Baby hysterical crying - would you go to the GP?

[talalia]

Hi all - DD is 5 months old and normally a very placid baby. She can sometimes fuss slightly, e.g. when stirring at night, but very rarely cries.
In the last few days, however, she's been much more clingy than usual and will start fussing as soon as she's put down, whether day or night.

I've been letting her sleep in to try to combat any tiredness and did the same yesterday, so she shouldn't have been too tired, but she spent many hours yesterday evening/night absolutely hysterically crying - the kind where there's no pausing for breath, almost to the point of being sick. Temperature and nappies fairly normal, not obviously bunged up (even though DH and I have had a few lurgies recently), so a bit stumped. Wondering about teething as the gnawing seems to have stepped up recently.

She surprisingly didn't sleep terribly when she finally settled (got a four hour stretch and hoping she goes down again now) but I'm wondering if it's worth trying to see a GP today before it gets tricky with the Christmas holidays, in case it's something like an ear infection? Or would you just ride it out and use 111 if things get bad again later, perhaps after trying a teething remedy I can pick up today?

Thanks for any thoughts!

Did calpol or ibuprofen help? If yes, it sounds like pain and yes I would take to GP

I would. I remember walking in to the playground and saying to another mum that dd who was 10 months wouldn't stop crying that morning so I was taking her to the GP. She laughed, told me her babies cried for the first 6 months. But I knew my baby, she was my 3rd child and this wasnt normal fornher. We went off to the doctor to find she had a severe ear infection and perforated ear drum.

You known your baby. Mother's instinct should always be listened to.

The same happened to my daughter @KateyCuckoo, both with an ear infection and later with tonsillitis. It was only when I caught tonsillitis from her that I realised how awful it was.

Did calpol help? Have you checked her gums to see if a tooth has coming through? If you breastfeed has her latch changed? What’s her stool like (often but not always changes for teething). I’d rule out teething before going to the GP.

It could also be constipation, you say nappies are fairly normal but I don’t know what that means for you.

ETA I agree with PP that you know your baby. And the GP should prioritise you as she is under 12 months. My GP would always rather see a well baby than have mum worry. He jokes that a GP appointment is normally enough to make them better.

Take her to see doctorOP.

Thanks, all. I think I'll try calling the GP when they open. Ordinarily might see how she goes today, particularly with teething remedies, but a bit concerned about just ending up in urgent care/A&E at some point in the next week due to the GP being shut.

My money was on pain, too, just based on the nature/relentlessness of the crying. Gave one dose of paracetamol last night but hard to tell if it worked. She calmed down for a bit afterwards but we had a few similar calm patches on and off later when it would have worn off anyway.

I had a look at her gums and couldn't see any obvious irritation. Latch felt ok when she wasn't resisting feeding. Possibly felt a bit rougher than usual. When she's calm and not asleep will try to have a proper feel of the gums.

GP get her ears checked.

You say temperature and nappies fairly normal, does that mean one or the other is slightly out?

I phoned GP when DD was little as I'd had two hours of hysterical crying. There weren't any appointments that morning, but receptionist could here her and said she'd made a note that if I phoned again because anything had changed, I'd get an emergency call out. Eventually saw the GP later that day and he thought it was part of her MMR coming out about thee weeks later.

Either say, phone the GP and let them decide.

Typically she's now sleeping pretty peacefully in between feeds! No crying since around 1am. But as you say, @Iliketulips, the GP can decide. Re: temperature and nappies, she felt a bit warm but was hovering around 37 degrees pre paracetamol, so no fever, and she had several dirty and slightly mucousy nappies but that's pretty common for her (on top of regular wet ones).

Have you checked that she doesn't have anything caught round her toes? Little nephew had a hair wrapped tight around one of his toes and he was very upset with it!

Good call, @QuestionableMouse - I've seen some v. painful looking pictures of that! But checked fingers and toes at the time and all seemed ok.

Is she clutching at an ear at all?
We ended up in hospital for 5 days when DD was 1, she had an ear infection that we hadn't spotted

It's possibly teething, try ambesol, but under circumstances I'd also take to GP for checking over. My FIL was a GP and he always Said to me he'd prefer to see 100 healthy children and relieved mums than have a mum worried sick and not seeking help or support from him ... so just go

Absolutely go. They can’t tell you at that age what hurts.

Ear infection and teething are the most likely.
I would take her to a gp. Earache is terrible.

Definitely phone the doctors and if you can't get an appointment then phone the health visitor instead. When my baby had an ear infection at about 9 months she was crying more than usual and also hitting her head kind of halfway between the back of her ear and the back of her head. That was what made me wonder about an ear infection.

Definitely take to the GP, you know your child and anything out of the ordinary should be checked out and they will be happy to see her.

I knew with DC2 that his cry was different and he was very unsettled one day - took him to OOH that night when it hadn't settled at all and he had a double ear and throat infection! I just knew it was different to his standard level of illness and the doctor said that mothers intuition isnt usually wrong.

Managed to get seen this morning. And of course, DD was in great spirits, to the point of full on giggling the whole way through the checks 🙈 Nothing obviously wrong with ears, chest, mouth etc. Relieved about that but totally stumped and really hoping for poor DD that it was just a one-off. Might buy some teething powder and will try to swallow the feeling that I've just used up an urgent appointment for a non-emergency.

Don’t feel bad about having your child seen. 5 months is still very little. I’ve always been told that I’ve done the right thing bringing my child in. A healthcare professional would rather see a healthy child than not see a sick one and it’s not your job to make that call. Any worrying symptoms like inconsolable crying need to be checked.

@talalia
A friend of mine phoned the GP and begged for an immediate emergency appointment for her month old dc#2 who hadn't stopped shrieking for hours. The Gp said if she came down straight away he'd see him immediately. She grabbed him in her arms and ran to the doctors, him screaming all the way.

At the door of the doctors' he gave the most enormous burp, and promptly went silent, and two minutes later, as she entered the GP's consulting room, he was fast asleep.

The Gp thought this was very funny but told her that if he was screaming again like he had been then never ever assume it's just wind and ignore it. Because if it hadn't been, it could have been urgent.
He always said he'd rather have 100 appointments for things that were nothing than miss one that really was urgent.

Bless her, glad to hear she's okay!