Witching "hour" check-in

finnybooboo · November 2013

For my sanity I feel like I needed to start this. Six o'clock rolled around and all of a sudden she's screaming her head off and nothing consoles her except nursing.

DH made a great steak dinner and I had to sit and watch him eat it while she's chowing down on me.

who knows when I'll be able to heat mine back up to enjoy.

Who else??

marianaz0 · November 2013

I just put a blanket over the baby to catch crumbs and eat with one hand (or with my hands when I'm feeling Klassy). Get your steak on girl!!

Sreynolds09 · November 2013

My LO's witching hour usually starts around 7:30 and lasts until about 11:30. I definitely feel your pain, DH and I can never eat at the same time because she's usually fussing. I'm pretty sure I eat all my dinners pretty cold. Sometimes she screams for an hour straight no matter what I do, sometimes she fusses on and off for the entire period. By the time it's over I feel awful.

mancila60 · November 2013

H has to have his food really hot so depending on what we eat one of us eats first then the other will eat. Usually he eats then me while I get LO back to sleep if LO is eating then I will eat while H feeds him. H doesn't mind heating his food back up. Currently I am still cooking while H is handling LO trying to get him to sleep.

StefMurph · November 2013

Dh thinks something is wrong with her every night during this time. He always thinks it's something he's doing wrong. I have to reassure him that it's just what she does. Thankfully we ff so either of us can feed her while the other eats.

Jalee85 · November 2013

Yeah I would eat while you hold LO. This this is why I love my boppy. It's a great plate holder.

[Deleted User] · November 2013

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jessjhh · November 2013

I have about 30 minutes before it hits... Trying to mentally prep for it... And of course it's when DH gets home so he thinks LO hates him

and I generally feed him while we are eating dinner and DH cuts my food for me.
Anybody find a way to make the witching hour less painful? We feed, swaddle, dim lights, and lots of shushing... Bath nights tend to go a but better...

babyLOLO13 · November 2013

Here . On boob for 2 hours now. Who needs nipples anyway...right ?

sleepy33 · November 2013

marianaz0 said:

I just put a blanket over the baby to catch crumbs and eat with one hand (or with my hands when I'm feeling Klassy). Get your steak on girl!!

A friend and I were discussing eating w/ LO in the Moby the other day, and decided we needed to market Napkin Hats for them to wear.

manders726 · November 2013

babyLOLO13 said:

Here . On boob for 2 hours now. Who needs nipples anyway...right ?

This. I actually try to ask DS if he's hungry or just wants a human pacifier- like I'm expecting him to answer me!

calibr8te · November 2013

Mine started about an hour ago. I am actually in tears right now as he screams his head off. The bouncy seat worked for a bit.. I am losing it right there with you.

finnybooboo · November 2013

Update: I had DH cut up my food and ate it over LO lol

We had about 30 mins of content baby after first feeding stretch and bath time. We even got one of our first real smiles! As soon as I put clothes back on her though she started screaming again and she's on the boob now. Only a few more hours left and fx we get a good stretch of sleep!!

And DH feels the same way! I can't imagine how he's excited to come home to us now because he knows what he's coming home to

he hates not being able to console her.

sharonstevens85 · November 2013

Ethan's hasn't started yet tonight. But I'm sure by the time I press "post reply" he'll be screaming his head off

elllaf · November 2013

If its anything like the last few nights ours should start in five minutes.

DH wants to run to the store real quick and WANTS to take LO.
Sweet!
I can finally shower and hopefully the car ride soothes him right past this awful "witching hour"

Good luck ladies and be nice LO's!

Chrisanna0508 · November 2013

jessjhh said:

I have about 30 minutes before it hits... Trying to mentally prep for it... And of course it's when DH gets home so he thinks LO hates him and I generally feed him while we are eating dinner and DH cuts my food for me. Anybody find a way to make the witching hour less painful? We feed, swaddle, dim lights, and lots of shushing... Bath nights tend to go a but better...

DS loves his bath and so I give him one every night. I obviously only use soap twice a week or so, but he loves to just sit in the warm water and it seems to help him wind down during bedtime routine. Even though I obviously don't have a schedule for him yet, it does seem to help him gear down before nursing and going down in his co sleeper.

tinylittlechef · November 2013

Yep. It's begun over here too. And to make matters worse I am sick and DH is getting the brunt of it. Thank God he stayed home from work today or who knows how I could have handled it. Blah.

babyLOLO13 · November 2013

Update: hour 3. Nipples gone. Baby still crying. I want to cry.

spanx21 · November 2013

We only had a "witching 20 minutes" tonight, thankfully! And I was in the shower for 15 of those 20! Score!!!!! I could get used to this. Normally the screaming starts around 730 and does not end until 9 or 930!

My husband is convinced he's colicky because he's always cranky when he gets home...he's fine all day for me though, so its just that time of day. We are just learning to deal with the crying for a few hours...which is easier said then done.

daria36 · November 2013

We have been comfort nursing for 3 hours now. I suppose there could be worse places than the couch to be held captive.

MtnChickaD · November 2013

LO has just started this witching hour business in the last week or so. Handed inconsolable baby off to DH, worked for 15min. I swear if I am holding him he gets pissed because he doesn't have a boob in his mouth.

ewroselle · November 2013

My DS always conks out in the Moby wrap and that's usually how we get through the day. Has anyone tried wearing LO through the witching hour? I'm considering it...but I'm worried that our witching hour would just get skewed from the usually 8ish to midnight and now become midnight to 4am. And that I cannot handle. But I'd love if I could wear him until midnight and just get him to go to bed right away and avoid the fuss/nod off/nurse cycle we currently have.

JenMatt2010 · November 2013

Checking in. DH is so frustrated but doesn't want me to take her, which is pissing me off. He has about 1/10 of the patience I do. Grrrrrrr

pmarie33 · November 2013

If LO is being fussy and I'm holding him, DH cuts up my fools so I can at least eat one handed. And vise versa.

If we can't eat one handed, one of us eats fast so we can tag team.

Inn2 · November 2013

Mine started at 5...inconsolable except for the breast. Seem to be in a slight lull now...just enough time to cram some ice cream in me!

JenMatt2010 · November 2013

Update: took her from DH, put her in the ergo, and she fell asleep immediately. I think i'll be wearing this ergo the entire first year at this rate...

pmarie33 · November 2013

And ours started at 8 tonight. I was determine to soothe him. DH offered to take him and I declined saying that I was going to win this battle damnit. Sure enough 5 minutes later he was out.

Me -1
Baby - 0

Then I had to put dd to bed 20 minutes later. As soon as I handed him off to DH, he started again. He was still going 15 minutes later. I took him back and in 5 minutes he was out. Now I'm in bed and can hear him crying again.

Tempted just to go get him and let him lay with me.

taylormarie923 · November 2013

I have been comfort nursing all day for an hour at a time with a 30 minute reprieve. DH has him in the other room and they are listening to John Lennon now. He has quieted down a bit.

elllaf · November 2013

@ taylormarie923
my LO loves Lennon too. Especially "beautiful boy"
It calms him right down.

Kessho · November 2013

DS woke up from an hour nap ready to eat at 7:30 and it's now 10 ish and hasn't stopped eating because if he's off the boob it's angry crying.

MtnChickaD · November 2013

Decided to give LO a full bath because he hasn't had since his circ. He LOVES the bath, he was instantly calm. Just sat there staring at the reflective faucet, happy as a clam for like 15 minutes. Only problem is that he freaks the fuck out the second I lift him out. Doesn't matter what I do or how warm and fast I try to be. It's like one step forward, two steps back. 8-}

Anyone have any tricks for the bath-pj transition?

Mama2be12345 · November 2013

@ewroselle I had book club last night and DH had to work late, I was terrified because it fell during witching hour but she slept the entire time in the moby! I came home nursed her, dealt with a little fussiness then she slept until 1 am like usual. I highly recommend trying a wrap! Tonight we took a bath together, it was fun and seemed to help, then I put her in my sling carrier. She's upset now though and with DH and I'm gearing up to nurse again! Ahh witching hour, some evenings are better then others but I just dread it and hate the unpredictability and seeing her upset!

sweettwilight16 · November 2013

At least I feel better knowing it's not just me. LO always seems so cranky from 6-10 every night. I always feel bad when she's good all day & then DH only sees her when she's screaming her face off. And for some reason yesterday, and today, she seemed to forget how to latch around dinner time, so it took extra long for her to eat and therefor me to eat.