Constant crying

jdsmith1987 · March 2016

My LO is a month old and for the past 2 weeks he has become inconsolable most of the time. When he is awake he is either fussy or screaming. The only times he is not fussing is when he is eating or sleeping or when he is in the boba wrap and I am moving. I can't just put him in the wrap and expect him to be happy. I have to be moving with him at all times in order for him to calm down. Sometimes he will stay awake for 5 hours and just fuss and cry the whole time unless he is in constant motion. I have a rock n play but he hates it. He only likes to be held and walked. He has now gotten to the point where he won't fall asleep unless he is on my chest.

I have been awake now since 5am, so going on 2.5 hours and he is just now calming down. I feed him, change him, hold him, walk him, feed him, change him, etc. nothing seems to make him happy. He hates being swaddled. He totally freaks out when his hands are restrained.

Is this type of behavior normal? Or is this extreme?

I am at my wits end. I can't sleep and I'm getting more frustrated every day. How long is this behavior going to last?

Achae · March 2016

It sounds like colic

Are you bf or ff? And have you tried keeping him swaddled and just riding out his anger? My LO fights it but after awhile calms down and then is zen. I think his tummy bothers him with lots of gas but pressure on it seems to help (colic hold like he's superman) and also the walking while he is in my ring sling. I know how exhausting it is!

VitaLuna · March 2016

It's always good to run it by your doctor to make sure there isn't anything underlying (like reflux or allergies), but aside from that, it is unfortunately normal for some babies.

We're at the peak of "Purple crying" for our babies' ages.

I can sympathize on how frustrating it can be. DD1 also wouldn't sleep unless walked around. Have you tried a swing? That eventually worked for us. There were a few times when I had to leave DD screaming in her swing/crib and just go outside for 5 minutes to keep from losing my mind.

SarahChristine12 · March 2016

I agree, sounds like colic. My oldest boy, who is almost 6, had colic. It was very exhausting and stressful. We did a lot of standing and moving with him, and I would take him for many walks in the stroller as that was practically the only thing that would calm him down.

My sons doctor actually recommended we try probiotics with him when he was 6-8 weeks old and that helped significantly. He was still pretty fussy at times but not near as bad as before. I think it lasted until he was about 4 months.

Just do the best you can, and if things get too stressful always remember that it is ok to set him down in a crib and let him cry it out for a bit so you can take a few minutes to yourself.

ashton2190 · March 2016

I agree with pp about swaddling. My LO hates it when she realizes what you're doing but that's the only way she'll sleep. As soon as she's secured in there she calms down and can pass out within minutes. Using a sleep sack has really helped because she has crazy ninja hands and breaks out if it's not super tight

TheBeesBonnett · March 2016

I've been waiting for this thread. I'm in the colic club too, or purple ( whatever it's just chaos).I ebf and have oversupply and strong let down , trying to correct is helping a little. Probiotics have been primed and are on the way.But i have done all the recommendations, and I just try to get through it . The crumbiest part for me feels like my desperation to really want to bond, and not just cope through the fussing. My baby can be consoled but I just simply can't hold her all the time. It's hard! Really hard! Let yourself cry too if you need too, and let yourself have a moment to clear your mind.

jdsmith87 · March 2016

Thank you guys for the responses! I have not heard of purple crying before, so I will look into that. Also, I do think a swing is a good idea. I was worried about spending the money and him hating it! But maybe I should just bite the bullet.

I am not breastfeeding anymore. I had to quit do to medications after getting infections postpartum. I was pumping and dumping, but my supply got really low and eventually I was unable to pump more than 1-2 oz every 6 hours. I got very discouraged and gave up.

I am going to try the swaddle again and see how long he will last! He is an escape artist also, so I will just have to wrap him more snug than usual.

I am thinking about running down to CVS and getting the colic probiotic drops to see if that will help him. Don't think I can have another night like the last few have been, or I might lose my mind.

Thank you ladies again and good luck to all who are struggling. This is a tough time! Can't wait to enjoy my little guy.

VitaLuna · March 2016

I forgot until PP mentioned it, but I did a ton of stroller walks with her, too. Endless shuffling, sleep deprived circles around the block.

Achae · March 2016

jdsmith87 said:

Thank you guys for the responses! I have not heard of purple crying before, so I will look into that. Also, I do think a swing is a good idea. I was worried about spending the money and him hating it! But maybe I should just bite the bullet.

I am not breastfeeding anymore. I had to quit do to medications after getting infections postpartum. I was pumping and dumping, but my supply got really low and eventually I was unable to pump more than 1-2 oz every 6 hours. I got very discouraged and gave up.

I am going to try the swaddle again and see how long he will last! He is an escape artist also, so I will just have to wrap him more snug than usual.

I am thinking about running down to CVS and getting the colic probiotic drops to see if that will help him. Don't think I can have another night like the last few have been, or I might lose my mind.

Thank you ladies again and good luck to all who are struggling. This is a tough time! Can't wait to enjoy my little guy.

I recall reading on the J16 thread about colic that switching their babes to a non-milk formula was like night and day:
https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/comment/88573246/#Comment_88573246

Not sure if you're already on a non-dairy type formula or if its out of the price range but thought it might help

VitaLuna · March 2016

Did this start when the formula started? If it did, you may look at a different type. He could be having difficulty digesting it.

Like you, I didn't want to spend money on a swing that she may hate. When we finally broke down and got it, I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner!

Ive posted this before, but it really helped me with DD1 to know that I wasn't a horrible for getting frustrated with the incessant crying: https://www.pregnantchicken.com/pregnant-chicken-blog/2011/10/1/my-baby-wont-stop-crying.html

smn14 · March 2016

We are having the same issues with DD (4 weeks also). I'm feeding, feeding, feeding in the evening. Then she screams in between, nothing consoles. I've been told it's normal for this age and it gets easier eventually! We have used infacol (don't know if that exists in USA, it's colic drops to help them get rid of air bubbles).

dragonfly321 · March 2016

Download the wonder weeks app. It will help with giving you an idea of when the bad/good spells hit. Sounds like it could be colic, but their first "leap" is right around now as well. He's going through lots of changes super quick! Hang in there, mama!

Miss Lilac · March 2016

dragonfly321 said:

Download the wonder weeks app. It will help with giving you an idea of when the bad/good spells hit. Sounds like it could be colic, but their first "leap" is right around now as well. He's going through lots of changes super quick! Hang in there, mama!

I was just going to suggest this app! It made that first leap so much easier knowing that he was going through something difficult and really just needed our support. Nice to know they just don't plain hate you all of a sudden. Haha.

brightonborn · March 2016

Hi - I just started reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and what you're describing sounds straight out of chapter 5 - healthy sleep habits in the first month. Might be worth reading - it's a good book too b/c you can skip around...lots of interesting info in chap 5 on the idea that colic is something infants do, not a condition they have; the role of fathers in soothing inconsolable infants; how parenting styles influence crying, etc. The book has already been a lifesaver for me!

4N6s · April 2016

1. He may have gas? My baby mainly cries when she is about to puke or fart.
2. Try swaddling again! We have a swaddleme which works great! I wasn't swaddling her arms in because I thought she hated it too (which she probably does) but the first night I decided to pin her arms down she slept for 6 hours straight! The following night it was 7!

Good luck!

Constant crying

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