3 week old - please help!

[Ellax]

DD 3 weeks old. Breastfeeds a lot! I know this is normal at this stage. During the day basically just feeds and sleeps (most naps either on me or in pram) but that’s fine by me.

problem is this whole week once it hits about 5/6pm he become so unsettled and in goes on for hours! Wont sleep, screaming so intensely! Fussing at the boob. On the boob off the boob repeat. Nothing will calm her. Sling won’t calm her. Walking up and down with her won’t calm her. Feeding and walking with her in sling won’t calm her! She’s literally inconsolable. I’ve began dreading the evenings and doing this on my own with a toddler.

is this normal?? Is there something else I could try? Is this a growth spurt and her trying to increase my supply? She just seems to be in so much pain. But during the day she’s so calm and fine I just don’t get it. What happens at night that makes her switch??

thanks so much in advance x

Absolutely normal. We had this until 12 weeks and then it stopped. No magic answers - lots of cluster feeding, lots of rocking. Magic position for us was lying face down along our forearm - legs dangling either side of our elbow, our hand supporting baby's head.
It is awful but it does stop.

Yes can be totally normal. Often just trying to get supply up or generally unsettled. Could be reflux.

If you have any concerns something could be wrong you can get a check from the GP, don't be afraid to do that if concerned.

I had this with my boy turned out to be colic and it was awful and it lasted for ages I just had to wait until he eventually grew out of it I didn't breast feed tho so I could use stuff like anti colic bottles

My first would switch on the dot of five pm, and scream until 10pm unless actively being persuaded not to. We went for a lot of evening walks as that kept her quiet-ish.
My second out did her sister by having her unsettled time 10pm-4am. Any thoughts of a third were firmly quashed at this point...

Normal and not normal. Most babies will do this at this age and it's completely normal. Some babies start with reflux at this age and it can be a sign that they need some help. Initially with behavioural changes - being upright winding. Then feeding assessments (fast letdown and tongue tie) and thickeners then omperazole and looking at cmpa.

Patience for now. See if keeping them more upright helps, it could be trapped wind so a bit of extra care winding them and trying different holds there are quite a few on you tube. The tiger hold and the "magic hold" can help. Basically different ways to put a little bit of pressure on the stomach and that helps them shift the wind.

Babies at this age often like to be walked around the house they don't like you sitting down because they feel like you might not be able to runaway from predators. So try pacing with them - radio or audio books or podcasts with Bluetooth headphones are helpful and I used to put my ironing board up so I had a high table for drinks and my tablet. So everything was at my pacing height.
My daughter started fussing at 3 weeks and at that point it was normal. It was only when it was escalating over the following 4-6 weeks that it was then a problem. She was eventually diagnosed with severe silent reflux and multiple food allergies.

Thanks everyone. Sorry to hear others have struggled with similar but comforted by the fact it’s not just me I guess.

I’ll take your advise and will also see how the next few weeks go.

thank you again x