Baby has been screaming for 9 hours

[showersandflowers]

5 week old baby has been screaming since 3pm (now midnight). She won't latch to the boob for long without screaming and wriggling, won't sleep and is just going absolutely mental. Bouncing stops the screaming but that's not sustainable when parents also need sleep. Is this normal or should we get help?!

Phone, seek advice, she maybe unwell

I would give 111 a call, it sounds like this out of the ordinary for her and they may want to check her over with her being so young.
Do you have a thermometer? Has she been having wet nappies?
It’s really hard to deal with a screaming baby because they have no way of telling you what’s wrong and it can leave you feeling so helpless.

Give the baby milk even if it’s from a bottle and formula or breast milk.

Wind? If you think not and it’s really unusual crying give 111 a call, good luck, you must be shattered x

The baby must be screaming with hunger. They need fed every three hours at that age as their tummies are so small. Get a bottle with a medium flow, ie two holes or pierce holes in the bottle teat and get it fed. Wee soul must be starving if unable to latch on.

Call for help, but could be over tired and hungry, but get professional advice.

Check every toe and finger meticulously that a hair isn't trapped around it! I know this sounds absolutely bonkers, but can be a common cause of infant trauma! Keep a log of wet nappies and poos and what feeding is actually taking place and call 111.

This can happen with wind but 9 hours is a very long time for it not to have resolved.

At 5 weeks, whatever the root cause, it’s a concern that she hasn’t fed properly for so long. Definitely call 111. But If she hasn’t had a wet nappy in that 9 hours I think you need to go to hospital asap.

My GP always said to me that nappies are a very good measure of how baby is doing when they’re ill and to be concerned if they’re not weeing.

This might sound daft but have you tried a walk in the garden. A couple of minutes in the fresh air might be enough to calm her enough to get a feed into her.

Are you coping with the crying OP? Is your baby safe? Phone a family member or friend. It’s really important you get support.

Are you doing skin to skin to calm baby? The fourth trimester baby basically needs to be on top of you all the time as your smell and heartbeat are the only thing that makes them feel safe.

You can try things like tiger in the tree hold etc and wonky winding to see if they help.

There is a good app called Baby Check for signs of needing help by the Lullaby Trust for Android or iPhone.

Thanks all, at hospital because she will not calm. I've fed her with the bottle and she eats it but continues to scream and struggle. I frustratingly can't do skin on skin because I have ring worm all over my body brought on by stress (breast feeding is made difficult by this) and I don't want her to catch it. Plenty of wet and poopy nappies.

She's just so upset :(

Aww god love you. Hopefully the hospital can help. Let is know how you and the baby are in the morning. Make sure you get ringworm treated too as it’s a fungal infection. Hope your little one gets settled. Ur in the best place.

Glad you are at the hospital. Fingers crossed that everything is okay.

Ah bless. All the best.

She can do skin to skin with her dad when you get home..she'll be desperate for it.

Hope things calm down for you soon, OP. I’m glad you’re getting her checked out

I hope the wait is not too long
And that it’s just wind, over tiredness or something similar

DD did this - she had silent reflux caused by a dairy allergy. Every time she fed it was making it worse. It was absolutely horrendous. Hope you get some answers

Earache? Is she tilting her head to one side. Good luck.

Doctor confirmed she is full of farts! Poor gassy baby was very uncomfortable. Got a bunch out and we're much more settled. So pleased it was nothing more serious. Now the work begins to prevent the farts!

That's great it was something so simple! Did she teach you the I love you clockwork massage and bicycle legs? Tummy time on your chest and sitting upright after feeds is also really good.

Aww bless, full of farts, glad it was nothing serious!
Bet it made the Docs day to make a wee baby better and see the relief on your faces.

Bless her! I had similar with my first - midwives told me I didn’t need to wind breastfed babies, so we didn’t and had night after screaming night until I turned up at MIL’s very tearful saying something is definitely wrong with the baby, she said ‘ah yes, let me see her’ and went on to pat enough wind out of her to float an air balloon 😂

Try the anti colic bottles good at stopping any air getting in !