It's driving me MAD

[herethereandeverywhere]

DD (16 weeks) has cried constantly since 6pm (4 hours) stopping only when I offer to bf her - which she does for a while then pulls away when finished, is quiet for 2 min then the crying starts. I cannot get her to sleep (have tried feeding, cuddling, patting walking, leaving her down for a few minutes to see if she'll settle herself). Unfortunately I can't drive so a trip in a car is out.

She's usually a bit grouchy in the evenings until I feed her to sleep when we go to bed and she's slept through then, usually about 6-7 hours (since 4 weeks old). The last few nights she's woken earlier (5/5.30am rather than 6.30/7am). Have also checked temperature,nappy etc.

Any ideas? I have a banging headache and the neighbours must think I'm killing her! She weighs 15lb and I can't keep walking round with her, my back's killing me.

The hhusband is out tonight and will also be out tomorrow

Maybe try some paracetamol? Perhaps she's coming down with something?

Teeth? I feel for you though, sorry not much help

Thanks. We're both now covered in sickly sweet sticky pink calpol, think I got some in. Currently feeding again(to take the taste away!), will see what happens next.

PS How do you get an ebf baby to take calpol?!!!

Are you using a syringe? They are experts at spitting out though! I hate the stuff, it makes everything sticky!!!

Do you think she is teething? will she let you rub her gums? Obviously she just wants comfort hence the BF bless her!! And your head!! Been there!

Ah - teeth, another good point. She's been slobbering madly and wanting to chew/bite down on everything (me included!) for a couple of weeks. Gums don't seem red though.

Try teething powders when you can get some (they do them in boots) only a herbal type of remedy but you can dip your finger in the powder and rub it around their gums (plus I believe in homeopathy and they contain chamomilla which helps irriated babies)

she might be over tired, ds3 used to do exactly what you described and then crash - its harsh but one particularly bad night I had to leave him in cot crying (well screaming), holding him was actually stressing him out even more because he was so tired, if they cry and then stop and then cry again, like up and down and the periods of quiet get longer then they are settling, long continuous crying I would say means something else is wrong

hope you had an ok night in the end x

Hi, Is this not 'just' colic. Not that colic is 'just' at all. It's darn painful for the babe.
Try dentiox or one of the other remedies... names are escaping me
Give DD them before a feed, perhaps even the feed before the bedtime one so it's 'in' her system.

Best of luck.

Thanks all. Have never thought of DD as colicky, thought that had to follow a pattern with her feeds. Think most likely she was over-tired but perhaps teeth or ear(smelt a bit funny when I hugged her) troubling her to stop her from settling. It's so much easier to be logical when she isn't screaming!

Anyway, she calmed after the last feed, not sure whether it was the feed, the calpol or just time for her to stop. Of course she even raised smiles when the husband walzed in p*ssed - so typical!

Could be wind but to me it sounds like she is still hungry. Is feeding a lot, do u do a formula feed at night? If she not been colicy before 16 weeks it's unlikely to be that now.

CharlieBoo. I don't think the suggestion of a formula feed at night is a good thing. I'm no BF mafia but that's the beginning of the end IMHO (been there, done that).
Just remember how baby changes day to day and week to week and this may just be a short episode.

charlieboo. ... meant to say question, not suggestion... but putting it out there might make a mum think it's a good option