10 week old crying all day - is this normal?

[lilipup]

I know this topic has been covered lots in other threads which I've read, but I wondered if anyone has had a similar experience to us specifically. Our 10 week old breastfed baby girl cries most of the time she is awake. From birth she has been high need, not wanting to be put down, and it took weeks to get her to sleep peacefully on her back. She is very windy, so we've put it down to colic. She's particularly distressed when passing wind at the bottom end. But I really wonder if it is just wind - at times, she is contorted with pain, arms and legs jutting out, whole body taut. She is not sick much at all, possets only a little occasionally, but I've read about silent reflux, and wondering if that is what is up, as I've heard her swallowing quite a bit sometimes. We;ve tried everything - colief, gaviscon, infacol, colicynth, other homeopathic stuff, massaging tummy, pushing her legs up, tiger in the tree hold etc. At this point, even cudding her on a shoulder doesn't stop the crying anymore. I've given up eating lots of foods, dairy, chocolate, caffeine, oranges,but that doesn't seem to be working either. She sleeps really well at night though, only waking up once or twice. Any advice? My local doctors/HVs don't have much to say on it. My mother keeps going on about changing her to formula, but I think this will only make it worse. Any advice gratefully received.

Yes, yes - my lo is just the same!! It is during the day when he is worst - today was awful because he obviously wanted to eat but kept flinching and arching his back. He hardly ate anything this afternoon. It is really odd because sometimes I start doubting myself when I feed him at night and he just goes straight off to sleep peacefully - but I'm certain he is in pain during the day.

I also wonder how just a little bit of motion can put everything right. Yes I'm sure I've broken the speed limit a few times but it certainly calms him down (going around roundabouts is effective too).

What a relief to read all of your posts. Thanks so much. I entered into my browser "my baby cries all day long, is this normal?" and was directed to this thread. My son is 11 wks. old and has all of the symptoms as mentioned in this thread. Cries all day long, cries after eating, does not want to nap, rarely if ever smiles and when he does it is a quick half smile. If you blink, you miss it. When he quiets, like 5 minutes here and there, usually toward late evening or before bed, he is like a beautiful angel. I have tried 6 formula changes, (being a Dad, obviously don't breast feed), over the counter gas medicine, prescription antacid (Zantac) and even a prescription gas reducer and anti intestinal spasm medicine. Nothing worked. The only thing that I did not see mentioned in the thread that made a huge, huge difference in getting my son to sleep was that I swaddled him very tightly. And not with a blanket. He would kick and squirm out of it. I bought a store bought swaddle pouch with velcro from Babies-R-Us for $10. It worked wonders. He would kick and punch and work himself into such a state of upset that he could not go to sleep without the swaddle. Now he sleeps peacefully after the first minute or two of trying to get out of the swaddle until he realizes he can't and also that he is happy being bundled up, just like in the womb for 9 months. I got the idea from "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Karp. Great book. Oh yes, in combination with the swaddle I also use a white noise machine, turned up very loudly, like about the volume of a vacuum sweeper. He likes the constant, steady sound of the spring rainfall. You can get them (white noise sound effects) built into many alarm clocks. The louder he cries, the louder I turn up the volume of the white noise machine to match his cry volume. As he settles down, I turn the volume down equally to match his cries. I used to be up every 1-1 1/2 hrs during the night and had to lay him on my chest sitting upright in a chair, in order to get him to sleep at night time. Now he sleeps for close to 7 hrs. straight.

I've had two babies with reflux, and both were like this until we treated it, when they stopped crying overnight. With my first (breastfed) it was mhy HV who first suggested it, and took some convincing for gp to prescribe gaviscon, which I mixed with a .little water before feeds.
Second baby is formula fed and I changed to a staydown formula, again with instant results.

Good luck, I hope you get it sorted, it's awful having a baby that screams all day, and for me heartbreaking that they had suffered when the answer was so simple.

Hi,

Both my lo's were like this and it is terrible, I felt like I had made a huge mistake having dc. Unfortunetly only time seemed to make a difference.
DD would be fine when she was being held but hated being put down. She would not sit in a bouncy chair or sleep on her own and I spent every nap time watching tv with her on my lap asleep. I tried the sling, buggy, cranial osteopathy, gaviscon, livting her cot and even trying to get her to sleep in a car seat. None of it worked. The only thing that stopped her crying was holding her or I bought a swing which she would fall asleep as long as it was on super fast speed! came in handy when I needed to eat or wee. Thankfully when she was about 14-16 weeks old it stopped and she became a much happier baby ans I even got her to have her morning nap on her own in a cot( somehow that was the only nap she would accept being in a cot for)
DS on the otherhand was also a cryer but in a different way, he used to break wind really bad and it stunk and pull up his legs and sometimes even holding him wasnt enough. Unfortunetly as I had dd he had to be put down and left to cry sometimes. Even though he wanted to be held constantly when awake he would go to sleep on his own in his moses basket(think i learnt my lesson from dd who at 2 would still not fall asleep without being held) The things that stick in my mind about these times was when I was trying to wean DS I couldnt even get him to eat anything because he was so unappy that I couldnt hold him and feed him at the same time that he cried everytime I tried to give him any food and also that both were only happy in the buggy if it was being pushed, the minute I stopped ie in a shop they would start screaming again.
DS was a bit later at finally being content at about 6 months, but it took until he was crawling at 9 months to be a lot happier.
The one thing I would do if I could turn back time is to get a sling, not one of those mothercare/upright types but instead the fabric type where baby can also be laying down and seems to have more contact with you tan the other type. Oh and another thing when things are getting really bad have a lovely warm bath together. The warm water plus skin to skin seems to settle them.
I hope it gets better for you soon.

Update to an earlier message I posted. On my boy's 3 month birthday (13 weeks to be exact) he woke up smiling and improved 75% from the crying from early morning to late night that he had been doing previously. Instead of 3 minutes a couple times a day where he would be content, he is now happy and smiling for 1 to 1 1/2 hr. periods throughout the day. An amazing change. Also, before when he would have to burp or be gassy he would wail, he now just gets a little fussy until it passes, and then is fine again.
Everything I heard and read said that this period would pass in 3-4 months, (a few parents said longer for them, up to 9 months) I was lucky, it passed in 3 months for the most part.

Wow great news dboysdad. Glad things have worked out! It's lovely when you get smiles after months of misery! Makes it all worth while. Hope you are both happy and you can finally get to enjoy him.

Thanks Meandmyjoe. And you are right, those smiles and the connection you have make all the tough times worth it. One of those little smiles can keep me going for days.