My baby literally won’t stop screaming! Help!

[Flappityflippers1]

I’m at my wits end - my 5 week old will not stop screaming

He’s had his milk - he’s fed on demand
We’ve winded him
Gave him gaviscon (as suspected silent reflux, GP prescribed today)
We pace his bottles (fed expressed breastmilk if it makes a difference). He does get breastfed too but is refusing and screaming even more.
He’s not too hot or cold
Clean bum
I’ve checked no loose threads wrapped around toes
He’s been cuddled
Been in the carrier
In the pram
Put down in cot
Played white noise
Rocked/bounced him
Not a milk allergy as I’m fully cow milk free
He’s pooped fine today and wet nappies as normal

He’ll stop screaming for a few mins, then start back up. I’m certain it isn’t something to call 111 about or else I wouldn’t be on a forum. He’s got no symptoms/signs etc, temp normal. I will of course be calling GP back if gaviscon fails to help over the next few days.

This happens every evening pretty much from 8pm until midnight, then he’ll be up every 1-1.5 hours through the night.

Any ideas? Is it literally just “colic”? Any magic suggestions to calm him down?!

@PlantDoctor

DD had colic starting around this age, especially in evening. It's very distressing as a parent but you've seen to all his needs and all you can do is just keep being there for him. They struggle a lot with stimuli so if you can sit in a dark room cuddling him that might help.

In answer to your last question, she outgrew it at about 12 weeks. I'm sorry, I know it feels like forever away. She certainly showed improvement before then too. After 3 months she's been the happiest little girl though, so hang in there! Put him in a safe place and leave the room for a few minutes if you need to.

Exactly the same as my youngest. Evening screaming started at 4/5 weeks and stopped at 13 weeks. He's been an utter joy ever since.

It's fucking gruelling OP. Solidarity. We found swaddling, evening baths with me and long evening walks in the sling sometimes took the edge off. Also, wine.

This brings back memories! It's so so difficult. Mine had silent reflux which he just grew out of after 4 months. But yes 'colic' is horrific at the time but it does pass... I hated people saying that in the moment but it is true now I look back! Those early days are just survival mode. If you can get OH or family to take baby to give you a break for an hour or so in evening? I would literally just go lie down just for some distance or take a much needed shower. You're doing all the right things.

I had this with my daughter although fortunately with her, once she'd finally conked out she'd do a decent stint of sleep. I thought silent reflux too but the gaviscon didn't seem to do much. I was then thinking it was colic but now I think it might have been over tiredness as a contributor. It went on for weeks and then one night I just swaddled her and put her down so I could take a break and she went straight to sleep! I think me rocking, cuddling, breastfeeding etc... was possibly adding to her over stimulation? Anyway it was a game changer, instead of waiting for her to tire herself out in my arms, I just started swaddling her and putting her down in a dark room with white noise and she would calm down pretty quick. It actually allowed us to start a routine as she was finally going to sleep at a decent time each evening. Not saying it will work for you, but it helped me. Good luck!

Tiger in the tree position helped, solidarity. It is awful.

Some babies really need something to suck on and a dummy can really help. Courage x

If your other child has cmpa are you soya free as well? The protein is similar to dairy so can cause it too

Good luck op. It's horrible to see them so upset

My DC1 had hideous colic. Cranial
Osteopathy was a god send. She had a forceps birth which is often linked.
She used to scream 8-10 every night until treated. My DC2 screamed for an hour between 3am and 5am every night until around 6 weeks. He had CO too but it just then stopped

My dc had colic and would do just that for hours too. It's exhausting. I hope it passes soon. Have a look on Instagram at just chill mama, she has a video in highlights on alternative positions to hold baby in for winding. I hope it helps x

Oh god if you don't have a dummy get one ASAP.

Sounds just like my DD used to be. I started her on Lactase drops and within a couple of days she was absolutely a different baby. I got told by professionals it was ‘just colic’ and to put up with it. A retired midwife told me about the lactose/lactase link and advised Lactase drops. If it works (you can buy them off the shelf at pharmacy) you can get them on prescription.
I used them till DD was 12 months.
Good luck!

@HairyFeline you've just reminded me that DC2 had gripe water practically every day / feed as that worked for them.

Thank you everyone so much for the solidarity 🙏 I’m going to read through all these properly tomorrow and make a list, will show DH also.

For the allergy - I’ve been cow milk free for a long time, I do tend to avoid soya, mainly as we don’t buy it as DS (3) is also allergic to that (and still allergic)

He sleeps great in the day, it’s just nighttime from 8ish onwards he’s screaming - I’ve looked up the purple crying and I suspect that is it. Although I will get ranitidine/omeprezole off the GP, she has already said she will give us that if the gaviscon doesn’t work.

He’s settled again and asleep so I’m going to catch 0.7262 winks before he’s up again - the help is much appreciated

And he does have a dummy 😊

The newborn stage is so hard, I really struggled with the relentlessness.

These were the things that would fairly reliably settle DS (but sometimes I swear they scream because they're mad about the screaming):
Holding him and bouncing him outside
Impromptu bath
Tummy massage/bicycle legs
Bouncing and repeatedly singing "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys

DH swears by screaming back. I do not.

Have to tried skin to skin to calm him down? My DS2 used to have crazy screaming hours from around 11pm, I’d literally strip him to him nappy and take my top off and cuddly him until he’d calmed down enough to feed and fall asleep... but then it was tricky knowing what to do as we were both naked.

Mine was a screamer
We never really did find a miracle trick

Some weeks there would be a song that seemed to help. Often something bizarre and bass heavy.

Sometimes getting in the bath with me.

Sometimes a shower.

It helps to have a second adult to hand you baby once you are in water and then you hand baby back before you get out.

Sometimes we would go for a walk at 11pm.

We just tried everything until we found something and then did that until it stopped working.

It was a rough start.

If it helps. She is a really awesome, extremely intelligent 12yo now.

@Flappityflippers1 we are in the exact same position as you. 5 week old constant crying, it's silent reflux with my little boy. Affects him through the day but worse at night, I can smell the acid on his breath and he gags.

Tried the gaviscon but now on omeprazole 5mg with possibility of increasing dose.
My older son was the same and once on 10mg of omeprazole it settled and things were great.

It's so hard but it will pass and I'm hoping this current period passes soon

Infacol fixed it for us. Homoeopathy may or may not also have helped, craniosacral therapy probably didn't. Also bright light and walks outdoors in day, dark and quiet from evening ( bar white noise or calming music), not feeding again immediately on demand to soothe, dummy instead to soothe, swaying in time to relaxing music, tiger in tree or sitting in lap leaning forward over arm and rubbing/patting back, tracking sleep on app and trying to avoid overtiredness.
Our baby went from red faced, bloated, angry screaming and waving arms particularly after feeds in night/evening at 3 weeks, to a delight at 7 weeks. There is hope! I suggest trying one thing at a time with meds/therapies, then you know what works, and the hope of the next thing working helps you through!

@Flappityflippers1 mine was given gaviscon by the GP after being diagnosed with reflux however the constipation was so bad that I decided I'd rather handle the sickness.

@tigerbreadandtea yes ok concerned about bunging him up 😞 we’ve been putting a smidge of carobel in his milk to thicken it a tad which helps a little (not when giving gaviscon!)

My LO used to witch from about 6 to 10pm every night. It was very hard work to keep her from screaming. Lots and lots of bouncing in arms and she would drop off eventually, only to wake up about ten minutes later and start again.

In our case I don't think it was a medical problem, we put it down to witching hour(s), but who knows! Gradually she is better and evenings are much more pleasant at three months old. Not sure big she just grew out of it or if we got better at managing it / fitting in more day time naps so she wasn't overtired. It's grim though, hope you get through the other side soon.

Her reflux has got better but since it wasn't causing weight loss I just decided to suck up the washing. Plus didn't really want to give such a tiny baby medication unless it was totally necessary if you get what I mean.

We had witching hour too. By 7-8 weeks it was starting to improve, but there was some form of it or another until around 3.5 months.

Mine did this between the hours of 9pm and 3am. We called it his twilight tizz and just rode it out, eventually it stopped. He had silent reflux as well.

Luckily for me, my partner had 6 weeks off after he was born and he stopped doing this by the time my partner was back at work. We initially tag teamed every 6 hours or so, one slept whilst the other looked after the baby (formula feeding) but when he screamed like this we had to switch every hour because it just goes right through you doesn't it? The only thing that even mildly helped was walking around with him non stop (but even then he would scream). You have my sympathies as it's horrible and nothing worked. I hope it ends soon for you too x