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Newborn screaming all night

72 replies

Coco1oco · 16/08/2025 09:19

This is a long one but wanted to get as much info in as possible.

Our baby is 10 days old and is great during the day with feeding & sleeping albeit is quite hard to wind - I'm not sure if he just doesn't have much wind in the first place? I've tried the countless positions but only ever get the odd burp.

However the past 2 nights he has squealed solidly from 11pm to 4am, and I think he only sleeps at 4 as he's that tired.

He will lie on me and fall asleep but if I try and put him down he will squirm and the start his roaring, also one wrong move and he'll cry. I am really worried about falling asleep with him on me and something happening to him and I want to avoid co sleeping too as it would worry me too much.

He is going red with the crying and scrunching his legs up which makes me think there could be trapped wind from the say building up.

Is this normal? Midwife said about witching hour but this is longer than an hour or two! I just want to cry as I feel so helpless and exhausted. Husband helps too but he will be going back to work so can't have him sitting up all night.

For info he is formula fed and is taking 3oz bottle every 3 hours or so but I think could take more. He is trying to guzzle the bottles, although I am trying to pace & wind despite his protests.Midwife said not to up it just yet but maybe should be doing more feeds?

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Thisismyusername54321 · 16/08/2025 22:22

Id be just feeding baby until they can't take any more. One of mine was having about the same at 2 weeks, and another baby could guzzle 8oz!!!

Also, co sleeping can be perfectly safe if followed to the letter. Look up the lullaby trust guidelines. In my opinion it's far safer to follow safe guidelines and get some good sleep, rather than fall asleep unexpectedly with baby in your arms

Thisismyusername54321 · 16/08/2025 22:23

Also to add, I think following strict timelines of x many oz, y many hours apart is just unnatural. Follow your instinct and pick up of baby's cues. If they cry they either need a change, a feed, a wind or a cuddle at this stage.

Margot25 · 16/08/2025 22:31

My last little one started with reflux at about 2 weeks old and it gradually increased as his milk intake did! Worth considering as nights were hell! He just didn’t sleep at all. Couldn’t be put down at all and it then increased to day time too.
he ended up on medication from the hospital at 5 weeks old and things improved gradually
best of luck
would t it be good if babies came with an instruction manual 😂 this guess work of figuring everything out is fun isn’t it.

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littleorangefox · 16/08/2025 22:37

Coco1oco · 16/08/2025 21:17

Thanks again everyone, some more things to take a look at. I feel for anyone else who has went through this despite us only having the couple of nights so far!

I think too soon to tell but since the infacol he has brought up a bit more wind than normal.

Nappies had been OK and in line with what to expect - possibly a touch of constipation as since the infacol has had a couple more dirty nappies. Think this may be as has been able to break the wind.

Have upped the bottle to 4oz but is now only taking the 3 but will keep up the 4oz just incase he takes a bit more.

He was higher risk for jaundice due to antibodies I had, he did have a very slight touch of it last week but it's all clear now.

I did have a look at the purple crying but the scrunching of legs made me think it was digestion related.

I also thought potential milk intolerance / allergy and did ask midwife, she said it was likely if that was the case they would also have a rash. Can anyone confirm?

Bottle wise we're using mam anti colic bottles with the 0 extra slow teats. We did have the 1s but he was guzzling even more with those.

Also using white noise at night and trying to keep room ambient without bright lights etc.

Just praying it will pass soon, probably naive but I didn't think this time of crying was even possible! When I read people saying they cry along with baby, I can totally understand where they're coming from.

Going to tag team with husband from here on. As we thought it was a one off we were unprepared but we'll see how we go from tonight onwards.

I'm on baby number 4 and they've all had CMPA and reflux - 3 silent reflux and 1 impressively pukey one. Only 2 of them have had a rash and that was only a tiny little bit around the eyes for one and around the sides of the nose for the other.

Your post really says to me reflux or an allergy probably to cow's milk protein. Woth all of ours, the effects on poo didn't come immediately. I would say it was really from around 6-8 weeks onwards and they became very runny and dark green and absolutely stank! Babies were all quite squirmy, gassy and unsettled. Also our youngest would drink huge amounts of milk for their age/size because it soothes them and the pain from the reflux. But then they get a sore tummy.

They all ended up on prescription formula for the CMPA and liquid omeprazole for the reflux. You might have to really push for the doctor to take you seriously and not just dismiss it as "colic" though.

I also see somebody mentioned previously about getting more wind up by sitting baby on their bottom on your lap and moving their upper body round in circles. Can confirm this works rather well. Also some babies do require quite a firm pat on the back and make sure its straight and they're not slumped forward. Nice straight back. Another tip given to us from a NICU nurse ☺️

EeewDavid12 · 16/08/2025 22:43

My baby had similar symptoms and it was silent reflux. We gave her infant gaviscon and it immediately Improved. I co-slept with her as she hated her crib! Good luck!

Justaminuteplease · 16/08/2025 22:44

Ours did this exact same thing. We went down a teat size and that sorted the issue. We realised she was drinking too fast - ie a feed took 5 minutes instead of closer to half an hour. Maybe see if that works?

Lights22 · 16/08/2025 22:45

I'm so sorry to say this just sounds like a 10 day old baby. I totally understand you not wanting to fall asleep with him, but if he settles on you it then it would seem that a potential cause for his distress is being away from you.

The Lullaby Trust have great advice about cosleeping safely and the NCT are excellent in terms of advice and support. They have a phone line that anyone can call in to.

Justaminuteplease · 16/08/2025 22:47

And we also started keeping the baby upright for half an hour after a feed, and doing lots of different things to get a burp out. Straight back and gentle bouncing on the knee helped, and also rubbing slowly up their straight back.

Happyonfriday · 16/08/2025 22:47

I’d keep trying with winding (different techniques might work so I’d check YouTube for examples) and hopefully the infacol helps.

have you tried swaddling him of an evening? Might help him feel snug as if he’s being hugged.

both of mine had reflux, one I managed ok with, one ended up medicated as it was so bad.

congrats on your little bundle 🩵

Thedoorisalwaysopen · 16/08/2025 22:54

Try cycling his legs (gently, he isn't doing the Tour de France) while he is on his back if he has wind.

Cece92 · 16/08/2025 22:54

I think everyone’s pretty much covered what I was going to suggest, infacol, upping his milk. My DD had 2 nights where she was like this at about the same age I was panicked because she was honestly such a good baby. It was definitely wind so I got infacol and tommee tipee bottles with vari flow teats. Worked a treat. My grandma is an ex midwife and she put my daughter over her knee facing down to wind her and I swear it was a life changer. Also cycling legs is good for any trapped wind xxx

Bubbles1001 · 16/08/2025 23:07

@ARichtGoodDram the weeble style winding is a game changer! I got some absolute corkers out of my two doing that technique. Good shout! x

DorothReally · 17/08/2025 00:08

Sorry to be another one to mention it, I know you have expressly said you wanted to avoid it. But my DD was born on 5th August so at the exact same stage as you and we are cosleeping. Health visitor came out to see us on Friday and she is the ‘safe sleeping champion’ for our area - I expected her to be really judgy but she was saying that the local guidance has shifted from ‘no cosleeping’ to ‘safely cosleeping’ because so many parents with good intentions avoid cosleeping but then end up so exhausted they fall asleep with baby in bed / holding baby.

My firstborn had silent reflux - settled only when beside me in the bed. I was so anxious about cosleeping that for the first few weeks I ended up like a zombie trying to soothe her during the night and would’ve accidentally fallen asleep with her. While trying to get meds that worked, health visitor recommended safely cosleeping as it was safer than me being exhausted and potentially falling asleep in unsafe positions. I got rid of all blankets and pillows, bought myself an adult sleepbag and moved the mattress to the floor. Complete turnaround - she slept amazingly and I was able to actually parent because I wasn’t suffering with sleep deprivation

My newborn is currently sleeping through the night & I have to fight to get her waking up for feeds, so different from the few nights when I tried her in the moses basket. Hope whatever you end up doing that you manage to get some rest. Congrats! X

BunnyRuddington · 17/08/2025 00:17

Coco1oco · 16/08/2025 21:17

Thanks again everyone, some more things to take a look at. I feel for anyone else who has went through this despite us only having the couple of nights so far!

I think too soon to tell but since the infacol he has brought up a bit more wind than normal.

Nappies had been OK and in line with what to expect - possibly a touch of constipation as since the infacol has had a couple more dirty nappies. Think this may be as has been able to break the wind.

Have upped the bottle to 4oz but is now only taking the 3 but will keep up the 4oz just incase he takes a bit more.

He was higher risk for jaundice due to antibodies I had, he did have a very slight touch of it last week but it's all clear now.

I did have a look at the purple crying but the scrunching of legs made me think it was digestion related.

I also thought potential milk intolerance / allergy and did ask midwife, she said it was likely if that was the case they would also have a rash. Can anyone confirm?

Bottle wise we're using mam anti colic bottles with the 0 extra slow teats. We did have the 1s but he was guzzling even more with those.

Also using white noise at night and trying to keep room ambient without bright lights etc.

Just praying it will pass soon, probably naive but I didn't think this time of crying was even possible! When I read people saying they cry along with baby, I can totally understand where they're coming from.

Going to tag team with husband from here on. As we thought it was a one off we were unprepared but we'll see how we go from tonight onwards.

The MW is wrong in the rash unfortunately. There are two types of allergy. Ige which gives immediate symptoms and non-Ige which can take up to 72 hours to appear. A rash isn’t always present with non-Ige. In fact I’m diagnosed as having non-Ige and I’ve not had a rash.

Have a read of this article from Allergy UK Flowers

Cow’s Milk Allergy

Cow’s milk allergy is an abnormal response by the body’s immune system in which proteins in a food are recognised as a potential threat.

https://www.allergyuk.org/about-allergy/allergy-in-childhood/cows-milk-allergy/

Donewiththisshit · 17/08/2025 00:32

Please speak to your GP and ask about CMPA/reflux. This sounds typical. Also little evidence but cranial osteopathy (especially if c section) anecdotally can help. I hope you are ok it’s horrible.

Rayqueen · 17/08/2025 01:10

Let baby feed, he is hungry, he cries more creating wind, then gets a pain with a windy empty tummy thus scrunching his legs. Every single child is different and requires different amounts of milk, some will scoff loads others small amounts.

LordVoldetort · 17/08/2025 08:39

Coco1oco · 16/08/2025 21:17

Thanks again everyone, some more things to take a look at. I feel for anyone else who has went through this despite us only having the couple of nights so far!

I think too soon to tell but since the infacol he has brought up a bit more wind than normal.

Nappies had been OK and in line with what to expect - possibly a touch of constipation as since the infacol has had a couple more dirty nappies. Think this may be as has been able to break the wind.

Have upped the bottle to 4oz but is now only taking the 3 but will keep up the 4oz just incase he takes a bit more.

He was higher risk for jaundice due to antibodies I had, he did have a very slight touch of it last week but it's all clear now.

I did have a look at the purple crying but the scrunching of legs made me think it was digestion related.

I also thought potential milk intolerance / allergy and did ask midwife, she said it was likely if that was the case they would also have a rash. Can anyone confirm?

Bottle wise we're using mam anti colic bottles with the 0 extra slow teats. We did have the 1s but he was guzzling even more with those.

Also using white noise at night and trying to keep room ambient without bright lights etc.

Just praying it will pass soon, probably naive but I didn't think this time of crying was even possible! When I read people saying they cry along with baby, I can totally understand where they're coming from.

Going to tag team with husband from here on. As we thought it was a one off we were unprepared but we'll see how we go from tonight onwards.

My little one has just been diagnosed with CMPA. They are on the older side for diagnosis and that’s because they didn’t have classic symptoms so it can happen.
What colour are your babies nappies? If you squeeze the nappies together it could show if it’s got mucus in it as it’s not always obvious.

I am of the opinion that reflux/colic is a symptom of something going on so I think it needs investigating further (although I know this isn’t a opinion held by everyone)

Emmz1510 · 17/08/2025 10:07

I agree it sounds like he needs more feeding! Go by his cues, not what the health visitor says. If he is finishing his bottles and seeming uncontented try adding an extra oz. And not all babies struggle with wind. If he’s overly unsettled when you try to stop to wind I would just resume feeding. Crying will just cause him to take in more wind.

Original poster
Coco1oco · 17/08/2025 10:25

Not sure if this is just by chance but little one didn't have his extreme crying episode last night. We have a family member staying so maybe he is conscious of that and on best behaviour 😂

He has taken slightly more milk during the day yesterday and have been able to get more wind out of him and can now actually hear it moving when winding. Also trying against his will to get him to pace himself more but he will still try and guzzle a bit. During the night feeds he has taken a bit less milk and paved himself well but settled easier after being burped. First feed this morning he took the full 4oz so am guessing he has made up for the lesser amount taken during night.

Needless to say he had been fine last week too before this, so I expect it may happen again. I have the health visitor this week so have made notes of everything and also the advice and things to look out for from everyone so will see what she says and/or recommends.

OP posts:
OneWarmHazelQuail · 17/08/2025 13:01

batshitaboutcatshit · 16/08/2025 16:00

My first was like this and never really got to the bottom of it but think it might have been reflux. We got gaviscon from the doctor to give before feeds which helped a bit. Raising the head end of the crib and a dummy also helped. I found that no-one took me seriously and said things like “all babies cry” so you really need to listen to your instinct and advocate for yourself. It wasn’t until I had my second that I realised that it was far from normal. Hope you find something to help.

I was going to say something similar to this.

My first born had silent reflux and would scream at night when put into the cot. We tried Infacol, more feeds but nothing really worked apart from burping and then holding up baby for 20 minutes after feeding. I would literally set a timer. If you have a reflux tilt on your cot, this may help after the 20 minutes of holding up if it is reflux.

mrssunshinexxx · 17/08/2025 13:10

Nap in the day if he’s your first. Look into colic and if you think it’s that try colief calm as it’s all natural rather than all the medicated stuff. Pop a book under his next to me so he’s not totally flat x

Julieju1 · 17/08/2025 21:02

I haven't read all of the replies so this may have been covered already. Our youngest used to wake at night crying and curled up, I was convinced he had belly ache.
It started after I stopped breast feeding and started bottle feeding. He was older than your little one.
No rash, he sucked his 2 fingers constantly and dribbled lots.
I worked out it was worse when he had had food that had a high milk content.
Spoke to health visitor who advised us to try lactose free formula.
Things improved overnight, no finger sucking or dribbling. Crying and curling up stopped except when nursery fed him pancakes and custard by mistake.
I can't remember when we reintroduced cows milk at home but he has been drinking it with no problem for ages.
Speak to health visitor before making changes.
Good luck

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