babies crying nonstop

susanc07

so my babies have been home for a little over 2 weeks.  recently they've started crying A LOT more.  no matter what MH (he's staying home with them) does, they just keep crying.

anyone else go through this?  should we still pick them up?  i mean, i know they are almost 4 months chronologically, but we shouldn't be letting them cry for extended periods of time at 2w adjusted, right?

meldoo2002

You need to pick them up and comfort them at this age.  You can't spoil them for awhile still.  I would suggest your husband learns to wear one... it helped me soothe that baby and also take care of the other one at the same time.  DH liked the baby Bjorn (though I didn't) and I preferred the Moby at their age.

burns2be2007

they definitely need to be picked up and soathed imo

susanc07

that's what i said.  MH said he doesn't want them to start expecting that.

janjag

it's one thing to let them cry 2 min while you get bottles ready, or when you are hoping they'll go to sleep.  but imo don't let them cry longer than necessary.  you cannot spoil a baby under 3mos... i think that's what i've read a zillion times.  yes, you should take gest age into consideration.  mine were consistently at their gest age in many ways until recently. 

witt0198

I agree with pp about the soothing. If it's honestly NONSTOP crying, I think I'd bring them in to see the doctor. I'd for SURE call my on call physician and run it past them. Fussy babies....high maintenence babies.....sure, they exist, I had one for awhile, but nonstop....then something's not right, IMO.

At1stsight

They might have colic. DS had colic for about two months (adjusted age approx. birth to two months) and literally cried all day long. Like screamy crying. Defin. pick them up! Wear them, swaddle them, swing, get them fresh air by taking a walk, etc. It's a very rough period, but it does eventually pass.

It's a parenting decision regarding how long you indulge them on this, but here's my take. The world will do enough to knock my child down and make him feel inadequate; home is a place where I want him to feel supported and nurtured. I'd much rather err on the side of "overindulging" while he's still as young as he is than not provide that safety net. He only gets to be a baby once. This is why I still get up twice in the middle of the night to nurse him as much as it sucks for me. Once he's old enough to better understand things I'm saying to him, I'll feel fine telling him that he needs to calm down and (play by himself, go to sleep, insert-other-behavior-here) rather than 'babying' him, but until then, I'm very responsive with lots of love and affection.

mek10976

When DS had a crying phase, I was of the mind to pick them up and DH didn't want to spoil him by picking him up too often.  But a friend, who was studying child development said you can't spoil them at that age.  We also found he really liked having a paci, so we started using those around 4 months. 

ijack

At1stsight:

They might have colic. DS had colic for about two months (adjusted age approx. birth to two months) and literally cried all day long. Like screamy crying. Defin. pick them up! Wear them, swaddle them, swing, get them fresh air by taking a walk, etc. It's a very rough period, but it does eventually pass.

It's a parenting decision regarding how long you indulge them on this, but here's my take. The world will do enough to knock my child down and make him feel inadequate; home is a place where I want him to feel supported and nurtured. I'd much rather err on the side of "overindulging" while he's still as young as he is than not provide that safety net. He only gets to be a baby once. This is why I still get up twice in the middle of the night to nurse him as much as it sucks for me. Once he's old enough to better understand things I'm saying to him, I'll feel fine telling him that he needs to calm down and (play by himself, go to sleep, insert-other-behavior-here) rather than 'babying' him, but until then, I'm very responsive with lots of love and affection.

THIS!! It was actually very easy for me to figure out when DD was doing it for attention and manipulating me and it wasn't until she was almost a year old. Your babies are brand new and they definitely need all the love and comfort you can give them

BitterOldHag

You can't spoil a baby that age. Pick them up and soothe them. It's draining bit it will pass. It sounds like possible colic. Also, are they gassy? That would set mine off all the time.

Whispering in their ear and singing softly while I rocked with one helped at times. Also, the bath provided a 'reset' for them for a while. And they quieted if they were held high on one shoulder and walked around.

GL and you will get through it.

gwenypher7

It is so rough the first weeks home with a preemie - I can only imagine how drained you are with two! Sounds like they may have gas/colic issues. It is VERY typical for preemies to be extra sensitive to EVERYTHING during the first few months, and this means they will cry a lot.

I would definitely pick them up and comfort them at this age. They have undergone a traumatic experience and are still getting used to being home and being outside the womb. Our nicu nurse warned us that going home is a scary thing for preemies that have been in the nicu a long time and that they will cry nonstop for a while as they adjust. She said the best thing to do was build their trust be constantly being there to soothe them. Even if you can't pick them up right away, just having you there and hearing your voice lets them know they're not alone. Hang in there! Things start to get better around 8-10 weeks adjusted, so remind yourself on those sleepless nights that there is a turning point coming soon!