Baby cries all the time

[WhoSaid]

I'm at the end of my tether - she cries all the time .....

She's 10 weeks. Breastfed. Cries. All. The. Time
Doesn't sleep - naps for 15 mins if I'm lucky during the day and even then it's only if I hold her.

She Screams, goes red, goes stiff and won't settle unless I'm holding her then starts all over again after maybe 5 minutes

I thought it was colic at first - GP said so - but surely she wouldn't cry all the time; I mean all the time.
Ive called them twice and they keep saying it's colic and don't even see me/ her (covid so phone appointments still)

Infacol / gripe water doesn't work
Only thing that gives her sone relief is baby calpol - which just makes her sleep for max 1 hour - then it starts all over again

I don't go out now because what's the point? She screams.
In the car, she screams
Food shopping; she screams

I don't sleep because she doesn't sleep. The 3 hours I get at night is broken, I'm sitting up in bed holding her; then she'll fall asleep & I usually drop off holding her - I know I shouldn't but I can't not get any sleep

I don't know what to do
I can't carry on like this - it's making me wish I wasn't a mum

Yes this was my DD, it was horrendous so you have my sympathies. A dairy and soya free diet and she was a different baby.

This is exactly my daughter, she had silent reflux and tongue tie. Once her tongue tie was cut she was much better but oh she really suffered with silent reflux. The only thing that really solved the issue was time so all I can say is hang in there but it's so tough x

My first was like this. She had silent reflux. It was an absolute nightmare. Hang in there but she will need something from your GP. They used to give ranitidine but I think they give omeprazole nowadays

My son was terribly colicky until 6ms. If he was awake, he was screaming. All day every day. EBF. Nothing made a blind bit the of difference.
We tried infacol, dentinox, gripe water, fennel tea, colief, colic massages (and had a nurse come to the house weekly to do it too), crib tilt, bicycle legs, baths, car rides, warm compresses, pram walks, fancy swing, bouncer, sling, I changed my entire diet including strictly dairy /CMP free for 5 months. Visited children's dietician. Finally got a consultant at paediatrics at the hospital. Still nothing tangibly wrong. Just colic. I was told some babies just cannot bear the feeling of the normal GI spasms or having a full bladder/bowel.

I tried to get a gp appointment - apparently they had all gone but I could pre- book for next week - helpful!
HV still hasn't called me back; and I've left another message each day!

Went to the children's centre and was told I couldn't be seen as I didn't have an appointment with the midwife; and they wouldn't give me one as I'd been discharged weeks ago

Today she was horrendous; the worst day since she's been born; I ended up crying sitting on the bathroom floor by myself.

Ive given up with the GP & HV - im taking her to the walk in centre tomorrow as soon as my eldest is dropped to school; I cannot do this anymore; and I'm refusing to leave until they have given me the gaviscon that everyone has suggested above.

My oldest cannot continue going to school being shattered, I can't carry on like this and neither can the baby ...

My SIL is a GP and has advised me before that the GP surgery will have a 'duty' doctor on each day for emergency on the day appointments that are only bookable on the day. If you phone as soon as they open you should get one. The receptionists are like dragons so if they don't offer you one say its not good enough and you can't wait ... a little embellishment won't hurt. And if they won't give you one speak to the practice manager.
I dont blame you for giving up though!

I also think that 111 can book you an appointment at a gp.

Good luck!

I called my DR when my son was struggling and told the receptionist I need an appointment that day because I am struggling mentally and physically so they gave me and emergency one that afternoon and the GP subsequently prescribed the ranitidine. You have to push for this as the medicine bottle is about £150 to make the GP said so they try other things first. Make sure you tell the DR everything you have told us.
Good luck x

It sounds very much like cmpa. If you cut dairy out of your diet you should see a fairly quick improvement
I suffered for 4 months with my first, my cousin went to a&e and got his baby diagnosed very quickly

Op, can you try to stay off dairy for two full weeks and see what happens? If she has a dairy allergy and is breastfed, you may see some improvements if you take some time away from cheese, milk, yoghurts etc.

Obviously, it is very important you have plenty of calcium when breastfeeding so just ensure you are having a lot of broccoli or a calcium supplement while you are off dairy.

The problem with dairy allergy is that it comes in many different forms and GPs are not allergicians so they are ready to put it down to colic or lactose intolerance, but not all dairy allergic kids are allergic to lactose, mine was ok on Apthamil that is not lactose free but whey based, while lactose free formula exarcerbated his asthma BADLY (small children cannot be diagnosed with asthma, but when in lactose free formula he was coughing so much he struggled to breath, pretty much as when his asthma was uncontrolled when he was older, so I assume he had asthma since he was little)

My DS was exactly the same, we ended up in paediatrics one night around the same age. I initially took him to the walk in centre and the dr sent us straight to hospital, even he was concerned that he was so red, sweaty and angry. He couldn't get a good look in his mouth because he clamped down so hard, and then I couldn't get him back in the car seat as he was arched and rigid. He had severe silent reflux and prescription meds were the only thing that helped.

Good luck op, you have to push push push to be taken seriously. This is not normal.

My SIL is a GP and has advised me before that the GP surgery will have a 'duty' doctor on each day for emergency on the day appointments that are only bookable on the day.

Many practices manage all GP appointments on this basis only. In mine, you need to ring everyday from 8am sharp and wait for 40 minutes just to hear a recording at the end saying all day appointments are taken and to call again tomorrow.

It normally takes me between 2-3 weeks to strike luck to get an appointment, by that time either the situation has resolved or, more often, I have ended up in A&E in a much worse state, with the A&E doctor spitting feathers at the GP. I would like to give them the excuse of the pandemic but it was this crap years and years before.

When my son was little he would go very red and sound like he was straining and push out watery poo . It turned out he was actually very constipated and only able to push a little bit out . He was crying as he was in pain. In his case a change of milk sorted it out but it was so distressing. I feel for you OP but hang in there and push for help .

My GP you have to ring from 8am - and wait lol - then once they've gone they've gone and if you're that sick they say to ring 111/go a&e helpful ....

So, the HV line is ringing out for another part of the borough ... my local
One has a message saying this number is no longer in service now

I got a gp appointment but it's with the same one who continues to say "colic"

However, I'm off to the walk in centre when she wakes up - she's finally gone asleep so I'm going to leave her while she's quiet and go straight after!

Will update everyone when I finally get some answers

This sounds so like my daughter - it was first diagnosed as silent reflux and she was given meds which helped a little but not much. On weaning it became clear she had a dairy allergy (Exorcist style puke when she had any milk eg in porridge, and a particularly bad one that hit the opposite wall when she licked my ice cream). I cut milk from my diet (and hers) and she got so much better. We finally discovered she was allergic to cow milk protein, soya, and coconut and once we had cut all those out of both diets she was a totally different baby.

Same for me, baby used to cry non stop in the evenings every day 5-10 pm without fail every day from week 4-12. As others have said, the only thing that helped was time!

Awful colic, and nothing worked, breastfed also. It's a bloody tough time so be gentle with yourselves. I know how tired you are, And how it seems it'll never end, but it will but it's rough while it lasts

I now also know she had food allergies and I was eating all the foods she was allergic (egg and banana) to so that would have caused discomfort for her.

Your GP should be giving a child 5 and under a same day appointment. This is the case in our surgery. I thought it was across the board? How can you be left life this

Is it silent reflux? My baby had that, gp and midwife missed it and the HV suggested silent reflux and to try infant gaviscon (can get over the counter from a pharmacy). It worked a treat.
Before the gaviscon my DD cried constantly, it was horrific and had me in tears at all hours. Unbelievable how 4 medical professionals missed it.

I'm at the urgent care centre now .... been an hour .... they've said it's 100% silent reflux as they've actually seen how she's behaving.

We're urgent but there's 4 people in front of us - but hopefully this solves the problem.
He said he's sorry I've been left like this for so long & said he's going to prescribe gaviscon and something else that I can't get OTC so will have to wait for the on call doctor to do it

He also said he'll lodge a complaint against my GP / HV if I want as the GP has ignored me as a mother & the HV should have a line that actually works - not sure how I feel about him doing that as it's the NHS and I know they're over-stretched atm

I'm glad you've finally sorted it. I'd still put in a complaint, the nhs are overstretched but you and your baby were ignored. It's a complaint- it's not like you are suing them. I sort of feel like unless complaints are logged we'll never have F2F appts back!
Gaviscon can make your baby backed up so see if you can get Lactulose aswell

Yes put in a complaint. It's diabolical how they have left you like this

Hope you've got some medication now and LO is feeling better soon.

Update:

She's had 2 lots of the medicine with her feeds .... a whole new baby!!!!

Thank you SO much to everyone who gave me advice / pushed me to look at other avenues to get her sorted - I am SO grateful to every single one of you!

Oh OP I’m so glad I read your thread earlier and really felt for you , I’m so glad you’ve been listened too eventually.
I know you said you totally appreciate how over stretched the GP etc is in the COVID world and not sure how you feel about complaining, however without complaining the issues can’t be addressed. It might not help you know… but might prevent someone else being in the same situation in the future

*help you now

Call 111 and they will likely give you an emergency phone call with your doctor. Insist on a referral to the specialists at the hospital. My first was similar and GP useless. Doctor at hospital diagnosed it instantly as chronic constipation.