To think my "easy" baby has been replaced with a "difficult" baby???

[banana87]

DD is 7 weeks. Has been such a placid baby, feeding every 2-3 hours, awake and happy for an hour then sometimes going back in the breast to fall asleep, and sleeping until the next feed. Life was easy (with a 3 year old added in!). Now, for 4 days (so I presume this now means forevermore) she is happy for precisely 5-10 minutes after a feed then becomes such a cranky pants!!! On and off the breast until finally falling asleep for half an hour max (including in the sling). I'm seriously going to lose it. I can't cope with DD1 and a baby who is only happy on the boob! Also can't really hand her off to DH for a break because she screams! What has happened???

growth spurt?
mine were normally insane for about a week during growth spurts.

Your normal baby has remained a normal baby

Growth spurt?
Colic?
Feeling unwell?

I did think growth spurt as she is genuinely feeding more frequently but this started Thursday! Maybe I'm just being impatient and it is a growth spurt...I hope!!

Sorry to say this, but all mine slept a lot for the first six weeks and then "woke up". She's so tiny, it seems a bit harsh to start labelling her as difficult when she's just doing what babies do!

Try to get some strategies in place to help you and DD1. Sling? Box of special toys for DD1 to play with while you are feeding?

Probably a growth spurt, totally normal.
Let DH deal with her crying for a while and have a bath/snooze/play with DD1.

If she continues being stressy check out the reflux support thread. DD3 was lovely for 3 weeks then all hell let loose for a year!

Thanks paranoid, I will do if it carries on. I did wonder if her reflux is becoming not so silent but she doesn't act uncomfortable , arch her back, etc. She is feeding AGAIN, pretty much every 30 minutes and not just comfort sucking.

Mine went through phases of feeding for 3-4 hours at a time. It'll pass eventually.
Hope you feel better soon.
If she's coming on and off a lot have you considered that she could have thrush so not feeding properly due to painful mouth? Just a thought.

I could have written this OP! My DS hit his 8 week growth spurt at about 6.5 weeks. He started by upping his day feeds till they almost blended into one another..then when I thought I could cope with no more he decided to kick into the night feeds too. In all it lasted about 10 days and I was a broken woman. I have a memory of sitting at the kitchen table in my dressing gown with DS clamped to my boob but still screaming and pleading with DH not to go to work. DH stayed home for 3 hours but DS was never off the boob for longer than a nappy change so in the end I sent DH off - with the strict proviso that he was to return armed with a car full of calorific treats.

abigboy thank god for your post! I am SO hoping it will pass, it HAS to!!! Nothing is working other than boob. She's currently in the sling with DH walking around humming loudly and still screaming . Think it's time I pop her back on the boob, it's the only thing that shuts her up!!

Honestly - my BF peer supporter advised skin to skin so I spent the first day in bed with laptop/DVDs etc and day 2 on sofa.. On day 3 I followed HV advice and took him out to distract him. Oh my effing word was that a bad idea! He screamed all the way there in the car..for 15 mins in the buggy and then all that way home. I swear he learned to smile just as he was coming out of it. Talk about Darwin in action?! It was all that stopped me from putting him on ebay got me through. I should have said he went on to be an even more chilled out baby so fingers crossed!

Right, I shall tell myself it's a growth spurt/phase then. Another thought: she was really ill last week with bronchialitis and a chest infection. She wasn't feeding as much and was vomiting anything she did get. Could this be a growth spurt and her making up for all she missed?

Yes, yes and another yes!

Oh, maybe. Afraid am clueless no expert. The BF forum might be able to offer more help though? It does sound really like a growth spurt though. No reflux symptoms, just angry hunger. DS put on an obscene amount that week (though I can't remember how much! Clearly I have blocked it out...) Good luck!

DS had his growth spurt at 7 weeks, just when I thought we'd passed the 6 week mark without any undue bother. Then he hit the 8 week wonder week bang on cue.

It passes, I don't generally think of easy/hard babies, just easier and harder times.

just seen the ill last week, yes I would think there was some catch up involved as well.

This too will pass: everything is a phase at that age.

I guess this would not be the best time to diet/count calories then is it? Damn! I've started taking fenugreek tonight to help boost my supply. My only saving grace is that she has started (the last 2 nights) going 5-6 hours between feeds as opposed to 3...so I suppose there is a silver lining

I just wanted to come back to this and say it was just a growth spurt . My happy baby is back! She does get overstimulated easier than before but overall a much happier baby and therefore a much happier Mummy!