I'm such a crap mother - overtired baby won't stop crying!

[blueberrypudding]

Poor baby. She's been awake all day - just wouldn't go down at all or even sleep in arms. She was overheated in the weather as well, so was really uncomfortable and wailing non-stop when she wasn't feeding. The instant she finished and came off and realised she was still awake, she would start crying again.

It's making me feel awful and helpless that I can't help her and that I didn't prevent it earlier - it seems like she's never going to settle tonight and is absolutely exhausted.

What do I do? Feel. So. Goddamn. Shit.

Have you tried a warm bath? Light clothes and tucked in bed in a dark room afterwards?

How old is she?
Can you swaddle her? Sometimes when hey are overtired their limbs can jerk causing them to feel unsettled and unable to drop off

She's only 7 weeks! She hates baths usually and screams her head off while having them. We've tried the dark room but she's not having any of it. We're going to try swaddling now.

She's even crying non-stop while we're holding her.

could it be colic???

You poor thing - it's a long time since mine were small but your message made me remember that despair that could bring me down. Practical advice: strip baby down and let them kick. Lots of boiled cool water and TV on in the corner so little one is soothed by moving pictures! What about bath with babe? Can be done if other parent is there to help and can be funny!

Ride in car? (Didn't do this but friends used to go up and down the bypass at speed)

Music?

And depending on age of baby, well... Twenty mins of YOU going out for a walk to shops whilst another adult copes is good.

Bless your heart. Tomorrow is another day and it will be better!!!

Try winding her in lots of different positions.. Over your knees, up against your chest etc.
If it's not wind, try driving with her in the car or pushing her in the pram around the block.

Just thought, 6 weeks plus is growth spurt time. Hungry? But you posted you had been feeding.... Is it wind? Infacol is wonderful and worth a go.

Gooduck x

Sorry - good luck!

If it is wind, then holding her so she is on her tum helps.

Hold her on your chest in the bath. The skin to skin might work.

She's quite colicky usually but this feels different. When we tried winding her she just got really upset. It just seems like exhaustion, and that she's really, really tired and doesn't understand why she's still awake.

Has anyone ever had that?

If she hates baths it may be because they are not quite warm enough. Mine screamed blue murder at that age until we made it good and warm and the screaming stopped like an off switch!

Firstly, you're not crap mother. These things happen.

Secondly, do you have a sling? Pop her in. Then deep squats - old midwives trick. Used to work a charm on DD, who had silent reflux

if she is not ill, not too hot and not hungry I would be tempted to put her in her bed, in quiet and dark and give her at least 5-6 mins to see if she can settle (apologies if you have been doing this all night) but sometimes my eldest would get more and more aggravated by being picked up

Yes overtired babies get so miserable. You're not a crap mother, we've all been there!

Yes my Dd2 was like that at that age. I have a smartphone and downloaded the white noise baby app. I left the air conditioning sound option on next to her moses basket and within minutes she was sound. I left it on for a good hour until I switched it off and repeated it whenever she needed to go to sleep. I used it for the first few months and it was a godsend. If you have a smartphone or tablet, give it a try.

I know exactly how you feel and I really hope she settles soon.

Yes, we had that and it was wind. Infacol doesn't work by the way. No studies have shown it to work. Boiled water is as effective apparently. Wind, wind, wind! We had the same at the same age and I feel for you.

Have you tried driving around? Or wheeling around in pram?

Yy overtired baby is awful! Dc2 is 1week old and doing exactly the same thing now. Try motion swinging, rocking etc. Or get the hoover out that got him to sleep before!

Not a Crap mum it's just what happens especially when they so small cos they have no routine and go from fine to overtired really quick.

Good luck x

I remember 'whiting out' being quite helpful. Literally standing in the hall or bathroom with baby facing a white wall. It helps with overstimulation I think. I used to double whammy by rocking dd next to a white wall by the fridge for the white noise.

We swaddled and used Ewan the sheep as well.

Whatever else, you are certainly not a crap mum. Overtiredness is horrific when they are tiny as it is so hard to distinguish from them being unwell

Good luck

DH took her for a couple of walks in the pram. She'd fall asleep in the pram and then wake up the instant he got home.

Thank you for all your suggestions. Will try them now!

You are NOT a crap mother. I had the same especially with DD. These may have been mentioned before, the things that worked for us were;

Warm bath (even if baby is screaming throughout)
Swaddle or wrap
Make sure the room is 16-18c
White noise (louder than her screams otherwise baby won't hear it).
Worked a treat for us. sometimes after 7 hours of daytime screaming!
Best of luck.

Mine 10 week old is also over tired from not sleeping allday due to the heat. I empathise completely.

She has just nodded off and I'm so scared to move incase she wakes again!

Tomorrow is another day.

upthe just reminded me of something I used to do which was rock dd in my arms fairly vigorously while shooshing into her ear. Everything needs to get beyond the sound of their own crying.

Sounds like my ds. He had reflux (silent).

Best way to get her to sleep was pop him in a sling and go for a walk. We did this at 3am!!

Other thing was stay in a dark room, swaddle (but be careful of overheating) and have white noise on really loud then just keep rocking. Would finally work.

Best thing really though was working on naps. I didn't care how he slept, just that he did. Which meant I did a lot of walking!