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Children's health

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Original poster

Baby randomly screams - still shaky breathing

23 replies

MeAgain91 · 27/07/2018 23:07

I was just at a family do in a hall with my 4mo. He’s normally always happy and even when he’s hungry etc he won’t cry, just shout or grumble a bit til I come to him. Only time he used to cry was in the car seat when he hated it but (fingers crossed) he’s fine now.
He slept the journey there so I brought him in in the car seat when we got there and he slept through he talking, music etc. When he woke up, he didn’t grumble and went to his Auntie for a cuddle. He sat on a younger relative’s lap happily while a young one spoke to him and all was well then suddenly literally in a split second he was inconsolable.
I’ve only ever heard him scream like that for 2 mins after his last jabs, this went on for 15 mins while I tried everything. Blanket, cuddles, singing, nursing, teething powder, out into the quieter room as nursing, bum change. Nothing worked. Never ever has mummy cuddles or nursing not worked but he wouldn’t even entertain it. He was in such a state I got a lift home without saying goodbye to anyone.

Screamed all the way home and at home where I immediately gave him some calpol and took him upstairs in the dark with the fan on, into my bed and laid nursing him. He took a decent feed and stopped crying. I even got a little smile before he drifted off.

He’s sleeping fine with me on my bed now, temp feels cool etc but he’s still doing that kind of double breath in/hiccup almost that kids do when they’ve gotten themselves into a state

Any ideas what caused the sudden screaming and is it ok that he’s breathing like that?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

MeAgain91 · 27/07/2018 23:09

He fed/stopped crying an hour ago, had calpol a few minutes before that. I was thinking maybe he gets headaches like I do with the storm but the storm has already passed

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Gileswithachainsaw · 27/07/2018 23:11

He was probably hot and over stimulated. Lots of people and strange smells and too distracted to feed.

Which is normal for babies-and us let's face it

Cheekyandfreaky · 27/07/2018 23:11

My younger dd never cries but we had her cousin’s birthday party and after being passed around a few times she lost it and cried and screamed for a couple of hours. I couldn’t calm her down to bring her back to the party and she cried all the way home. Since then she has hated big loud get togethers. I think sometimes it’s just a bit too much for them.

cocodomingo · 27/07/2018 23:15

Sudden crying usually indicates pain, if it happens again...check if tummy looks full or baby arching back and go to a&e if yes as around this age there is a possibility for intussuseption-where the intestine telescopes on itself..may have dark redcurrent stools.

Original poster

MeAgain91 · 27/07/2018 23:16

Somehow in my panic that he was really unwell I didn’t think of overstimulation, which does make perfect sense. We’re both far happier to be snuggling at home!

Have you had any experiences with the breathing? He’s not struggling and his breaths between the shaky one are steady and normal

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aperolspritzplease · 27/07/2018 23:19

I think he just hit and bothered. Monitor him just in case thought

katmarie · 27/07/2018 23:23

My ds had a night like this, he just screamed and screamed that horrible in agony scream for so long and nothing we did seemed to help. We were on the verge of going to a&e and my dh picked him up to get him dressed (we'd stripped him off looking for something hurting him) and he just stopped. He fell asleep doing that hiccoughy sobby breathing and was absolutely fine, I still don't know what the problem was, he's never done it since without an obvious reason. I rang my mum and asked her and she said sometimes babies just cry!

Nousernameforme · 27/07/2018 23:26

We've had the shaky breathing after fierce crying with dc4 he is the only one to do it so I phoned 111 the first time. They said to keep an eye on him and it settled down.

Pain wise if it happens again check fingers toes and penis for hair tourniquets. These are strands of long hair that can wrap around and cut off circulation.
Have you checked him for marks had he been bumped or pinched

babyyorkie · 27/07/2018 23:33

Oh that must have been upsetting for you as well as for him
I had a similar experience with my LO, turned out he had an ear infection and the pain came quite quickly. He had those crying outbursts two or three times over a weekend, and then we got medicine for him and was much better. I'd keep
An eye on him and if it happens again take him to the docs to get a quick check xx

Original poster

MeAgain91 · 28/07/2018 00:25

Thank you everyone that’s really helpful. I was on the verge of calling 111 had the calpol or bed not worked, called his dad who works in the medical field but baby had stopped crying by then. I’m too worried to sleep, he’s woken up, had some huge farts and is feeding again now

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Original poster

MeAgain91 · 28/07/2018 00:26

Also I did check for marks as I originally thought he’d gotten pinched on a button on someone’s shirt or something

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katmarie · 28/07/2018 00:34

Sounds like a combination of things then, over stimulation, trapped wind, people he's not all that familiar with, probably tiredness too. It doesn't have to be just one thing, and when it's a combination like that, it makes it much harder to resolve I think. If he's settled now, it's time to take a deep breath and try and relax a bit yourself x

Original poster

MeAgain91 · 28/07/2018 00:42

I feel awful I started having a panic attack getting him into the car and I just feel like I look like a shit mum even though I know full well that everything I’ve done is exactly what he needed. I do think it was overstimulation definitely thinking about it as when he sat on my nieces lap it was on the edge of the dance floor so right with the music and lights. Also when he woke up he was really like “wtf” because he’d fallen asleep in grandads car and woken up to all these new faces and lights and loud music plus he’s still suffering with his teeth a bit.

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TiffanyAtBreakfast · 28/07/2018 00:48

Course you didn't look like a shit mum. You took your very unhappy baby home. And he calmed right down - you followed your instinct and it was right

My 5mo DD sometimes does this when she gets overtired. Or if she scratches herself by accident with her (what seems like constantly trimmed) fingernails.

Original poster

MeAgain91 · 28/07/2018 00:52

Omg don’t get me started on the fingernails that grow by the hour lol.

My family can be quite judgemental, thinking I couldn’t cope without DH and (kindly?) offering to help (this was whilst he was still asleep). But I said to my sister that my tiny baby is more important than what other people wrongly think of me. Wish I could believe it though, I have horrendous anxiety and I’d not been out like that for about a year.

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Original poster

MeAgain91 · 28/07/2018 00:53

Sorry completely side tracked and waffling lol thank you all again

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Stroller15 · 28/07/2018 01:00

Oh OP I had the same with my boy when he was little. Friends once made curry in a warm house and he had a complete meltdown, completely inconsolable - think he got overstimulated quite easily. Always happy as Larry at home. They do outgrow it but it is a terrible feeling going through.

thaegumathteth · 28/07/2018 01:00

Most people have had an episode like that so anyone who judges is an arse!

I remember we took dd to a wedding and she wasn’t even tiny, she was about 17 months and she SCREAMED for ages and refused to eat or drink, didn’t want cuddles etc. We were in the middle of nowhere and I was thinking shit we’ve both had a drink and googling where the nearest OOH was when she just stopped and sat on my knee, had a drink and went and toddled around . I think it was over stimulation or just a really really bad mood but it was so stressful and she wasn’t even tiny or my first born! You’re doing fine.

Original poster

MeAgain91 · 28/07/2018 01:04

Thank you again I feel awful, crying, but my baby is fine so I’m fine. It’s me, I was so young and alone with my first but I never outwardly panicked like that over just crying. Proof though that I can cope just fine

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shewolfmum · 28/07/2018 23:25

Was it a long journey? How was birth? Maybe structural if it was after being in car seat...?

Original poster

MeAgain91 · 30/07/2018 00:38

I know this is a few days old now so apologies.

Had my family round today and baby was trying to feed but my 8yo niece does love him and wouldn’t really leave him be. It is very sweet but it distracted him from feeding and so he was irritable for the rest of the day. He started really crying again which is unlike him! I missed everyone because I had to take him upstairs for a lie down feed again. I wonder if there’s a big developmental thing now too as he’s suddenly doing a lot as well.

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Original poster

MeAgain91 · 30/07/2018 00:40

@shewolfmum it was a 10 minute journey so not that. What do you mean by how was birth please? I’m not sure on structural as he was out of the car seat a while first, and happy as Larry in it.

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Cornishclio · 30/07/2018 00:47

Overstimulation and being aware of being somewhere different and lots of different people probably. I notice my 3 month old DGD is much more aware now if she is being held by a stranger or in a place she does not recognise. She is more difficult to settle then. She is normally pretty laid back but a relative she has not seen before stuck her head in the pram the other day and my DGD yelled the place down.

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