8 days old - inconsolable crying

[crazymuseummumtobe]

I'll keep the message short - 8 days old, not hungry, not wet, not in need of cuddles... Won't stop crying. Only thought is he's not done a poo since the very early hours of this morning. Is this probably why? Any other ideas? What can we do to help the constipation?

A bit more settled now with a pacifier (which I never wanted to use), but I fear a troubled night ahead...

Thanks.

Is he breastfed because if so it's unlikely he is constipated. Much more likely to be trapped wind. Get infacol...it was a lifesaver for us.
Also use the bucket baby bath thing as that can be soothing and help trapped wind. And gentle clockwise circle motions in his tummy.
Poor thing :(

Ps dummies actually decrease sids risk and this is also what they are made for it's not failing to use stuff like that :) congratulations btw :)

Most likely wind or a bit colicky. Try Infacol or gripe water. Is baby breast or formula? If formula could be finding it hard on tummy.

Have you gone back to skin to skin? This can help settle too.

I wanted to breast feed, but we've not managed it yet. Expressing as much as I can, but he's had a lot more formula in past 48 hours than EBM. We just started using Infacol today.

Fingers crossed for a BM soon!

Does he have a temp? Inconsolable crying and irritability can be a sign of infection so I would have a low threshold for seeking medical advice, especially in a baby so young.

Can you tell me about your bf issues because I had a bad time too but managed to do it in the end.
Make sure you burp him well too. Sometimes can take a very long time but the more burps the less he needs to fart!

Oh yes check temp

And very early doors for this, but worth bearing in mind if it continues that he may have an allergy or intolerance to dairy (as this is how mine presented - absolutely inconsolable crying)

Check fingers and toes for hair wrapped around them, check temp, skin to skin in bath

My DS1 started inconsolable crying bouts from about a week old, then by 2 weeks old we realised he had reflux - might be worth considering if it carries on, I'm glad he's settled now

If he's been fed (and offered another bottle) has a dummy and is being held/rocked and is still crying inconsolably I'd personally think about getting him checked over.

It can be a bit of a shock how much babies do cry, for no real reason. You just have to check the obvious stuff... as you have done... and then try the usual pacing up and down patting. White noise sometimes also helps (you might have an app for example).
He is very small and new, likely to take a bit of time to figure out the difference between day and night etc. etc. Take turns to sleep if you have a DP who can share the load- if you both stay up you'll be knackered.
Good luck and don't worry, babies do cry a lot and it's not always something which can be identified or solved. Which means you're doing a great job

If you only started using infacol today it may be possible that it's not agreeing with him.
Call 111 if your instinct tells you to.

Congratulations! Dd had cows milk protein allergy which presented like this along with green poo, blood in poo and not putting on weight. I went dairy free and she was fine after that ( was fine on dairy after 1 year).
Have a look at the Happiest baby on the street videos and try the 4 S s ( sucking, swaddling, shhhhh and k can’t remember! Some babies need more help settling in the first 3/4 months. Don’t panic it doesn’t mean bad habits or anything. I co slept and swaddled, rocked and used dummies for 6 months with both of mine and they both slept brilliantly and independently at 6 months.

With my DS skin to skin and breastfeeding helped calm him down - it was painful for me and he wasn’t able to drink much at the beginning but the minute I got him down to his nappy and against me he would stop crying. How do you pump? Suggest using a hospital grade double pump (Medela or Lanisoh or Arlo) on the lowest setting that works. Pump for 10 mins, break for 10 mins, pump for 10 mins again and build this up until you can do 3-4 twenty minute pumps every 3 hours (I found using the initial letdown setting a few times per session was kind to be nipples). Never pump more than 20 mins in one go as it’s bad for your nipples.

Does he cry when you carry him around? Have you tried the shoulder hold (baby looking over your shoulder kind of while you rub back) or him "sitting" on your lap with one hand on his stomach and again you rub his back with the other hand if you can manage to support head at the same time.

DS was a nightmare, I know it's very hard. Constantly moving from different positions would sometimes get the wind to shift. Infacol didn't seem to make much difference but I think gripe water did when he was a bit older. It was hard to get in Ireland at the time.

8 days old and inconsolable - you need to get him seen. At 8 days, he should still be having multiple poops a day. Symptoms of illnesses are extremely subtle in newborns, anything like this I’d get checked, without hesitation, right away.

Also check for hair as a previous poster said - could be wrapped around hair, toe or genitals and cutting off circulation. This would be a medical emergency too.

Also, has he had enough to eat? Make him another bottle and see if he takes it. But please do get him seen. Some of the other advice is fine and reassuring for a slightly older baby but newborns are so fragile and they are fine outwardly until they are not. So don’t panic but please do act.