I stay home, so I would just carry her around in a sling while I made dinner, ate, etc. As soon as my husband walked through the door, I handed her off to him. He would literally have to hold her until 10 o'clock every night! All I can tell you is that they do grow out of it. You can cry if you need to too. Hang in there, just a little longer. Oh, and the book The Happiest Baby on the Block helped too. It's about the 5 S's: swaddle, suck, shhh, side and sway (if I remember correctly).

She's much too young to cry it out. Check you library for a book by Dr. Harvey Karp - "the Happiest Baby on the block". Sometimes there is also a DVD available. It might help. Good luck!

All babies do go through their "fussy" time but do not exclude the possiblitiy of acid reflux. http://heartburn.about.com/od/infantschildrenandreflux/a/...
Your daughter is at the age when it starts.Call her Doctor.
Elevating the head of the bed also helps(roll a towel and put under mattress)
Swaddling is good. Babies should be swaddled until atleast six months of age (this is when the startle reflex goes away).
As far a the "crying it out thing" your baby needs to learn to self soothe...a baby has never cried itself self to death....so I have a twenty minute rule. Let them try for that amout of time to figure it out..then if still crying go in change and burp and down again(unless it is close to feeding time again) then feed her and start routine all over again. Your schudule should go like this: Feed, awake for a total of 45min then nap. burp and change prior to putting her down so you know she is clean and burp free :)
Hope this helps~D.

Sounds like colic to me. My daughter had it and she was extactly the same, fine all day and then from about 8-2 or 3 am she just cried and cried and there was nothing we could do. She is way too young for CIO but if you need to put her down and walk away for a few minutes that is fine. Colic can last anywhere from a few days to the age of four months. It is very hard to deal with and made both my husband and I crazy. But it will pass. Just to be sure make sure she doesn't have bad gas or reflux.

Ditto Nadine G. below.

Also, my daughter did that... for her, it was gas. Pain. She RARELY even farted nor burped. We used Mylicon infant gas drops which helped her a lot.

Also, is she nursing or formula?
If nursing, make sure you are producing enough milk, and stay away from food that cause gas in a baby.

My daughter as a baby, was also sensory sensitive, as most newborns are.... even the toilet flushing would send her screaming and wake her up, for example.

No, its not easy.
But is passes.

Over-stimulated babies also cry/scream... and screaming is actually a baby's way of "shutting-out" external stimuli or whatever is upsetting them.

all the best,
Susan

It could be colic.

One thing I would try is putting her down at 6pm. I know that sounds insane, but give it a try. You'd be surprised - babies have a different circadian clock than we do as adults. They go to sleep easier and stay asleep longer if you put them down by 6pm. Since your baby is inconsolable starting around 7... maybe if she's asleep by then it could solve your problem. It may very well be that she is just too tired by 7pm, and once they are overtired, it's a real battle getting them down to sleep.

I hope that helps! Let us know what happens!

Hi,
What are you feeding her? @ months old- this is colic, which is another word for mal nourishment. She is missing some thing she needs- and this is her way of trying to let you know. If you cannot nurse her, then I really like WestonPrice for their advse. Goat's milk is easier for babies- cow's milk is very difficult for babies- and missing alot of what she needs. Manufactured food is only as good as those making it- and they are making it to make money.
Anyway so much for my soap box- your daughter is trying to communicate with you- please listen.
best, k

It sounds like colic. One of mine had that. I just held her and loved her. I sang softly to her as I walked with her. She seemed to be in pain in her intestinal region, so my heart was so heavy for her. It does pass eventually. She's a very easy child now, loving and tender. I highly recommend comforting your baby as best you can and praying for her to feel better. These nights of your care on not wasted. They are so precious, although they are so hard. Blessings to you.

I agree it could be gas, my son had a few nights like this where he just cried all night. I finally tried the mylicon drops and he would burp two minutes after I gave it to him and be happy. Its definitely worth trying.

Based on my experience, you've gotten great answers! My daughter was very similar. Two months is too young for CIO--she isn't ready. Just take care of her! I never tried Mylicon, but we did walk the floor with her in colic hold (and, no, she didn't need to be held to go to sleep when she got older). I also did baby massage and "frog legs" (push her needs gently to her chest) when I got her ready after bath.

Keep the routine, absolutely!And she may be very sensitive. You may need to keep it very quiet or invest in a white noise maker. I also learned with my daughter that she needed to start getting ready for sleep when she still seemed very alert to me. She would cry and I would entertain her or distract her and she responded, but she really needed to rest.

I know it seems like forever, but it will pass! Hope this helps!

I think 2 months old is too young to not want bedtime, although she may have connected parts of the routine with discomfort. My daughter used to scream as soon as I'd put on the "soothing" lullaby night-time music, because she associated it with her colicky time of day.

We had colic with both our daughters. There's a book Colic Solved that says the #1 most common reason for colic is acid reflux. There are medications that help with this (pediatrician may know what to try first). The #2 reason is intolerance to something in the diet (whether breastfed or formula fed). The remedies to this are an elimination diet (see Dr Sears website - total elimination diet) or trying different formulas, one at a time, for set periods.

You really have to be a sleuth and eliminate variables and do it as quickly as possible (while being sleep-deprived!). I know it's tough, but we did it and solved colic completely for our second baby. I have always regretted not knowing enough to solve colic for our first baby.

On the cry-it-out questions, I don't know the answers. We never left them crying.

Hugs to you mama, having a baby who is screaming for 5 hours straight is really tough...trust me I know. I think that it may be a little too early for CIO though. The 7-12 thing is what I call "The witching hour". Most babies have a several hour stretch every day where they are really cranky, but fine the rest of the day.

Will she sleep if she is laying on you? I am not a co-sleeper, but for those first few months, I let have let my babies sleep on me when they are having tough nights. The recliner was my best friend for a while.

My doctor told me that you absolutely cannot spoil a baby before 4 months. That when a newborn cries, you should attend to him/her. I followed that advice! Please don't think that you are making things worse by soothing (or at least attempting to soothe) your baby.

Good luck mama. I hope you and baby will get some much deserved sleep

have you discussed this with your childs Dr? If not please do, they should always be a resource. To me it sounds like colic.Colic usually occurs around the same time everynight. Here are my thoughts and many won't agree, don't let her cry it out, epecially if she is distraught. She is only 2 months old, not old enought to make the connection "if I cry mommy won't put me to bed. Your are her security especially if she's not feeling well.Talk to your dr, there are suggestions or meds they can give her if necessary. My daughter was the same way, it was horrible. They put her on Mylanta and she was like a new child. If you are having sleep issues there is a great book. It called the Good Night, Sleep Tight. The sleep ladys gentle guide. It'a an easy read, and a gentle way to get your little ones to sleep. It's broken down by age, so it's not like you have to read the entire book at once. Best of luck. I have been in your shoes and understand how draining it can be.

It could be gas like others have mentioned...which is another symptom of colic anyway for some babies. Some babies get night colic for a period of time (it sounds like this behavior is somewhat new?). And I agree that she is too young to cry it out. If she is hard to settle down at night, she might need to go down earlier...but I'm guessing it's a combo of gas and colic and should improve. It's tough...but it does get better!

You poor thing - both of you!

At this age, it is way too young to cry it out. Babies do cry for a reason and at this hour it can be anything such as over stimulation, digestion issues, and believe it or not over eating. You mentioned a nice big bottle of milk...she should eat pretty consistently the same quantity and not a larger feeding at night. Some babies will get reflux and actually continue sucking the bottle/nipple for more soothing comfort which then just exacerbates the problem. We had great luck with Baby Bliss Gripe Water (simethicone drops didn’t work for us) and a paci. We loved the Happiest Baby on the Block book too it was a life saver for us with really great advice. Good Luck Momma and this too will pass…hang in there :-)