Baby DD won't stop screaming.

[Seline]

I can't sleep. Ever. DD screams and screams and screams. She will only sleep on me. She screams and wakes up her twin brother. She screams in the cot. She screams in the moses basket. She screams and screams.

I feel guilty for being upset as she was a very poorly nicu baby who has fought so hard to be here but she will not let me sleep ever. I've had two hours sleep in 4 days now. I feel like banging my head against a wall.

How do I get her to sleep

Also contact homestart.

It sounds like DS2 after his stay in NICU. It turned out to be silent reflux - ranitidine changed things for us! Tilting the cot helped a little, lots of car naps (not always ideal but good day naps led to better nights) and we have ended up co sleeping which I never wanted to do but got to needs must stage. Try your GP and see what they can do - DS meds improved things enough we could start to put a bit of a routine in place and he now sleeps for 8 hours ish before coming in with us. Good luck with it all...you will find the answers and sleep again soon

DS had silent reflux and colic, it was a lot like this. No vomit, but pain, which got worse when he was on his back. Had to hold him upright at all times. As he got older, sleeping on his front for a few hours on a tilted baby beanbag helped, plus a dummy. He was mix fed, and I recommend getting an anti colic bottle. Defo talk to dr, this could be silent reflux. If infant gaviscon helps at all within a week, whether it solves it or just improves things a little, then it's reflux, and you can go back and ask for something stronger like ranitidine or omeprazole.
DS's was probably caused by an (undiagnosed) tongue tie, so he grew out of it before 4 months. It felt like it would never end and I'd never bond with him but it did and I have. I needed rest, though.
Whether it's reflux or something else, you've got to ask for help. You're no good to anyone if you're this exhausted so don't punish yourself. I'm so sorry you're in hell, I sincerely hope it gets better soon.

Thanks everyone. Rang HV and GP and her old scbu. All agree it sounds like silent reflux and have managed to get some ranitidine to collect in the morning. Hopefully this will help!

Good luck for tonight OP! I have totally sympathy, my 4 month old is an atrocious sleeper but at least there's only one of him. You are doing amazing and this will all be a distant memory one day. Hope the ranitidine works

I have silent reflux and I can sympathise, it wakes me up in the night but at least I know what it is. Please can people not suggest co sleeping it's not safe for prem/ low birth weight babies!

Probably reflux. Ranitidine made my daughter worse. If it doesn’t work try losec. She was like a different baby.

Ranitidine was a godsend for my screamer.
Also keeping her upright for half an hour after a feed.
She loved her dummy too so maybe try a few
And also a stretchy sling
It will get better

'Sleep when they sleep'. I am sure the op would if she could.

Mine only slept if I was holding him, standing up, or rocking him. I remember standing outside in the rain with him in a sling, me bouncing up and down, watching the telly through the window while the rain poured down off my gutters which I hadn't realised before then that they were leaking. If I could have slept standing up, I would have!!! I snatched 20 minutes here and there when I could and locked myself away for 2 hours on occasion while my husband held the fort but we had two other children.

DD actually slept okayish last night. Her brother who normally sleeps peacefully didn't. They've given me gaviscon for him as he has classic reflux and it made him constipated and upset. I've given him brown sugar in boiled water which seems to be sorting him out so will be asking for ranitidine instead for him too.

@Seline how've the last couple of days been?

I hope one of these solutions works. Otherwise you could try a cranial osteopath. Worked wonders for my DD.

So I'm late to this thread but my wee one was exactly the same turned out to be silent reflux plus tounge tie so loads of wind and cramping.
Keep going you're doing amazing 😊

Sounds like silent reflux to me - my son has it. Inclining the head of the crib helped a bit but a wedge pillow was a game changer. Also started on ranitidine at 6 wks which worked well till 4 months. In the early days I slept upright holding him. Just had myself wedged upright with him upright on me with lots of pillows packed in tight around me

Got some sleep last night. DD has ranitidine today so we will see how it goes!

I hope it works for both of you.

My newborn DD is a screamer too, the noise is unbearable. I can’t believe someone so tiny can be so LOUD. Her 3 year old brother was silent (paralysed vocal cords) so I’m really not used to this level of noise.

I just want to say I can emphasize and you’re not alone.

Just an update in case anyone finds this who is having the same thing. DD is like a different baby now. Two doses of ranitidine and she's no longer angry and doesn't scream as much. So it looks like it may have been silent reflux.

Wow. That is great news. Glad you both have found some relief.

@Seline I'm so pleased for you. Here's to some settled nights x

My mum offered to do last night to give us relief and we never heard DD at all and my mum said she was settled and lovely. Thank God. Sleep deprivation was really starting to get to us.