She Won't Stop!!!

You poor thing! I feel your pain. I agree with Kelli's advice. As soon as I got comfortable with my son's schedule, which was only for a week, he would change. Most nights, and days, I would spend in a complete daze with the baby either strapped to my chest, or holding him in the rocking chair at night. He did have reflux and medicine definitely helped, but he didn't want to lay down by himself! The doctors would blame growth spurts among other things and I was beside myself for lack of sleep.

Finally, when he was about three months old, I was spent. I was so physically exhausted that I came into his room one night at some crazy hour after hearing his screams, checked to make sure he was dry, made sure he wasn't hungry and after that, I kissed him and laid him back down. I just couldn't hold him anymore! I was afraid that I would fall asleep and drop or hurt him. So he screamed for over two and a half hours and finally went to sleep! The next couple of nights were like that but after a week or so, he was finally capable of comforting himself.

You daughter could just be used to you coming in to hold her, or she could be going through an uncomfortable time like a growth spurt or a little gas. You are the best judge of what to do and don't feel guilty (like I did) if you just can't physically hold her all night long. The best advice I got in my prenatal classes was when the nurse said that no baby has ever died of crying.

Don't try to do it all and don't feel bad if you can't. Your baby will still grow into a healthy, happy, well adjusted little girl because it sounds like her mom loves her very much.

My oldest had this problem and every night we went through total horror. You would have thought somebody was physically hurting my child the way she would scream. We eventually found out she had the acid reflux therefore she really was in pain.. We put blankets under the matress to raise it so she was laying at a slant and tried not to lay her down for at least half an hour after she would have a bottle. I also had to do the soy formula because of gas. We ended up haveing to go to lactose free also due to the soy not working for us, they also have more specialized formulas for babies that have allergies that you might want to ask your dr about. I also found that if you bring her knees up to her chest and slowly roll them back down along her stomach it helps get some of those gas bubbles out. Mine was so bad she forcefully spit up every time she was fed so we ended up with meds to help. If this is your case also you might want to ask your dr about that option. I must also suggest my lifesaver......we found that Emily was much calmer in the swing or her carseat because she was kept more upright. For a few nights of quiet you might want to try to buckle her into her car seat and see if this helps.

Absolutely do not let that baby cry herself to sleep. I'm sorry, but whomever gave you that advice was dead wrong! This is, unfortunately, part of having an infant. You think you get it all down and then- bam! They spin full circle and your left standing there wondering what happened! I will say that both of my kids were fussy- one because she needed that physical comfort and the other because he was a sick baby. When my son would howl all through the night like a wild animal and I would take him to the doctor, they would say- babies cry. Then, the next night I'd be in the ER or urgent care because he had an ear infection that they had missed. If you think that there might me something wrong with her, take her into the prediatrician. Otherwise, I'm afraid that you may be just beginning your sleepless nights with your daughter. It sounds like her first few weeks were like a miracle! But I think that what your going through now is more typical. You have to start to teach her to calm herself, rock her until almost asleep and put her in her crib. Let her fuss, even work into a cry before you come back, but she is WAY to young to cry herself to sleep. Good Luck!

My son had trouble sleeping in the beginning, he would sleep for about twenty minutes, wake up and nurse, sleep for twenty minutes, wake up and nurse, and so on, we just let him sleep with us. It can be done safely if you follow specific guidelines, they can be found here: http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-ap/312-co-sleeping-s...

We never let our babies cry it out, I have read that it teaches them that they can't count on you to be there when they need you.

hi, MY nephew was going though the same thing, his dr, said add some cereal in his bottle it will give them more of a fullness and he now sleeps thru the night,

Hi L. - I wish I had better news but I think your baby is totally normal in just crying at this age. From what our pediatrician says as well as the books I've read - 5 weeks is too early to let her "cry it out" to go to sleep. She's too little. I would comfort her until she falls asleep and wait to try other methods until the pedicatrian has given that the OK at her 2 months appointment. We started letting our sons cry it out at around 10 weeks and they are WONDERFUL sleepers now (1 and 3 years old). There are a couple of books out there that are great. If anything, they'll show you and your husband that you're not alone and it's normal that she's waking up and crying. :-) This is, in my opinion, the hardest part of parenting - these first couple of months. HANG IN THERE!

Hi L.,
This is very normal for a 5 to 6 week old to change her eating and sleeping habits. I have been a postpartum doula for 15 years and I hear this all the time. Those babies who start out sleeping well don't usually stay sleeping well.
I think you should try getting her down right after her fussy spell in the early evening. Reading is good for her but try doing it when she settles down and put her right down. Do the bath in the am. Babies usually sleep from 6pm til around 8:30/9pm get up for another feeding and are down from around 9:30/10 til about 12:30/1pm. Another quick feeding than and you may be down til around 4 or 5am
If she is not 10 pounds I like to tell moms to feed every 2 to 3 hours at the longest. Maybe the crying is that she gets so hungry that she becomes uncontrolled.
She may also be ready to add an ounce to her feedings. If she is taking 2 to 3 ounces at a feeding through out the day, she may be ready for 4 ounces. If she gets more through the day she may be satisfied better at night.
Don't switch back to regular formula, I doubt that the change is the cause of her nighttime wakeups.
Hope this helps!
A.

Ohh I had that problem with my first child. Except it wasn't till after my second came along that I figured out what it was. Ask your doctor about colic. To me I just saw my son as a difficult sleeper. We would spend countless hours up at night rocking him or letting him sleep with us. If I knew then what I know now. Also if you need help getting your baby to sleep try the vacuum it worked wonders for me.

Hi. My suggestion is to buy SwaddleMe. You can get it at lots of stores and online at Walmart.com and Target.com. My daughter loves it. Good Luck. A.

5wks is right around when babies have growth spurts, she may be waking because she's hungry. She may really need that extra comfort of you holding her right now too. There is nothing wrong with that. Making a wee little baby Cry it Out is not necessary. Babies do not cry to manipulate they cry ONLY because they need something from their Mommy or Daddy. If they happen to stop it's either because they cried so hard they fell asleep or they have finally figured out that Mommy and Daddy don't care that baby needs them.

You may want to talk to the Pedi again, many babies who are sensitive to cows milk formula are also sensitive to soy formula.

Hi L.,
Babies are like that, as soon as you think you have established a routine they will change, especially at that young of an age. I know it can be really challenging when you are sleep deprived and you can't calm your baby. I think I slept in the upright position half the night holding my first baby his first few months of life. He just hated lying on his back in his bassinet. Have you tried keeping her swaddled nice and snug? This is the only way my second baby would sleep. She liked being swaddled while she slept until she was 6 months old. My kids didn't become really good sleepers (all night long 7pm-7am) until they were between 7-8 months old. The only advice I can give is to try to stay calm, and rest during the day while she naps (even if it's only for 20 min. at a time), and comfort her when she needs it. Personally, I feel that 5 weeks is too young for a baby to cry herself to sleep. Also, continue to keep her dr. informed. Many of my friends babies had reflux, which could also be keeping her up.
Hang in there and good luck. It does get easier:)

Hi,
I know, at first I thought we had a great schedule. My daughter was very similar. At Babies R Us they sell Gripe Water. My daughter loved it and it worked. I would give her 5mL about 30 - 60 minutes before I know she'd start her screaming thing. I would put it in a bottle and add very little water to it, so it wasn't so sweet.
I also tired Mylicon Infant Gas Relief drops (also found at Babies R Us). I gave her 0.3mL in the side of her cheek. That also helped her.
My Ped. told me I could use both things together. I always waited about 30 minutes in between. I figured if one helped, I didn't need the other.
I also agree that at this age they cry only because they need something.
Good Luck!

If she's prone to gas, it might still be gas problems, even with the new formula. Try gently bending her knees to her chest. This can help a baby pass gas easier. Just try that a couple times when she's fussing. You might also try elevating the head of the crib a couple inches. She might have an acid reflux problem, like my son did. I would absolutely NOT let a baby this young cry it out, though. Well, unless you need a few minutes to regroup, anyways. A baby this young doesn't cry out of manipulation, like an older child does. If she's crying, there's a reason. It might boil down to being a colic issue, though. In which case, you just have to wait it out. I've been told that a great way to deal with a colicy baby is to go for a walk outside. The baby still cries. But at least you are getting fresh air, and the sound doesn't bother you as much. There's also taking the baby for a short drive. These methods hold the added benefit of letting either you or your husband get a few minutes of peaceful sleep. My money is on one of the first two suggestions working, though.

Hi L.,
Infants are so hard to get into a schedule. I found that with both of my children it was around 6 months when they finally found a schedule. I think that 5 weeks is to young to let her cry herself to sleep. I would recommend reading the book "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child". It was a life saver when my first son was born. Maybe get a bassinet or use a pack in play to have her sleep in your room. I had my second son in our room until he was three months old. I don't know if I was lucky but we had no problems switching him to his room. Hang in there it gets easier.
Chris

I had the same problem with my baby. so I bought baby wise book and followed all the instructions word for word. the main thing is to make them eat all day long so that their digestive system is trained to eat during the day and sleep during the night. I recommond this book to every single mother out their. I followed every step in this book and 3 days after my baby started sleeping through the night. Don't rock her that is the main thing. this is the best book you can get. it is very hard in the begining because it there is alot of crying. But it is worth it, because now I put my toddler in her crib while she is awake and she never cries. I don't have to rock her, or put her in the bed with us. Good luck.
here is a link to that book
http://www.amazon.com/Babywise-Parents-Trained-Through-Na...

When they are young like that they sometimes need more holding and closeness. They can be spoiled but that is probably not the case sense she was sleeping so well at first. Do you try to get her to sleep first and then lay her down? If not try that by singing/humming, or rocking her sitting in the bath room with the shower running. I don't know whether the crib is in the room with you or not but that may help being in a bassinet or crib closer to you once she is sleep. Lastly, vanilla scented candles help everyone sleep better.

Sounds like my son and we discovered he had reflux (GERD). We switched through all the formula's and finally discovered Good Start which was awesome and stopped all the crying. They make a soy as well but I doubt that is your problem if she had regular for 5 weeks without problems. Make sure after she eats she is upright for an hour. You can use gas drops. I would also highly recommend "The happiest baby on the block" video http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/colic.htm if you can get your hands on it. It has lots of good calming techniques and some insights into infants and why they do what they do. I wish to god the hospital had shown it to me before I left, it would have saved tons of tears on my part. Contact me privately if you can't afford to buy it and I will loan you mine. Don't take anymore advice from whomever told you to let her cry it out, Jordan is way way too little to be spoiled and if they are crying, they need something. She should not be "crying it out", I can honestly say that I don't agree with the method-but especially at her age. Whether it be physical closeness or food. She is too little to spoil and she will be a much happier, secure and confident baby if she knows she can trust you to respond to her needs when she has them. Her schedule will fluctuate as well so be prepared. You will have to be on your toes the next 18 years! Good luck!
C.