FTM to 3 week old - is this amount of crying normal?

[Lalarosex]

My baby is 3 weeks old and cries 90% of the time he is awake unless feeding. He gets very frustrated arching his back and his arms start flailing. It often gets worse as the day goes on.

He also stays awake for hours on end, partly due to his crying so he is becoming overtired and it makes the problem worse. If I manage to rock him to sleep, he wakes up as soon as I put him down and starts crying.

he is ebf but likely to be moved to combi feeding at some point.

Please tell me it gets easier?! I feel I can barely get myself something to eat let alone the sleep deprivation

Gosh it’s so hard isn’t it. I think the first like 6ish weeks are just a case of survival whilst you adapt to being a parent and sleep deprivation.
I promise you it will get so so much better! Once they start smiling things are better as you’re getting something back from them :)

Firstly, do you have any support? A partner, family members or a friend who can come round to help you?
Do you use a sling or carrier at home? If he’s waking up when you put him down then maybe try popping him in a sling, so you can go and make a drink and food whilst he sleeps. This will also help him to have a good long nap, which should help him be less upset once he wakes. Then for a different nap you can try putting him in his crib or wherever.
It’s so normal and natural for babies to be upset when they’re not attached to you. It’s their survival instinct. Your baby feels safe being close to you, so it is normal that he cries when you put him down for a nap. The sling is a lifesaver.

Have you spoken to your health visitor? With the back arching and crying it could be a sign that he’s uncomfortable, possibly due to trapped gas or possibly an allergy maybe? I’m not a doctor by any means so I’m not saying he has an allergy, but I do have friends whose babies sounded similar and had CMPA. Just something to mention to your health visitor and see what they say.

Does he spit up a lot? Seem very windy?
How does he like to be held? As in is he happy lying flat on his back in your arms or does he want to be held more upright?
My little one started reflux meds recently as well as me cutting out dairy and she's like a different baby since.
Before she pretty much always cried unless she was on the boob she would sleep in my arms but as soon as I put her down she would wake. I now believe it was because of reflux so when she was laying on her back she was in pain.

Its worth asking health visitor or other expert for help. You shouldnt always ignore extreme crying because that might be sign something not right.
Look this link