6 week old baby cries and grizzles all day. HELP PLEASE!

[rowanrowow]

Please help me. My beautiful ds2 is 6 weeks old and is never ever awake and content. I don't know if he is just grumpy or in some kind of discomfort. He litterally wakes up crying and no amount of hugging, shushing, rocking, carrying, feeding or bouncing seemms to stop it until he falls asleep again. He seems constantly irritable either tired or in pain maybe I can't work him out. He doesn't feed very much but can't without becomming restless and pushing/ straining, crying etc. He really struggles to get to sleep, takes up to 2 hours at night time while he cries on me in between feeding, dummy etc inorder to get to sleep. What am I doing wrong? My first ds wasn't an easy baby at all but ds2 is just impossible! Also I don't know if this is relevant but his poo is fairly green. He seems to be so miserable and ds1 is being neglected! Help!

Hi, I don't really have any helpful advice but just wanted to say that I really feel for you. My 5 week dd doesn't sleep well and I'm finding that hard enough so I really really sympathise for you.
Please let us know how you get on tomorrow and lets hope they can make your lovely little boy happy.

I've been there and is so so so so horrid, it was silent reflux for my dd (took until she ws 6 months old before they listened & she was my 3rd dc) but I would also take your baby to a cranial osteopath as my friends son was like this and even the 1st session made a huge huge difference. So drs appt and CP appt. Get as much help as you can in the meantime to try and cope with it as it is so so so wearing having your baby cry/grizzle constantly.

Agree with RandomMess. Babies are rarely 'grumpy' - not like your ds appears to be because it is ALL the time. that does point to the fact that there is something not quite right - whether that be reflux, Lactose intolerance, milk protein allergy, cranial issues OR a combination of all of those. Agree with seeing a cranial osteopAth too - took both dcs to a really good children's specialist one in SW London. It didn't work as amazingly for dd2 as it did for ds1 (who slept through the night for the first time after first appointment) but she was a lot more settled afterwards and she is no longer on meds for reflux now.

I'm nor advocating marching down to A&E if you've got an appt tomorrow but (and I'm in no way that type of mum) my friend was also so concerned about dd that she said she would look after ds whilst I took dd in the evening to the paediatric a&e - having had a futile docs appt earlier that day.
, and dd screaming for hours on end. They were brilliant, and that started the diagnosis for CMPA.

Really good luck for tomorrow. Let us know how you get on.

Thank you everyone DS has been prescribed Neocate hypoallergenic formula to see if that helps his mood. We had a very understanding paediatrician who has said if things are no better within a month than we will go down the reflux route and start meds for that. Got an appointment in 4 weeks time to see how the milk is settling. Not expecting miracles as he doesn't seem to have all the symptoms for milk intolerance that I have researched but it's got to be worth a try. His main 'symptom' is just being miserable . Thank you all for you help and suggestions. It's been great to have support.

it could well be "mild" acid reflux, dds was solved by infant gaviscon within 4 days of starting taking it she was like a different baby!

Hope it goes well.

To be honest I am leaning alightly more to towards thinking it's reflux but ds has dry skin and a rash/ excema on his cheek so paed said it was best to rule out the intolerance and hope if he has reflux too then the Neocate should sort that out too but if not then there are othere avenues to explore. Just feel a bit better knowing something is being done about it.

I'm glad you're feeling more positive. My screamer/miserable/suffering baby is now 8 - the memories still remain, had she been my first I think she would have been an only!

Gosh I'm so pleased you've got Neocate. I was wondering all day how you got on. All I would say is that I wouldn't dream of waiting a month - you'll see a difference very shortly or not at all and if there's no change or things get worse, please please go back - I'd give it a week - on the basis that an intolerance shows itself far faster than a month.
These are such special days and to have them spoilt by this is just awful. Our Paed charges £110 for a private consultation which makes him far more accessible. Its worth asking if your Paed or one of their colleagues sees private patients too.
Hope you're all much happier very soon. x

Have just caught up on this and totally agree with BagofHolly. I really hope it works for you but you certainly won't want to wait a month if DS still seems unhappy. Your GP can prescribe the reflux meds for you without waiting to see the paediatrician, but, depending on your GP, you may have to be quite forceful. The 'cryingoverspiltmlik.nz' website is good for helping you to understand the different medicines available if you need them.

You can also ring the hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to the paediatric secretaries (who will get a message to the paediatrician). I have made a lot of progress doing this for my 2 DS in times of trouble, such as speeding up appointments, getting more advice etc... They have both been refluxy (one silent and one definitely not) and certainly CMP intolerant.

There is a reflux support thread in the feeding topic which might help you to make sure you've covered all the bases, like propping up after a feed etc.. (my two needed 90 mins after a feed - thank goodness DH was helpful in the night or I'd never have been asleep) and give you general day to day support and reassurance that you are not alone in dealing with an unhappy baby.

Finally for tonight, take all offers of help - particularly when someone offers to hold the baby (the noise will affect them less than you and will give you a little break) and remember that it will improve with time. Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Gosh Bethylou did you have twins too, with reflux? I swear I felt like there was only me! I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

You might also want to have a look at this thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/behaviour_development/1377293-feeling-down-4-week-old-doesnt-stop-crying?pg=1

We tried ds on neocate but he screamed much much more . My paed said if it was milk
Intolerance the babies take to neocate straight away and are happier within a week . I echo what others have said , don't wait a month.

Glad you've got neocate. Agree with other posters- a month is too long to wait, particularly when you have a screaming baby making you lose your mind.

As I think I said before, my dd was definitely a bit better within two days and significantly better within a week. It did take about two weeks for all the symptoms to pretty much disappear and her intestines had healed themselves (no more nasty nappies, basically)

I really hope it works for you.

BagofHolly We didn't have twine - just two in 22 months was enough to nearly send us over the edge. I can't imagine how you must have felt having two at once with it. I take my hat off to you for still being here! (Sorry for hijack!)

OP, glad your DS has been prescribed something. I would also second the suggestion to take him to a cranial osteopath, especially as he was a big baby. All manner of horrible things happen to their little heads when they're "exiting" and the plates of his skull may not have bounced back to where they're supposed to be after they were compressed during birth.

Hyper-alertness, discomfort whilst lying down and struggling to sleep are all symptoms. Basically, a session can't do any harm, but could do the world of good. My DS went from screaming every moment he was awake for 8 weeks to being a completely different child overnight.

my son had terrible colic (between 7pm and 10pm at its worst each night) but also both my DH and I felt he just wasnt right just generally/in himself as seemed very grizzly all the time. He just 'couldnt be' if that makes any sense.

In our case we also noticed he seemed to not like to move his head both ways but favoured his left.

We took him to see a cranial osteopath specialising in babies and it was amazing - she sorted out his colic and he was a much more contented baby - I really would recommend it. She explained everything is linked including bladder/gut etc.

If it doesnt get better - please try it.

We are going through similar, you have my sympathies. My daughter is 5 weeks old and is often inconsolable, sleeps very little and I'm run ragged. We have a cranial osteopathy appt on Thursday. Really hope it helps.

Big sympathy consort I do hope the osteopathy works. I have been reluctant to go down this route til we have ruked out anything medical but as time goes on I am getting increasingly desperate for anything that could improve things slightly. I just feel utter dispair as DS1 was a similarly grumpy baby but could be comforted usually by walking him around, nothing works with ds2 at all . I hope you see improvements please let me know how the cranial osteopathy works out if you get chance xxx good luck x

rowan please don't be reluctant about osteopathy - I know it can be viewed as a bit "airy-fairy" but believe me when I tell you that I am SO FAR removed from the earth mother/hippy stereotype, and I swear by it. I was at breaking point with my DS (picture Christmas Day in my house with me and DH!sobbing in SIL's bedroom whilst DS screamed for the 7th week running) - it changed my life, and that of DS who we now know was in constant pain with his head .

It was like the baby we knew got swapped out for one that looked exactly the same, but that SMILED! And SLEPT! And FED! It felt like a miracle.

When I was researching it for my DS (this was 4 years ago, mind), I actually came across a forum on the midwives association website, and they were saying on there that they would recommend that every single baby born have one session with a cranial osteopath as it can do absolutely no harm whatsoever, but can do the world of good.

Ditto !NoWay

Hi, clearly I'm really late at seeing your message but I just had to let you know I too had a shocker of a time with my first, pretty much from birth. I also went to a cranial osteopath and nearly kissed the man after the first session. Two of them had a brief hands on thing with her, and both said they couldn't believe she doesn't just cry all the time. I said she does and then cried myself! He spent about 20 mins on her, and she went home a changed baby. Don't get me wrong, it's not an instant change but after quite a few sessions she was finally trying to enjoy life. It was put down to her being rather twisted in my stomach during pregnancy. She was breech for much of the time, and just quite misalligned. Can't say this is the same for yours, but if you're still struggling give it a go. If you live in London there's a Centre for it, where you go and just have to give a donation - it's pricey otherwise! Good luck!!!

Rowan, I will definitely let you know how the osteopathy goes. It is 4:30 am and I have yet to get DD down successfully so really desperate for something to work. She's finally calm after hours of crying but woke when I put her down in her Moses basket. props eyeballs open

i would suggest going back to your gp and demanding some tests for reflux/intolorence. if u find they are again unhelpful ask to see another gp or go to the hospital. you will both feel 100 times better when u get to the bottom of this.

sorry just realised this thread has moved onto a 2nd page! opps!