6 week old baby breaking us

[judybloomno5]

I'm so stressed out with my DD2 who is 6 weeks old. Whilst she's beautiful and I love her, she's breaking us. She's either asleep (only really in the car or funnily enough between feeds at night) or fussing, arching her back and screeching etc. I can't do much when it's just me and hurt other than bouncing her around or when her sister is home from nursery she screams if I don't fuss her for a second whilst I prepare food or interact with DD1 and then my DD1 ends up crying because DD2 is crying. Trying to console them both is almost impossible. A couple of times I've just had to leave DD2 in her Moses basket (she's not been hungry or wet etc) and have taken DD1 off elsewhere to console her or distract her for both of our sanity. I feel so guilty, I never did this with DD1, I never had to.
It's almost impossible to keep on top of anything as DD2 really stresses my DH out in the evening as DD2 is worse when he's fussing her. It ends up with him leaving her to scream the house down and I have to finish my shower/cup of tea/hanging up clothes as he gets so frustrated he leaves her. She ends up purple from screaming which is heartbreaking. He thinks his evenings are for lying on the sofa watching tv not fussing a baby. I wish I could do that!
Apologies this is more rant than anything else, has anyone been through the same? Please tell me there's light at the end of the tunnel

After reading your updates I still think it's reflux or cow's milk allergy. Especially if she's throwing up the breast milk but not the formula. Giving up milk products and getting meds for reflux honestly saved us. I kept putting off giving up milk stuff but really wish I hadn't waited so long. My dd was also generally ok at night, reflux doesn't always mean awful at night. Please look into it.

Another with a refluxy, colicky baby who was horrific all day & good at night. Bouncy chair worked reasonably well and a 'structured' sling (we have a stokke). She hated stretchy slings for exactly the reason you say, she couldn't lean back. A structured sling meant we could come to a compromise on the amount of movement she had/needed.

Meant to say, try and find a local sling library & try a few out

Find a local cranial osteopath, they work miracles on screaming babies.
You have all my sympathy.

I don't want to weigh in with more advice but just wanted to say, don't feel bad for not feeling over enthusiastic about how much 'fun' all this is! Dd1 will get sorted if you persist with trying different things, and dd2 may watch more telly than you like this year, but she won't be the first or the last older sibling in that boat! Don't worry, you are looking after her by keeping the baby happy. She won't want her to be crying any more than you do!

We had this with ds2. He suffered with terrible wind and he would scream and scream and it was horrible. I really started wishing I'd never had him and sittimg there with him crying. I would like you sit and let him cry as I felt I neglected my ds1 as I spent so much time with ds2. We tried infacol, dentinox, gripe water and then someone I know suggested hipp milk and colief drops. After 24 hours he was completely transformed. Now he is lovely and smiley and so content!

Have you tried the weird baby music or the vaccume sounds on YouTube to see if that calms her for a bit?

Sounds very hard for everyone!

DD was quite fussy didn't like being put down, constantly wanted to be held and hated lying on her back. Infacol didn't work, MIL kept saying it was colic, I wasn't convinced and my gut told me it was reflux. Had a visit from HV who said it's sounded exactly like reflux and suggested a GP visit to get gaviscon. She's been on gaviscon now since she was six weeks she's now 18 weeks and although she's still sick she seems more comfortable and will happily lie down etc. We brought her a graco swinging chair £45 Asda, and it was the best money ever spent! She loves it, it seems to soothe her and it sits her upright which she loves and is obviously more comfortable than being reclined due to reflux.

How are you doing OP? I hope things are settling?