Previously quiet baby suddenly a nightmare, help!

[Arghhhp]

DC is 7 weeks. Seemingly overnight he has begun to cry constantly. I don’t think they are unwell or anything. It’s gone from totally peaceful to full on screaming for hours. Is this what life is like now?!

You have hit the first major leap at 6-8 weeks Any development leap or growth spurt in the first 18m results in extra need for comfort and for you to adapt and expand your repertoire of settling skills. If you don't know much about what to expect from a baby then you might find something like the wonder weeks app helpful. I'd also recommend watching you tube videos of how to settle a fourth trimester baby.

Could be a developmental leap, overtiredness, earache, early teething, cold coming etc etc. it's alarming when it happens suddenly and for no apparent reason! Ride it out and see how they are tomorrow x

We found our baby was a lot more alert at that stage and started getting overstimulated easily leading to a lot of crying in the evening. Reducing stimulation towards the end of the day helped. She also stopped going down for naps spontaneously during the day so paying attention to wake windows also helped (actively trying to get her to nap on me or in the pram after being awake for 60-90 min or showing tiredness cues).

Sounds like a leap.
I found the wonder weeks app a saviour for the first year and it was very accurate about when to expect the next leap. Helped to save my sanity when my DD's personality would suddenly change seemingly overnight.