My NB Cant Sleep

When I was a nanny I had a baby that would cry and cry and cry. I did not want to have my own children because I thought they all did that! Fortunately my own child was a very happy baby but anyway when the baby I was watching would do this I would put a pillow on my legs and sit with her tummy down while I rubbed her back and moved my legs side to side. I also would try taking her outside-even if it was cold I would bundle her up and go sit on the porch and sometimes it was like a switch was thrown and she would just stop crying. Try bathing her or giving her a little baby massage with some lavender lotion-sometimes that would work. BTW-The reason that the family hired a nanny was because their child would go through these crying spells and the mom was at her wits end so if you can get someone to come in to help you do it and just get out of the house!

My kids are now 10 and14, but exact thing happened to them. It lasted for about 6 weeks, and I think it was just being colicy. It was always around dinner time - from about 5pm to 8pm, straight crying. Sometimes I would resort to vacumming and that would put them to sleep, or putting their little portable basinette near the dryer or something - that kind of noise put them to sleep. It was a terrible time and very stressful, but thank goodness they grew out of it! I love babies but don't miss those times AT ALL. (Different "fun" times now that I have a teen!)

As long as baby is healthy and having enough wet diapers, then it is just that time of day.

Wear your baby in a sling on your chest as much as you need to. If you have to put her down, swaddle her. I second the Happiest Baby on the Block recommendation. You can google it and get advice. Jiggle her (not shake...support her head) and make loud SHUSHING noises in her ear. LOUDEST shush you can make.

And move move move. Babies like the movement like when they were in the womb. Try different positions. Hold her tummy down. Take her for a walk outside in your carrier. Put her in the car. Set her next to a vacuum for a few minutes.

Try try try. That's all you can do. And give yourself mini breaks. It is hard to hear them cry, but if you give her to someone who loves her, go take a five minute shower, walk to the mailbox, go pee.

Hang in...this is all over sooner than you think. It could change tomorrow. :)

Hang in mama, this is the roughest time and it is hard to head into evenings tired and worn out .

Craigslist sells tons of used carriers so you can get a good one for a good price.

Oh boy, yep, been there, done that! My son only slept about 8-9 hours a day [including naps] and cried for hours and hours. I am honestly not sure about having another baby in the future because I just don't think I could do that again! One thing you may want to have checked is to see if she has reflux- that can imitate colic. And, get as much help as you can!!!!!! My memory is still not completely back to normal from the stress and lack of sleep and my son is now 2 years old! I wish that I had people to help me during that time. If you can have friends or family come over and let you sleep for even 5 or 6 hour stretches it will help you in the long run, too.
Is she breastfed or formula fed? There could really be something going on besides colic related to what she's eating.
One more thing besides what was mentioned below: Get a great baby swing, and if you're sure she is fine but she still wont stop crying, put your headphones on and take 5 or 10 minute breaks to help keep calm. She wont die from crying, but I know it's still really hard to handle. Good luck and try to keep strong. If you're really having a hard time, it might be worth it to see a therapist to help you get through it and also for an hour or two away from the baby. Good luck

Swaddle her, hold her close, swing her side to side and "shhhhhhh's" her. Also, pick up the book The Happiest Baby on the Block at the library. It is the best book EVER! I used it for both of my babies.

Plus, she is crying because she is overly tired. Sounds like the time frame you describe is her witching hour(every baby has them). During that time, get a baby carrier and go for a walk. There were many days when I just paced the driveway so my son would calm down and fall asleep.

And check out the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. This book is awesome as well. I still use it for my preschooler. Basically, a child at 1 month should be up no longer than 2 hours.

The witching hour. Fun times for sure! I would suggest these things.. a tight swaddle, something to suck on on, loud ssshhh'ing, and a pretty vigorous jiggle... imitate the womb. Read the book "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp.. it made the 4 months my daughter had colic somewhat bearable. Oh.. I almost forgot.. a baby carrier is wonderful too. I used a moby wrap.. very comfortable.

Try swaddling. Worked wonders for my kids!!!

She's just a baby...that's all. Evening times are normally the hardest for newborns because it's the end of the day, the stimulation of the day starts to overwhelm and you tend to have a few more things to do which makes it harder. Just try to remain calm and soothing, make sure your baby isn't overstimulated during the day and sleeps enough during the day. Babies that are over tired are actually way fussy!

Rent the DVD of "the Happiest Baby on the Block."
It is only 1/2 hour long, and it absolutely saved my husband and I with our newborn - we had the same problem you are having - it was like a miracle to see these techniques in action!!!

Sounds like she may have colic. Try the Hylands homeopathic colic tablets. They dissolve instantly on your tongue. Good luck

eek, sounds like it might be colic... are you breastfeeding? I hope you are!!! Try letting her nurse to soothe.... Maybe try Colic Calm... I've heard that helps with Colicy symptoms!!!

I am so sorry she is having such a rough time - but she is just a teeny baby and you are doing the best you can!! Keep your head up, Mama! Love love love on her, let her nurse on demand and hold her as long as she wants!! This time will pass all too soon!!!

Poor thing. Have you been swaddling her? Wrap her up nice and secure and hold her and make a little "shhhhh" sound in her ear, and just be calm and soothing. When my son was very small, this helped.

Nothing to add but encouragement. My daughter is 5 mths old & did this when she was younger. Ended up she had severe reflux & once we got it under control things got better. At the time I thought it would never end. Find your way of getting through it & know it won't last forever. I had to look for the joy in each day or moment to get me through the aweful ones.

I pray it gets better soon.

Hi Ivana, It looks like you have gotten some good suggestions, but the one that was a LIFESAVER for us was to get a larger exercise ball, swaddle your baby, and hold her while sitting and bouncing up and down on the ball. It is the only thing that quieted both of our children who had colic and gerd. This is super stressful, so reach out and ask people to help you during those hours- really. The only good thing, is that they do outgrow it. All the best.

Hi Ivana, She may be having gas pains, she may be collic, at a month old, rock her and nurture her, one thing that my newborns like was being massaged across their lower forehead, across the eye brawls, it really relaxed them. My first cried a lot, probably caused I held him 24/7 but as a new mom I didn't know any better. If you need peace of mind call her ped, and call you mom, and see what they say. J. l.

Happiest Baby on the Block saved our lives in the early months. I'd also experiment with swaddling and wearing her in a sling close to your body to see what works for you both. If none of these techniques help, she is probably colic. Get help specific to that. Congratulations on your new baby!

My son is 3 months and every once in a while he does this.
3 things I have noticed help.
1. If all boxes are checked, I put him in the swing on high speed. He doesn't always fall asleep but he calms down and after a while I put him in bed to sleep.
2. Lay him on his back and rock his body side to side with his legs. He calms for awhile. Then I usually have to put him in the swing after that. Or a walk around the block.
3. Sometimes he is just over stimulated and simply needs to be taken away from everything, including me. I lay him in his bed to work it out. I lay my hand on his chest, hold his hand, tell him I love him and then I give him at least ten minnutes of space. He usually calms down. ( this meathod only works for whimpering, not straight out screaming)
good luck.

have you tried swaddling? we got a self swaddler from Babies R Us, had velcro to help swaddle, and it was like a miracle with our baby. she went from tiny cat naps to meaningful sleep. I highly recommend it.

Try taking her for a walk or a car ride or use white noise to see if that helps. They do make stuffed bears and such that have the noise of the mother's womb (that helped my kids). Could be colic but try the other soothing things to see if that helps.

I hade the same problem with my daughter, who is now almost three. Right around three weeks she started having symptoms of "colic", which is normally just a baby with undiagnosed acid reflux. The symptoms usually show up around that time and can be very frustrating! Talk to your ped about acid refulx but do a little research online first to see if she has any other symptoms. My daughter had trouble eating, and sleeping but didn't have the severe symptoms like apnea or vomiting so I waited a while to have her checked thinking it was something else. As soon as she started the meds (a low dose of Axid twice a day) she was back to normal. She was on the meds until 18 months and is now fine. Good luck, I know it's stressful but it will be okay!

Do u wear her in a carrier? Babies don't know how to fall asleep we have to teach them...do u swaddle? i had to wear my son for the first 3 months all the time..the first 3 months are called the 4th trimester b/c of how babies want to be on mommy..
i used to have to come up with tricky ways to get my son to sleep..at that age i would nurse him on the bassinet mattress or a firm pillow til he fell asleep..if she is bottle fed to the same with the bottle..then carry her and the mattress under her and place her into the bassinet...if u are giving her formula she could be experiencing gas pains during those hours..even with breast milk she could be..u may want to try colic tablets by Hylands if that's the case..that was the only thing that helped my son with gas.
try different things..put her in the swing if u have one and see if she falls asleep..
wear her then carefully remove her when she falls asleep and place her where you have her sleeping..
good luck

D.

Are you nursing? Maybe something you are eating for breakfast upsets her tummy?

Hello Ivana. It's possible that your baby has colic. Or... she might have to burp. Gas is so painful for babies, and it needs to be expelled, either through a nice fart or through burping. I know my son cries a lot when he has to burp, the little air bubbles get trapped and hurt him, and once he burps, he is back to a normal, happy baby. Of course, if she is crying for hours on end, it's not a burping/farting issue (probably) and might possibly be colic. Does she have a diaper rash by any chance? Just curious - that's not the answer.