5 week old will not stop crying, possibly overtired - advice desperately needed!

[csectionsoon]

Until about 4.5 weeks old we thought DD was so contented. Barely cried, only when very hungry. We are EBF which has been going well. I suspect she has reflux as she is hiccupy and quite sick after feeds but she doesn’t seem distressed when this is happened.

For the past 5 days it’s like a switch has been flicked or someone has swapped my baby and she spends lots of the day screaming the house down. The nights seem better than the days. I think in the day it might be over tiredness as she stays awake for as long as 3 or 4 hours which I know is far too long, I don’t know how to solve this, as we have already tried: swaddling, shushing, rocking, swaying, white noise, music, total silence, making the room dark, bum pats, dummies, car rides, infacol and combinations of all the above. Nothing is reliably working for her. I’ve ruled out allergies as I don’t eat dairy myself and not very much soy. Seem to be having some success with a new brand of dummy that we have tried this morning but she spits it out intermittently and that’s then another reason to cry.

People keep telling me I need to teach/support her to fall asleep but I am trying everything. It’s really tanking my mood and making me feel guilty because I genuinely feel fed up and as though I’m not enjoying every second like I should be doing- baby is very wanted and we absolutely adore her, yet I am finding myself looking forward to a time when she seems more settled and comfortable bless her.

Does anyone have any advice? We are fortunate to have lots of family support and my DH is very hands in but is a shift worker so for most of the week I have baby for very long days or all night on my own. I am struggling to make food or have a shower or sort the laundry on these days and just wish it was all a bit easier. I feel terrible to be so fed up when all I ever wanted is to be a mummy

Thanks in advance x

That sounds so tough, especially after such a change without warning! Have you tried baby wearing? It completely saved my sanity when my little darling wasn’t happy anywhere. There might be a sling library near you that you can try different styles to see what suits you best but I have a wrap sling and a ring sling and still use the ring sling at least weekly.

It’s really hard. Put the baby in a sling or in the pram and go for a walk. Some how the howling doesn’t seem as bad outside and they do drop off. After a week or so they drop off quite quickly in the pram. Depending on where you live there maybe a coffee shop or library where you can sit and rest whilst the baby sleep and enjoy a little peace

I had this, in our case it was silent reflux.

Only solution - breastfeeding with DD tilted upright. Keeping her upright for at least 30 minutes after each feed.

Diet wise - I cut out all dairy (not an issue for you), nearly all caffein (bar one cup of tea after feeding first thing in the morning), citrus fruit, fizzy drinks even sparkling water, nearly all spices. I drunk gallons of breastfeeding tea, I don't remember the brand but it defintely made a difference.

Her crib needed elevation at the top, we put 2 books of around 400 pages each under each leg.

It's heartbreaking to not knowing what the heck is going on and a lot is trial and error.

Yes to pram and also trundle along with the sun in her eyes, this was a trick my nanna taught me. Eyes will shut automatically and then sleep will follow. Close the hood once she's asleep. Sun exposure very brief.

PS hoping you have a sunny day, not the awful grey murk.

Have you had her checked over to make sure she isn't unwell? Temperature? Ear infection? (I'm assuming tiny baby's get them like older children) sore throat? Loads of viruses about and she's so tiny I'm not sure it would be easy to tell.

This is not necessarily good advice- but mine were hungry on ebf and needed a top up bottle of formula morning and evening after bf, it made such a difference.