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Uncontrollable night crying (5w/o)

12 replies

chocolateyclur · 21/01/2012 19:50

DS1 had what I would term 'colic' in the traditional sense. He was very windy, and showed signs of intestinal discomfort. He screamed a lot with it.

DS2, at 5 weeks, has started screaming from around 7.30pm until late at night. Nothing seems to work to stop him. He does cluster feed (ebf) but will often come off mid feed and resume screaming. He will fall asleep, but fights it so much that he will sleep lightly, and wake himself screaming.

At these times, he's not happy being held in any position - and nor does he want putting down. He will fuss at the boob, and is marginally more likely to settle a bit with skin to skin - but only for a max of 15 minutes. Walking him around does nothing, nor does shushing. Firm pats on the bum can send him into the light sleep.

At other times he does prefer to self settle - but not during the evening. Last night we managed a 30 minute reprieve in his vibrating bouncy chair.

Baths work until he gets out. He despises swaddling.

I know that this is arguably a developmental stage that some babies go through - but has anyone got any magic cures or suggestions? I hate seeing him so worked up and feeling so helpless.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
DialMforMummy · 21/01/2012 19:57

Sounds like colic to me. Cranial osteopathy did the trick for us. It was a godsend, it is very stressful.

NigellaLawless · 21/01/2012 19:59

Poor you! You must feel frantic right now.

It couldn't be something you are eating/drinking could it?

We thought my ds had colic for a few weeks (symptoms sound very similar to your ds2) and it was particularly bad in evenings and night but then I found that if i cut out absolutely all garlic, chilli, broccolli and cucumber the symptoms disapeared. I had a much happier baby, but very boring dinners Wink

My sister had the same problem with cucumber and my Mam said she couldn't eat any salad whilst breastfeeding as it made me, db and dsis very windy and unhappy.

Hope things get better for you soon

WyrdMother · 21/01/2012 20:00

Woah... the flashbacks.

I went through something very similar to this with DD, I once phoned the out of hours doc and got told it was "just colic", if he'd been in the room with me he'd have had colic from the punch in the belly I'd have given him.

Have you seen your Doctor to discount reflux or any other medical issue? I do wonder if my DD had some kind of silent reflux.

UpToTheMoon · 21/01/2012 20:08

My (first) son also suffered with colic at an early stage, it can be very distressing. A friend suggested 'Infacol' to us, it can be used from birth, either in their bottles or directly in to their mouth..it worked well calming him down but not so much bringing up wind, so we then tried 'Dentinox Colic Drops' which can be used the same way..and it worked a treat! He used to bring up so much wind after a feed and he really was a happier, more settled baby! We continued using it until that stage passed. I hope it passes very soon!

chocolateyclur · 21/01/2012 20:22

Thanks everyone.

I've been avoiding leafy greens, garlic and onions as a matter of course this time, as they really set DS1 off. This time around I'm eating quite a bit of bread (damn tiger bread for being so lovely) so I think I'll try eliminating that for a while.

I've used infacol but no noticeable difference - will invest in some dentinox drops. I've got some gripe water too, but havent used it yet.

I considered cranial osteopathy with DS1 as he had a traumatic birth, but there was nothing nearby and the prices were extortionate when combined with petrol. I've since moved and have already looked into it for DS2. It seems to be £50 a session on average, which is more reasonable (especially if it helps him) - on average, how many sessions are needed?

Thanks again. He's asleep at the moment and I daren't move or breathe. During the day I'll happily vacuum around him and let DS1 play noisily but I feel like I'm walking on eggshells at the moment.

OP posts:
DialMforMummy · 21/01/2012 21:15

There was a noticeable improvement after the first session. We went back about 2/3 weeks later for another and it was the end of it. We paid £40 a sess.

kayjaybabe · 24/01/2012 13:00

Op, you say that during the day you can vaccum around him and basically make any noise.
My DD is 5 weeks and she will only sleep with a light on and some sort of music/noise constintly playing at night time but during the day settles and sleeps fine and i too am not noise cautious. I think its that they are more settled knowing you are close by so maybe instead of using just mobiles(not knowing what you actually use if anything) try different relaxing music maybe even some with words in it and maybe
he will settle a little easyer.

Not being nosey but does He sleep in your room or his own room?

JiltedJohnsJulie · 24/01/2012 16:46

Poor you. I'm not trained so won't be much help but have you tried posting in the "breast & bottle feeding section" as there are some BFCs who post regularly in there. The only other suggestion I've got is to ring one of the Breastfeeding Helplines and see if they can offer any tips. Have you got the numbers?

JiltedJohnsJulie · 24/01/2012 16:55

Know you have tried shushing, was it And thought you might like to read this too.

Congratulations on your new DS too Smile.

Africagirl1 · 24/01/2012 18:32

The only thing that worked for DD was buscopan. I gave it to her at 4.30pm every day. She's now 3 months and seems to have got through this rocky patch

chocolateyclur · 24/01/2012 20:58

Thanks again.

He sleeps in our room - and downstairs with us until we go to bed. Had a discussion with the gp today around reflux/colic - she said that as he's putting on weight she's not worried and she thinks he's "being a bit grumpy". Helpful!

I work with a breastfeeding counsellor so I think I'm going to make an appointment with her next week.

OP posts:
LucyBliss1 · 25/01/2012 13:50

Hiya, you should look in to learning baby massage, i know it can sound a bit mother earthy, but i teach it and mums that attend my class have seen massive improvments in their babies especially if they suffer from wind and colic.
Once your baby has had a feed wait for a around half an hour to a n hour, lay them on their back either clothed or naked and massage with the tips of your fingers around their belly button in a CLOCKWISE DIRECTION, apply enough pressure so you are not tickling, do this 4-5 times.
There are many different routines you can try, especially at bed time to settle but this will help digestion.
If they suffer from reflux prop baby up a little whilst massaging and try this before going for the Infacol! x

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