Fussy at almost 6 wks?

amd1982 · February 2013

Hi ladies,

Our twins are 5.5 weeks old now and have been doing extremely well. I know every day is different, and sometimes babies are just fussy. However I'm starting to think there may be something (while minor!) wrong with their digestion. Our pediatrician seemed very reluctant to put the babies on any type of acid reflux medication, which is fine that she didn't want to jump right to medicating them.

But they are starting to have these fits of nonstop crying. Nothing seems to comfort them - patting on the back, tummy time to roll out any gas bubbles, food etc. It has been happening at night between the hours of 5-9, so I just attributed to the "witching hours." However it just started happening this morning with our bigger twin (boy) and it just has me frustrated and feeling badly for baby. I haven't changed anything with my diet (no spicy foods, veggies that would bother, etc). What is this gripe water I keep hearing about and does it really work if the issue is digestive?

I completely understand that some babies just cry, but I guess at this early an age, whenever they cry it seems to be easy to figure out: poopy/pee, gassy or hungry. We've gotten to this point where it seems like we can comfort them....any thoughts/suggestions/ideas?

masked_rose86 · February 2013

It may be reflux it may not.

Peak fussiness is between 6 to 8 weeks so you are in the thick of it. I remember those days far too well and I had to do many nights and evenings on my own with fussy babies. Unfortunately it took a long time for my girls to grow out of it, other because of personality or sleep issues we were having with them up until they were 6 months old.

I totally understand you wanting there to be another "cause" and I hope not that you want babies on meds that you get answers. But unfortunately for me I just had very fussy babies. Colicky almost except nursing would usually calm them.

Temp123197812503460 · February 2013

masked_rose86:
It may be reflux it may not. Peak fussiness is between 6 to 8 weeks so you are in the thick of it. I remember those days far too well and I had to do many nights and evenings on my own with fussy babies. Unfortunately it took a long time for my girls to grow out of it, other because of personality or sleep issues we were having with them up until they were 6 months old. I totally understand you wanting there to be another "cause" and I hope not that you want babies on meds that you get answers. But unfortunately for me I just had very fussy babies. Colicky almost except nursing would usually calm them.

ditto this exactly. i remember i spent HOURS sitting on the couch nursing them at that age.

Our dr explained that she believes true reflux is being over diagnosed. And while its important to give meds to kids that really need them, they do have risks, in particular making the stomach less acidic makes kids more susceptible to the stomach flu (which is going around like crazy right now) which is really risky for a young baby.

In our case one guy even spat up a fair amount. But eventually it all got better, it just took time.

Mayan2011 · February 2013

Ours were also quite fussy at that age during that time. I know how exhausting it can be, but you will get through this. Have you tried gripe water? Sometimes it seemed to work for you DD.

weddinginbloom · February 2013

We're having a lot of fussiness too with our 5 week olds. I think I may have a case of thrush, which I'm checking out today but I was also recommended to try gas drops and those do seem to help them calm down and sleep. Good luck!

raraavis28 · February 2013

We're going through the same thing with our LOs, who are almost 7 weeks. For the past couple weeks they have been super fussy around the same time every day (between 5-8, which is bedtime). Even if they have just eaten, been burped, etc. the only thing they want is to be held and walked. DH and I have gotten used to eating dinner one-handed. Stick out tongue

So far all the advice I've gotten is that it's a phase to ride out. I know that's zero help but at least know that you're not alone! Huh?

Nmschultz · February 2013

One of my boys was the same way starting around 3 weeks old. I thought it was reflux, and he was prescribed ranitidine. He was fine during the day, but from 5-midnight, anytime he was awake, he was crying. After trying everything, I took him to the chiropractor. He is a completely different baby!! I was hesitant at first, but it really made a difference. He doesn't cry anymore unless hungry, stopped spitting up, burps right away, and I took him off the ranitidine after his first appointment. When I notice he starts to get uncomfortable, I take him in. So far he's been three times,a dn it's made a world of difference.

Ruthie04 · February 2013

Our boys went through the PURPLE period around 4-6 weeks, which was a bit early since they were late term preemies. I have many memories of dancing around a dark room, wearing the moby, and singing songs for hours around dinner time. I was convinced colic was the culprit, but it just seemed to go away around eight weeks and now 4-6 pm is one of their happiest times! Our pediatrician had warned us of the peak time, so we were prepared...but, I'm not sure how prepared you can be for that shrieking!

FWIW, our boys do have reflux( one silent, one spit up). We knew because they had these seizure looking episodes where they would start choking and arching their backs. We often had to flip them over and suction out their mouths. We have one of the boys on Zantac, which really helped the episodes and his periods of crying and balling up. Our pediatrician wasn't comfortable with gripe water, although I did purchase it at the grocery store (I haven't used it). I've heard great things about it, though!

tombomb84 · February 2013

We aren't quite there yet (they are 5 weeks) so I don't have any advice. Just wanted to say that I am sorry that you are dealing with this and I hope it gets better quickly!

mirnb · February 2013

My guys both had colic and it started to get worse around 6 weeks....I tried gripe water, gas drops, chiropractor, massage...no bf.only bf......just about everything under the sun....my dr kept saying just wait it out and lo and behold around 3 months they outgrew it...but man it was tough....the crying usually started around 9 and could for on anywhere from 3-5 hours+ ....just hang in there!

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