Inconsolable baby from birth - any ideas?

[buddum]

my ds is 11 days old and has barely stopped crying since then

i thought it was colic - he cries on waking, after eating and pretty much anytime he is awake and is inconsolable other than with dummy or sling. he sleeps okish in the daytime but very very difficult to settle without these props. he eats well but gets very frustrated with my let down so i'm resorting to bottle feeding expressed milk.

from other threads it seems that colic appears much later, when they are a few weeks old. so have no clue what is causing this

any thoughts about what it might be and what we might try? his birth was quick and he came out with the cord round his neck so may have something to do with it...

Have you tried a cranial osteo? Sounds like a similar birth to DS and he was a clingy, crying baby. It does get easier (honest). Wish I'd had a ecent sling from the beginning as it sould have made my life MUCH easier.

Not sure about the bf thig - I have a fast let down as well and Infacol helped - would say try the bf support lines as expressing sounds like an awful lot of work.

try a cranial osteopath and if that fails to make a huge difference it could be acidic reflux which causes them lots of pain.

Oh and DS was always much worse (v grumpy, feeding constantly) during growth spurts.

More info here:

www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussybaby.html

fast let-down:

www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html

my baby was pretty difficult for the first 3 or 4 mths, and i know plenty of others like that. it does get better. the first few months are really really tough, and no one prepares you for how much babies can cry. some cry more than others. my baby seemed to cry every waking moment. he HATED his buggy, his cot, carseats etc. and i had to hold him constantly, couldn't put him down for a minute.
try to remember its not your fault, just love your baby as much as you can, get some space if necessary too, lots of cuddles for you both.
the breastfeeding gets much easier, try and stick with it if you can.
my boy is now an absolute delight and a very happy baby/toddler. its no indication of what type of child they become.
remember it will pass, sooner than you can imagine.
best of luck.x

Poor you. It must be very hard.

Hardly any 11 day olds sleep well without sucking or cuddles, they are so new and they don't really want to aprt from you.

Swaddling might help.

Can you let him sleep on you/your partner while you put your feet up?

What kind of frustrated with your let down?

No, could be colic - ds had it from week 1 - 'colief' worked for us

I second the swaddling idea. Also don't worry about dummy and sling use. They don't form habits at this young age. Whatever gets both of you through the day in as happy a fashion as possible is just perfect at this age.

Good luck!

My ds3 , now 6 months cried from the moment he was born and didn't stop for days and days. he got some relief from infracol. It doesn't have to be colic, just general digestive spasms.
it's very hard when your baby is so unsettled and unhappy. i hope you're getting lots of suport.

Hi buddum

Treatment from a chiropractor who specialises in paediatrics is what I'd recommend. Its very gently, very settling and very effective for helping your baby and you too.

Fast births can impact on what they term minor birth trauma and the resulting symptoms - such as those you are describing - can be the visible signs that you get from slight disruptions to the nervous system. I'm rubbish at explaining it! But here's a link to a really great page of info. Should explain all about it. Getting booked in as early as you can is also a great move as, but it's also 'never too late'. This page explains all about the effects of the birth process etc and gives info about the gentle treatment:

www.barnes-chiropractic.co.uk/babies_and_children.html

I'm so fortunate that dh is a chiro cranial specialising in paediatrics and pregnancy so I've seen how amazing it has been for our daughter and also for patients of his who I've met too.

Best of luck.

I thoroughly recommend doing it. If look up a local clinic in your area just ask them if they are experienced in babies.

Sara x

DD developed colic at 10 days old, and I completely sympathise.

We went to see a cranial osteopath which helped, as did wearing her in a sling that kept her upright.

PS we first saw the cranial osteopath when dd was about 14 days old.

Hi Buddum, I've just posted almost exactly the same question on another thread here. I'm so sympathetic, because I'm going through just the same experience. I don't think I have the let-down issue, but otherwise our babies sound very similar. I'll be watching both threads for good advice! FWIW, I've had two sessions with a cranial osteopath so far (following ventouse delivery) but haven't noticed a difference yet . But I'm sticking with it for a couple more sessions in case it starts to help.

I can vouch for cranial ost. Worked for my two boys, who refused to be laid down flat, no matter how fast asleep they were. Good luck!

Me again Buddum. New discovery today - a CD of white noise that a friend lent me is really helping to calm him down. He's gone from shrieking to sleeping without having to go on the breast first, which almost never happens . Could be a blip, but worth a try with yours? The CD is called Little Sleepy Head, and it only works if I play it really loud!

this is all great, thank you.

went to the cranial yesterday and she thinks its all about the cord round the neck at birth, apparently very common that babies like mine go into shock when born and unable to breathe. so all their upper body muscles from diaphram to neck are still spasming. and - reassuringly - she thinks it is treatable

so if nothing else we havehope it might be alleviated and, if not, it will pass in time. just a shame that time with newborns seems to crawl for the first 6 weeks......

cranio osteopath treatment

but then I see you have had some.

DS2 had some sessions and the guy was lovely and worked his magic on my poor little boy.

He is 2 now and all fine.