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Original poster

4 week old won't stop eating or crying

32 replies

RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 06:15

HALP is this a growth spurt or what? ds is pretty much eating constantly, is combination fed with bottles. he is also very unsettled, a week ago he'd wake up every 3 and a half to 4 hours during the night which was fantastic, now he's screaming as soon as you put him down. this is incredibly draining on me and oh and we don't know what to do or why he's crying Sad

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ZombieRevengeWiggle · 04/11/2013 06:19

could be silent reflux, does he fuss and arch when taking the boob/his bottle? is he happier when held upright?

ZuleikaD · 04/11/2013 06:26

It sounds like it could be wind - does he burp well? Sometimes they do just need to be cuddled, though.

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 06:35

we're using infacol and giving him long winding sessions, but my poor oh was downstairs with him for 4 hours tonight trying to keep him quiet. no back arching but lots of fist clenching and bringing his knees up to his tummy.

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conorsrockers · 04/11/2013 06:42

Tis wind. Lay on his back and 'cycle' his legs back and forth. Wind by rubbing in a circle, not patting - see Baby Whisperer. It will pass Smile sounds like you have a fab hubby Smile.

thezoobmeister · 04/11/2013 06:43

So what happens if you don't put him down but just hold and cuddle him all the time? And if you just offer him boob when he seems unsettled?

It is perfectly ok to do these things! Your LO is so young, not long ago he was snuggled up in the womb, close to you, being carried and fed all day. Now he's realised that life outside is a bit different and he's protesting! It sounds like normal newborn behaviour.

Go with it, stop fighting it, you may find life gets easier. This stage will be over in the blink of an eye...

thezoobmeister · 04/11/2013 06:48

Babies bring their knees up to their tummy and clench their fists when they are upset and crying. It's not necessarily a sign of wind.

Either way, Lots of cuddles and on demand feeds are bound to help. Newborns like to feed at least every 2-3 hours and often more frequently than that.

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 06:48

he doesn't feed from my boob, he had problems latching from day 1 and we didn't get much of a chance to establish it in the beginning as he was on a billibed due to jaundice. he settles and sleeps for a while when we're cuddling him but then starts screaming again for a while. he's started posseting quite a bit as well, like we're feeding him and he's got an air bubble in his tummy, then we wind him and burst it and all that lovely expressed milk comes right back up again. then he's hungry again so screams again!

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HavingAnOffDAy · 04/11/2013 06:51

DS was like this. He had reflux.

It seemed to get worse at around this age, all he wanted was milk - to try & relieve the burning I guess.

A trip to OOH on a Sunday morning confirmed it, and once he was on gaviscon he settled down.

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 06:54

I'll try and book a doctor's appointment and see what they say. I get pretty bad reflux and heart burn so if that's what it is I understand the screaming completely, poor baby Sad

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spacegirl81 · 04/11/2013 06:57

Does sound like silent reflux to me Hmm both my boys had it. The acid hurts them but they think it's hunger pains so they just eat and eat!! You could try smaller feeds more often, infracol before feeds should help. Lots of skin to skin will help to settle too. Good luck and if it continues go to drs, both of mine had gavi

spacegirl81 · 04/11/2013 06:58

Oops posted too soon!

Both had gaviscon from about 4/5 weeks until they were weaned.

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 07:07

my mum is taking us to the docs on Wednesday. it cannot come soon enough as we're all exhausted.

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ZombieRevengeWiggle · 04/11/2013 07:39

you can get infant gaviscon sachets over the counter. Incase it is reflux, try holding him upright for about half hour after each feed, prop the head of his cot up on a few books, do you have a sling? My refluxy baby had all her naps in a sling or bouncy chair because she wouldn't sleep flat. A dummy can be good, I think it makes them swallow their spit and wash the acid back down.

ZombieRevengeWiggle · 04/11/2013 07:40

Film the baby on your phone during a feed because some doctors are a bit dismissive of reflux, we struggled to get any advice because apparently it's "just laundry" so it helps to show them how distressed the little one gets.

mumofboyo · 04/11/2013 08:18

My dd had reflux, which was treated with infant gaviscon, and we were advised not to wind her straight after a feed, but to wait ten - 20 mins. We had to keep her upright as much as poss and then wind her by rubbing her back (tapping caused projectile vomiting) and by moving her torso in circles clockwise and anticlockwise. We also used to put dentinox in every bottle too, which helped.
If you do use gaviscon, you might need to change the teat on his bottle because it makes the milk quite thick and he might struggle to suck it from the smallest, newborn hole.
Hope it gets sorted soon Flowers

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 08:19

ah good thinking batman on the filming him front. I do have a sling but I'm expressing every two/three hours and find it hard to disturb him once he finally falls asleep. got a baby rocking seat which keeps him upright and he's in that during the day. didn't know you could get infant gaviscon over the counter, definitely swinging by boots tonight. thank yoooooou!!!

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Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 08:21

we'll try and delay the windings, he tends to fall asleep on the teat at the moment so it shouldn't be too difficult.

it's hard cos you can hear him strain when he cries Sad Sad

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mumofboyo · 04/11/2013 08:24

Oh, and I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but we also used a dummy; we found that sucking that straight after a feed and when settling to sleep helped dd keep her milk down. It could be worth a try?

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 08:26

we use a dummy and have done since he was born, he loves sucking things and has done since he was in the womb, got scan photos of him sucking his fingers and we used to be able to pick it up on the monitor in hospital! he started sucking on fabric and things when he was born and I was scared of him ingesting/choking on fibres so a dummy was brought in.

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thezoobmeister · 04/11/2013 11:15

Poor you, sounds like you are exhausted. Lots of small feeds very often may help - a little bit every hour or so? Many reflux symptoms disappear when feeds are small in volume - baby's tummy is only the size of a marble.

Is it an option to get help from a breastfeeding counsellor? You'd be amazed how many babies only start latching after a few weeks or even months!

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 13:34

I'm quite happy to keep expressing, it's working well for all of us and I have a wonderful pump. He's been eating little and often the past couple of days, but still cries pretty much constantly inbetween if he's not asleep/

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mawbroon · 04/11/2013 13:54

Have you considered that he might have tongue tie?

list of symptoms in this article

bundaberg · 04/11/2013 13:58

has he been mixed fed from birth>?

my son was like this and it was a dairy intolerance

Original poster
RiotBecky · 04/11/2013 14:38

Yeah he's always been combination fed, he's getting more breast milk than formula now though as my supply has increased. Pardon the ignorance, this is my first, but what's tongue tie?

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mawbroon · 04/11/2013 14:39

The article I linked to explains it well if you have a wee minute to read it!

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