Struggling first time mom ......

[hellsbells1984]

Hi ladies . I'm.not sure I've even put this on the right board so apologies

I am really struggling with my baby boy at the moment .... He is nearly 11 weeks old

After his jabs about 2 weeks ago he has gone from happy chilled baby whose needs we could meet ... to a crying stressed baby who unless feeding or asleep is upset and having melt downs.

The jabs did effect his bowel movements but theu are just returning to normal but I am told the injections should no longer be affecting him .

He recently started drooling lots recently and we was told he could be teething early so we have been told to try Calpol . Yes it did help but I worry about continuing to give him medication for a condition we are unsure be has.

Me and my partner and first time parents and no experience with babies . Although both our parents are on th phone me in particular am starting to feel low . I feel a bad mum. I feel so isolated .... usually you could fill your day with trips out visit friends even see a professional face to face. But now no one wants to see you and only do a phone consult .

My partner is awesome and doing more than his fair share . I just wish for the next sleep to come as soon as baby wakes up and that's just not right I should be enjoy g my new born baby .

I even called 111 earlier and spoke to an out of hours doctor . Having ruled out anything thst needs urgent care I was just referred back to my gp.

We did give Calpol in the end after baby melted down so much last bottle he wouldn't even let me wind him .... He did settle down but again I'm already anxious for the next time .

Sorry for the long winded ramble .... Having already spent time on the phone to my mum crying today I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions how to get through this time assuming it's temporary

What you're feeling is totally normal...utterly. And I know how hard and isolating it was (at times) even three years before lockdown.

Do know that this will pass, and that your child isn't irrecoverably changed. Calpol (within the guidelines) is fine, if it works, it works.

I used to find singing angry little songs helped. The DD quite liked it too.

If you feel low or hopeless for longer than a few days, do reach out to a doctor to talk through how you feel. Otherwise know, that babies are hard, teething is hard, and it does get better, there's nothing more you could or should be doing.

Hi OP, I'm with a 12-weeks old here.
Mine has just gone through a development leap and has been a bit cranky and needy but it's all back to normal now. Lots of cuddles and attention is what he needed.
More drooling is normal at this stage, it might or might not mean teething.
He also had bowel issues but nothing serious. It got better after 3 weeks. We gave him probiotic drops but I don't think they made a huge difference.
The Wonder Weeks app is brilliant. It tells you when a development leap is coming and tips to help your baby through it. It is helping with our sanity!

when mine was like this Op they were either hungry..or suffering from colic. I was tired and stressed out.One thing that helped was lots of warm baths..it really seemed to relax us both.I used to bath with both of mine..its really soothing for cantankerous babies. Also tummy time helped. There are two things i can confidently assure you of though..One you are doing a great job please dont doubt your self,you will face bigger things than this trust me! And two this will pass I promise you.

Thank you for your support ladies .

So sorry OP, a new baby is so tough let alone without this isolation crap. Please don’t overly obsess about “enjoying” your baby rubbish- the early months are just about survival and some babies are easier than others (that’s pure luck btw).
On a practical level, once your baby is 3 months give him Ashton and Parsons teething granules- bloody life savers!

I think that's so right . Surviving is what I would call it right now I don't feel like we have bonded thst well yet thank you for the reassurance

My boy was medically fragile and a preemie and had colic for a long time-changed his formula,was on reflux Rx and it just took a while to figure out his preferences-for example being held upright and looking over our shoulders with a dummy-you'd think that would've been simple to work out,right? Nope we were 1st time parents and tried everything we could think of but just had to ride out the storm. Definitely could be teething