When do you call the pedi?

jenhum · November 2008

Maddie has been unusually fussy for about a week. Some days are better than others, but a "good" day in the last week means she only cried for 2-3 hours in the late afternoon. Yesterday was a bad day. There was *maybe* one hour during the day that she was not crying (outside of eating and sleeping).

She screamed when we changed her diapers, she screamed when we would pause feeding her to burp, she even screamed through a bath, which she usually enjoys.

The only thing that will stop the screaming is to feed her- but I know she is overeating b/c she was also spitting up more than usual yesterday. And believe me, we tried everything else- we had all 5 S's going at once, and it didn't make a bit of difference. She would finally fall asleep, exhausted, only to wake up from a dead sleep screaming. She did ok last night, although she was fussier than normal.

This morning was the same- unless she was nursing she was crying. Screamed through diaper change and burping. She did go down for her morning nap, though it took about an hour of soothing first.

No temp. She hasn't pooped since Friday night and she is extremely gassy...though she has gone several days without pooping before, and didn't have this reaction. DH thinks I should take her to the pedi, but I'm not sure. I mean, what exactly can they do if I go in and say "my baby won't stop crying, but she sleeps ok at night and she's eating and doesn't have a temp" ? Can they do anything about stomach issues anyway?

I guess I just feel kind of stupid taking a baby into the pedi b/c of crying. On the other hand, I might have lost my mind if DH hadn't been home yesterday, and I really don't think it's normal for an almost 3 month old baby to be so miserable all the time. WWYD?

elizabethswan · November 2008

maybe call the advice nurse first and see if she has an rec's. Then if she thinks you need to come in or nothing is helping, make an appt. Sorry she is so miserable

sms297 · November 2008

Does your pedi have a nurse advice line? Maybe call and talk to them.

I am pretty sure that you BF and if she had a stomach bug they would tell you that nursing her is the best thing for her. It is normal for a BF baby to go days w/o pooping so that's ok.

Is she napping like normal? Could be a growth spurt...

ECUGirl2004 · November 2008

I'd probably go to the pediatrician, just in case. I'm sure you're at the end of your rope (at least I would be) and it would help me to have a pediatrician tell me that my baby was at least physically okay.

Some thoughts I have:

I know she gets one bottle of formula a day. Maybe she needs a switch? Maybe her tummy hurts? I have no idea if that would be a typical reaction, but it might be worth exploring.

It's normal for a BF baby not to poop for several days or up to a week. But if you think she's uncomfortable from not pooping, try taking her temp rectally and see if that will stimulate a bowel movement. You can also try putting her in a warm bath. If she likes baths and they calm her down, let her spend some extra time in the bath.

You may also want to evaluate your diet. An inconsolable baby can be a sign that something you're eating is bothering her. https://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I hope you find the solution soon.

crescentmoon99 · November 2008

I called the pedi for a similar thing when DS was about the same age I think! He was pulling away from the breast and *screaming* this horrible cry I'd never heard before. He was screaming for hours at bedtime like he was being tortured and we didn't know what was going on. We thought maybe he was teething, so I called the nurse and they had us come in to make sure it wasn't an ear infection. It wasn't. It was reassuring to have the pedi look at him and tell me he was okay, so I was glad I went, even if I did feel silly for bringing him in for being fussy hehe.

I'm so sorry Maddie is having such a tough time. It is so hard to deal with a baby that cries so much - trust me I know haha! I hope she is feeling better soon, and don't feel bad at all for calling the pedi. If they have a nurse line, I'd definitely call and describe her behavior and see what they say.

jenhum · November 2008

Thanks y'all. I think I might wait and see how she does for the rest of the day...and if she is still super fussy by tonight, I'll call in the morning. I was thinking it might be a growth spurt- she's 3 months on Saturday so the timing would be right. But if that's what it is, it should be about over! I'm also going to try really hard not to give her any formula for the next couple of days to see if that helps. I'll go back on the Fenugreek and start pumping whenever she's asleep so that she can still get her meds via bottle.

And if that doesn't help, I might try cutting out dairy for a while. I don't *think* that's it though- I generally drink 2-3 gallons of milk per week (I love milk!) and she isn't always this fussy.

crescentmoon99 · November 2008

I just checkd and DS was 12 weeks old when we went through this. We never did figure out what was going on, but it settled down after about a week. The awful cry has stuck around though, he still pulls it out from time to time!

GL!

SpeedGlenn · November 2008

Ben went through something similar and I forget how old he was. I think I finally read somewhere - though I don't know where - that at this time their nervous system is finishing coming together, they're more alert and awake for longer periods of time and it's easier for them to get overstimulated. But it was mostly that this is a developmental thing that they go through. I remember it being very frustrating. The only thing that calmed Ben was for me to dance and sing with him, or to strap him into the baby bjorn and bounce on an exercise ball.

I might call the pedi just for reassurance, but I'm pretty sure that this is just one of those fun things you endure. I remember telling my friends with new babies that they are just going to cry for no reason and it's usually in the afternoon/early evening.

Sorry Jenny. I hope it gets better soon.

lah1177 · November 2008

This may be a stupid question, but do you know she is getting enough to eat? Ashley cried all day long unless she was nursing, turns out she was not getting enough to eat and that is why she cried all day (but slept great at night, never ran a fever, refused to take a bottle, etc, so I had no idea what was wrong with her). I am sure I had an extreme case and that is not the case with Maddie, but I thought I would throw it out there since no one was able to tell me what was wrong with her. I took her to several different doctors and it was not until she was almost 3 months and barely 9 pounds that we figured out the problem. Again, I am sure this is not the case with you, but I thought I would mention it. I hope it gets better soon, I clearly remember how frustrating and upsetting it is to listen to a screaming baby all day long.

jenhum · November 2008

Thanks so much everyone. I am really hoping this is just a temporary thing and she'll be back to normal (which is fussy- but not THIS fussy!) soon. She has a nurse appt next Tuesday for shots, so I am going to have her weighed then and make sure she's gained an appropriate amount in the last month. I really think she is getting enough to eat though.

She gets expressed BM in a bottle for about half of her feedings usually, and she's been taking at least 4 oz consistently from a bottle. And when she BFs, she usually completely drains one breast and gets a little from the other too, so based on the amount that I pump (and knowing that she gets more than the pump can) I think she is eating enough.

She's done really well this afternoon! She was much fussier than normal all morning, but she went down for a nap at about 12:30 and she is still sleeping, so that is a great thing! Yesterday she never napped for more than 15 minutes, which is really unusual for her.

The"Q" · November 2008

Did you say Maddie had gerd? If so, it may be worth a visit to the pedi to see if they could try switching her meds to see if that helps.

Also, we have supplement Ben with formula since my milk supply is low and we learned that he needed to be on the sensitive kind. He is only getting one to two bottles of the formula/day and even that small amount of the regular kind made him really fussy.
I hope it ends soon for you, I know how hard dealing with a screaming baby can be. Hang in there.

jenwill · November 2008

I was also going to ask about the reflux (I thought I remembered you mentioning that before). Could it be that she needs a new med or med change? I remember my pedi mentioning that reflux babies like to eat a lot b/c it soothes their throats when they are eating. And since Maddie is only not fussy during feedings, maybe that's it? GL!!

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