Need help calming a screaming 4 week old

[Empusa]

In the last few days our DS has started screaming loads, we do all the usual things, (feed him, check his nappy, wind him, cuddle him) nothing seems to work. He's also been vomiting absolutely loads, often projectile. And he hasn't been sleeping much during the day, due to the crying.

Aside from this stuff he seems fine, temperature normal, plenty of wet and dirty nappies, alert in between screams, etc.

Really don't know what to do, as you can probably tell, he's our first. So help?!

By projectile vomiting, do you mean exorcist style?

lol

Not quite, but close, he's got quite a range!

My DD usually started wailing at about 6pm and then just carried on for what felt like hours...
Does he like being on the move? A sling or walk in the pushchair might help?

Hmm, that doesn't sound right. A little possiting is normal, projectile vomiting needs checking. It may be reflux, which is nasty as it could be burning his throat, or something else. How is he tonight?

sorry to copy from here

Would recommend keeping him upright after feeds, for example, get DH to wear him in a sling and go for a walk or walk quietly up and down the stairs/ round the garden. (While you lie down and rest!). Then make an appointment to see GP next week about the vomiting and to check on his weight gain.

It is very wearing and can feel scary but also not at all unusual, unfortunately. Good luck OP.

Beamur Normally he does, but that hasn't been settling him recently

LadySybil He's crying a lot tonight, will stop for a couple of minutes if you pick him up, but then starts screaming again.

Did you check the link??

ladysybil Just looked at the link, aside from the vomiting he doesn't have any of the other symptoms, so hopefully it's not that! It sounds horrific :(

helium I'll make an appointment on Monday, and shall try sitting him upright after feeds

Reflux can also be painful for them, it's where the muscle at the top of the stomach doesn't close fully so all of the milk comes back up. He needs to see your GP. Try not to panic, it's more uncomfortable then anything else.

Oh thank god he's fallen asleep finally! Reaches for the

Bollocks, spoke too soon!

ouch! definitely second the baby in sling walking up and down the stairs - this was our second last resort. The other is going for a drive.

Aww :( I remember those days, or rather, nights.

Try tiger in the tree - hold him balanced along your forearm with his arms & legs dangling down like a tiger, your fingers should be between his legs and the heel of your hand pretty much right on his stomach. The pressure seems to help.

Do you have any gripe water or infacol in the house? Maybe worth a trip to 24 hour supermarket chemist section if you get really desperate? I can't remember if infacol is over the counter or not. Gripe water isn't, anyway.

Walking up and down the stairs can also help. Also lying on dad's chest while he sings, talks or hums, especially if he has a deep voice.

Whatever you do, take shifts. It's hellish trying to cope on your own.

Ds had awful colic and cried non stop from 6pm every eve unless breastfeeding or having a bath in his tummy tub (a glorified bucket which allowed him the equiv of a deep bath) it really relaxed him and was worth every penny. Infacol didn't help him much but was easy to buy at boots or wilkinsons. I think you have to wait until 8 weeks for gripewater but I may be wrong.

Hope he feels happier soon!

longstory We tried going for a drive earlier, didn't work unfortunately :(

BertieBotts I'll try and pick up some infacol and/or gripe water tomorrow.
Luckily DH has taken a load of time off work so we can take turns looking after DS, it's definitely helping me stay sane!

howcomes We found giving him a bath does calm him down, only for the duration of the bath though. The minute he is out he starts screaming again!

If he likes the warm water have you tried swaddling?

Leave the bath. Keep stimulation to an absolute minimum. Little babies should only be awake for 45 mins at a time maximum before you have to help them sleep. Unless you're lucky to have an easy going baby.

Take him to a pitch black room, hold him nice and firmly (not squashing, just so he feels safe), and pop on some white noise or music with a strong beat and turn it up loud. Really loud. Try rocking him like that for 10-15 mins then swap with your DH as it'll feel like ages.

You'll have to make sure he doesn't get over stimulated otherwise ge'll end up a screaming mess. Ds was like this and on bad days would be awake from 6pm til 3am (yes all night). All because we'd let him stay awake for nearly two hours. It passed once he got older.

Is he bottle fed? If so, he could be reacting to the formula making it harder to fall asleep as he's uncomfortable. Try a dummy after a feed and speak to your GP.

Babies like this need shed loads of cuddles and help sleeping - don't be tempted to keep them awake, don't let them be passed around too much and played with and try and introduce a bedtime routine which starts at 5.30pm consisting of change, feed, bed. Baths are really over stimulating! As are stories, light shows etc.

Baby Bjorn sling was a lifesaver for us. Awful crying unable to console. The thing that worked was walking with him upright talking to him ina very low monotonous voice (about any old stuff- I seem remember talking about our day in minute detail) no shushing, it seemed to wind him up further. We also for d walking outside - round the garden rather than up and down stairs (perhaps just cos it sent me potty)
We found if we could get him to sleep, even for a few minutes, it seemed to press a reset button, then we would get him to bed with his normal routine - feed, crib.
We did find a dummy helped too sometimes but only sometimes as part of this mix.

Also wear earplugs when dealing with a screaming baby, you still hear their screaming tones as you soothe them but it just takes the manic edge off things I found.
Lastly, if you can get him to sleep in the day anyhow do it, to reset his tired body. I used t walk with the sling, or he liked the car seat, so I used to go,for a scenic drive.
He just sounds like a cuddler who needs close carrying on his terms. - who says a parent is in charge?!

My DD screamed from about 4 o'clock in the afternoon till sometimes 9 at night. Not stop yelling or so it seemed. I was the one who needed calming!! She did the projectile vomiting but only a couple of times. Not sure there are any answers apart from the usual ones. But they are all worth trying. Some really good ideas in the posts above. Music or those baby calming CD's might help. But it will pass if that's any consulation.

We gave the sling a try today, it worked at first but he soon started up again!

Great advice from Iggly. For white noise, I'd recommend a radio tuned to static, turned up loud! Have you thought about swaddling? We bought something called a miracle blanket, think you can get them on Amazon, worked a treat with DD, combines with white noise. Good luck....it seems like it will go on for ever, but it does pass.

We've tried swaddling, we shall give white noise a try though.

The best thing I found was doing ALL 5 "S's" from the Happiest Baby on the Block at the same time: linky

"The five S's are the five things we can do to help recreate womb conditions for the baby and provide comfort. They are sucking, swinging, shushing, side/stomach, and swaddling. Each one provides comfort to the baby and when used in combination these techniques can quickly calm a screaming baby.

Sucking can be accomplished with a pacifier, nursing, a finger or a bottle. The urge to suck is strong for babies. "Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain."says Karp.

Swinging is comforting to a baby and reminds them of being inside mom where there was motion whenever mom moved. Side to side swinging, riding in a car, rocking, walking the room with a parent are all examples of motion that reminds baby of the womb environment.

Shushing refers to white noise. Inside the womb was actually quite loud most of the time. Babies are used to hearing their mom's heartbeat all the time. White noise machines or white noise CD's can help with this instead of running the vacuum cleaner or saying "ssshhh sssshhh" loudly for long periods of time.

Side/stomach refers to holding the baby on the left side to aid in digestion or holding the baby on her stomach to provide support. Being held on their back often causes babies to startle. Once a baby is calmed down and sleeping, they can then safely be put on their back for sleeping.

Swaddling helps provide the continuous touching and support baby experienced in the womb. It also prevents baby from hitting themselves in the face with their hands. Learning how to tightly swaddle a baby is a great skill, or there are products that help with it."