5 week old baby suddenly crying for no reason - earache?

[LKM]

DD woke up this morning as usual, dozed off whle having a feed then started crying and hasn't stopped no matter what I do. Could this be an earache? How can I tell? She also cried for 2 hours last night when I put her down for a nap, although obviously tired. Out of character.

LKM - is she still crying now?
It does occur to me that 5 weeks is just about the time for a growth spurt, which might make her very hungry. Are you breastfeeding? If so, it might take a day for your supply to adjust, so she'd be a bit hungry and cross for that time. HV might be able to advise.
I think 5 weeks is about the time for colic to kick in as well - but doesn't that happen in the evenings only? someone help please?
If in doubt, take her to the dr! they would look in her ears etc after all.

lkm, my son was one of those babies who rarely cried. But every once in a while he would have a day or two of being grizzly and crying a lot and then I would have a panic and think that I didn't have an easy baby after all and then everything would be back to normal. I never did figure out what caused those crying spells, but they only happened once a month or so, so I guess I was pretty lucky. Don't worry too much. She'll probably calm down in a bit. Ear infections are usually accompanied by fevers and colds. As sml said it could just be extra hunger as well. Try going out for a drive, or something else that changes her environment. My husband used to dip his finger in condensed milk and let our son suck on it and that seemed to calm him down too. (It was over my great objections as I was convinced somehow this was going to lead to lots of sweety eating and rotten teeth at an older age...) Good luck, I know how tiring it can be.

LKM, your baby might possibly have a gas problem. All three of my babies had gas at that age. Two had plenty of ear infections a little later. I knew they had a gas problem because When I switched formula to lactose free they did much better. Most of the time if it is a cry of pain it is a more peircing cry. That is how I started knowing what was sometimes wrong. I dont know if you are using formula but maybe you can try similac lactose free. Good luck