Help Screaming Baby All Day!!!

I thought the book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" was really great too. It talks about 5 things you can do to sooth babies: 1) swaddle, 2) wear in a sling or wrap, 3) use white noise, 4) hold them so they're on their side, 5) use a pacifier (or breast, finger, etc) to sooth with sucking. You can do all of these things at once to really help. The book gives details on how to do each thing. For us, the swaddling and wearing in a wrap helped the most. Now, at 7 months, my son stops fussing just when he sees me pull out the wrap!

But, for most babies, this constant fussing goes away after 3 months, so hang in there and know that it's pretty normal, if you have ruled out any health problems. My son even had some reflux issues, which I thought contributed to his crying, but it all cleared up after 3 months.

try giving him a warm bath it always worked with my baby and I delt with him doing the no sleep cry all day thing for the first 4-5 month of his little life and he is now only 6 month but SOO much better...hang in there I know how hard it is...O and he is probably overly tired so maybe you could try takin him for a car ride :)

could be gas i been going through that with my granchild who is 3 mos old they gave us gas drops.or could be a pooing factor?Hope it works either way. from knoxv,tn

Sounds like colic. Some babies get it and there's no rhyme or reason. Try to get some Gripe Water drops from Whole Foods. They MAY help. Otherwise, try to put him in a carrier/sling and just walk around with him, go for a car ride or put him in a cradle swing tightly swaddled.

If it's worse after he eats, it may be reflux. If you can keep him more upright, like in a "bouncy" chair or his car seat, that may help too. There are prescriptions that help with reflux.

If you know he's not sick, has been fed, changed, burped, etc. then put him down in his crib or somewhere safe and take a shower, drink a cup of tea, anything to save your sanity. If he screams when you hold him and when you put him down, then take breaks. Get help if Grandma, a friend or your husband can take a "shift" caring for the baby.

Sending HUGS your way

This is not normal. I'm thinking infant acid reflux. Please don't think that you are losing your mind. It's very hard to have a crying baby and I feel for you. I would really suggest that you call the doctor and don't let up until you get answers and help. We ended up putting our son on Zantac and it helped SO much. I remember the first time he woke up without screaming, I cried with joy. Hope you find a answer to his problem. Hang in there.
Best Regards,
C.

OH MY-I FEEL YA-I HAVE BEEN THERE DONE THAT! My son was like that and after trial and error w/formula(thought he may have a lactose intolerant) which he did not went back to formula #1-He had acid reflux-not saying your child does, but ask your ped or did u call your ped already? What do they think? Once he was put on zantac-OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE! Hope I helped. L. :)

My son was like this and I was breastfeeding him. The first 6 to 8 weeks are just tough. I was still recovering from giving birth (vaginally), I was dripping milk, sweating heavily - had to change clothes frequently I was soaking wet from it (hormone changes plus I held a lot of water and was now losing it), my hips ligaments were still loose (it took awhile for that pain to go away), the stitches from the episiotomy were itching, it felt like I never had enough time to use the sitz bath as often as I should have, sleep deprived, and with my son crying all the time I felt like such a horrible mother. Thank goodness my husband could take some leave and stay home with us for awhile. We had no other family around to help. With his help I managed to get some sleep (although it felt like I went without any for about 6 weeks). And my son didn't really cry non-stop 24 hrs around the clock - it just felt that way sometimes. I remember once we all got in the car at 2am just to drive around the airport - my son actually slept quite well in the car - and as soon as we pulled back into the driveway and turned off the car, he'd start crying again. At least we had 30 minutes of quiet - my nerves were frazzled. By 6 weeks we were a bit more settled, and by 8 weeks I had found my stride. Son was sleeping better and would not cry so much, and I finally felt like this was all going to work out alright. The simethicone gas drops help a lot. It takes a lot to burp a tiny baby. The gas can foam up inside them and cause a lot of pain. You'll get through this and it will get better. Hang in there!

I am so sorry! Those days are really rough but it will get better. I have had 2 colicky babies (my second is 3 months old) and it is incredibly difficult and exhausting. I agree about the Gripe Water. I think that it really helps. Good luck and don't be h*** o* yourself, you are not doing anything wrong!

Before you assume anything is wrong, walk away. Once he is fed and changed lay him in his bed and let him be for a few minutes. Give yourself time to calm down. Something is definately setting him off but your nervousness and anxiety are probably making it worse. Don't get me wrong we all do this. I just hate for you to assume the worst. Before you make any huge changes try little changes.

From what your post say's this has only been a one day occurance. I wouldn't jump to any crazy conclusions.

Once your calm , take him for a walk outside, put him in his swing, lay him on the bed and talk to him. Maybe he just wants a little change of pace.

Take some slow deep breaths and blow out slowly.. Make a cup of tea..
I know this is very upsetting. Just know we are all out here sending you good thoughts..

All great suggestions, I would add, swaddle him. Here are a couple of links that will explain it and have some photo examples.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_swaddling-your-baby_125.bc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swaddling

http://www.thehipstermom.com/wp-content/uploads/swaddle-s...

We also had a Bassinet that swing back and forth, this seemed to sometimes help our daughter..

if youve tried all the norm like feeding , changing, burping,walking,what i did with my crying kiddo was run the vacuume , or dryer, took for a drive ,you could try a baby massage start with the feet rub gentlely work ur way up the legs- belly- arms- legs hands - well you get the idea , it may or may not work. a warm bath while massage could help too.not a sponge bath (soaking in a baby bath) sing to him just some ideas if nothing still works after allof the wierd thing ,ask ur doc to do some blood work to rule out anything the could be hidden reason and a urine test too. hope that you can find some relief...

Have you tried nursing him? Maybe he just wants to be comforted. Also - I found that put baby in baby carrier and walk around would really helpl them to sleep too.

good luck

The same thing happened to me, my daughter is 7 months now. My boyfriend worked out of town m-f and my family is 2 hours away. I don't know exactly how I did it, but it passed. She still cries more that "normal" babies. Try Gerber good start instead of Alimentum, it worked better and it's a little cheaper. It gets better I promise. The most important thing is to take a break. NOTHING made my little girl happy. So I would secure her in her swing and take a break. My doctor kept recommending earplugs.

With my colicy baby I would drape him over my are with his tummy down. With his head by my hand and his legs straddling my arm by my elbow. And bounce a bit. It helped move the air around so it wasn't just in one spot. Also giving him tummy time helped my son. Pressure on the stomach helps babies a lot! If you do a swaddle (which I'd suggest) I'd get the miracle blanket which has a tiny weight in it to apply that bit of pressure and it will help out a LOT!!!!!! I hope this helps and sorry if this was a repeat of anything.

My daughter cried a lot like that her first three months. Gas drops and gripe water helped so much. I wore her all the time (literally) in a baby carrier (ergo) and the closeness and movement was soothing to her. Going for a walk in the stroller helped and sometimes the vibrating chair was more soothing than my arms. If you are nursing foods you eat can effect baby too. Dairy is common maybe try cutting it out and see if that helps. He might need another formula there are so many options out there, do your research, it could just be switching brands or maybe a lactose free one. I would try all the milk based ones though before or if switching to soy. If nothing you are doing is helping go see the doctor or before switching formulas and see what they say. Hang in there, its tough, there is nothing wrong with putting the baby in a swing or crib and taking a break. Good luck

If you have met all his needs, feeding, burping, diaper changes, you are doing your best! If there is no fever and the PED says he's fine, it's probably colic. Colic babies can happen to the best of us. My daughter is 8 months old and I certainly remember those days. Infant drops seem to help at times, I also walked around the house with her and sang to her to help soothe until she fell asleep. It works if you have soothing music in the background too. Remember, skin to skin. This may help soothe too. I remember crying with my daughter at times. Call on someone to help if you can so you have a break. I feel for you, hang in there it gets better. Good Luck

Another thing that helped my little girl was keeping her belly warm. Lay him on your chest or belly face down you can use a receiving blanket between you two in case it gets to warm you sweat. If it's his belly that is bothering him keeping his belly warm during long intervals will help.

L.

Hi A. - I feel so bad for you! You might want to try a sling or baby carrier - some babies just need the extra closeness. Definitely talk to your pedi to be sure there isn't an underlying problem, of course. There is a dvd and book called "the happiest baby on the block" - I got it at the library, and I'm sure you can find it at the bookstore. There are some great tips in there to help soothe the hard to soothe babies. I hope that helps!

If you want to keep trying on the breastfeeding, find a supportive lactation consultant. Due to shingles, I wasn't able to breastfeed a few days after I gave birth and it took me 3-4 months to get to the point where we were both pros at it. It's worth it if you want to do it, and the support of a good lactation consultant is invaluable. There are tools to help you produce more and get food into your little one while you build up your milk supply. Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

If it happens to be gas try these options. 1. Gently rub belly in a clock-wise motion. 2. Gently pat back in an upward motion from lower back towards head. Sometimes doing this technique while gently moving babies head above and well below his waist height can also help. 3. And the best one - dip nipple in tiny bit of Baking soda (it does the same as drops, except it quicker and WAY cheaper). All of the above helped when 'gas' was an issue. However babies cry anytime some need is not being met. So don't give up trying different things. Sometimes just singing or talking to your child can help.

Good luck and Congrats!

**ADDING THIS: try putting on some white noise... even the clothes dryer, or a vacuum. For SOME babies, these "noises" actually helps to soothe them. When they are in our bellies in-uetero,... it is actually noisy in there... and they "hear" our heartbeat too. One person I know, says their baby liked being on the clothes dryer when it was on. And the baby actually slept better, with a lot of noise.

Another friend I know, said her baby cried continuously too. She took her baby to the Doctor, the baby actually had a thin blond hair wrapped tightly & tangled around one of her toes... it was causing pain and was getting tighter and cutting into her skin. Once the Doc removed the hair, the baby was like a new baby. Not miserable anymore!
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Are you breastfeeding or giving Formula?
If you are breastfeeding... are you producing enough milk?
IS he latching on properly? If not, then he will NOT be getting enough intake, which means he will be continuously hungry.

Next, he might have gas. This is common in newborns. You can use infant gas drops. This helps a lot.
My daughter had bad gas problems as an infant... and she rarely farted or burped. Though we tried.

Is he sick?
Maybe his ears?
CALL your Pediatrician.... pronto., and/or bring him in.

These are the common things that affect babies.
Also, maybe colic/reflux...
But a Doctor has to diagnose that.

Can you tell if he is any kind of pain? maybe something is bothering him.
Is he always like this, or only today????

all the best,
Susan

Have you tried Mylicon? Anti-gas drops were my lifesaver. Also, have they checked for acid reflux? My youngest was put on meds for it and it was much better....just a couple of thoughts. I hope he's feeling better soon.

My initial thoughts are acid reflux or a milk/lactose intolerance. Is he BF or formula? If formula then maybe try a lactose free , or if BF then cut dairy out of your diet and see if that helps.

Hope you get to the bottom of this soon

The Happiest Baby on the block really helped our daughter. He uses the 5 S's:

Swaddle
Suck (pacifier)
Swing (holding him in your arms, gently swing him back and forth)
Shushing
Side/Stomach holding

here is a great description: http://www.babyslumber.com/happiestbaby.html

With our daughter, swaddling, shushing and sucking worked wonders.

Swaddle and White noise.

Babies at that age startle too easily and they are used to tight quarters. Get on the internet or talk to an experienced mom and learn to swaddle. You will be amazed how quickly they stop crying.

Babies that age cannot self soothe, so he needs your help. Put your son in the crib and bring in the vaccuum cleaner and leave it on in the middle of the room. In minutes, I'll bet he stops crying. He'll get catatonic at first and if he is tired, he will go to sleep. I also would use the hairdryer (on low) tied around the doorknob. This little trick only works for about the first 3 months, but by the colic is less common.

I feel your pain. I was also at my wit's end with my first because of colic.

Oh boy have I been where you are! Colic is a mother's worse nightmare. My son was an all-day screamer, and this went on for weeks and weeks. I was breastfeeding, and when I stopped , so did the colic. I found out later when he was 1 year old that he had a severe egg allergy. Of course, I am eating foods made with egg all the time while breastfeeding and just had no idea. Having said that, it's probably the formula. Have you tried any other formulas? My son didn't tolerate Similac at all, and we had much better success with Enfamil Ready-to-Use formula. We put a drop of Mylicon in each bottle to get out the excess gas. If it's a milk allergy, then all milk-based formulas with cause problems. The only way to know is to switch.
As for your immediate problem- the crying. I found that doing the Five S's was the best way to calm my son. http://www.babyslumber.com/happiestbaby.html I actually had to so all of these S's at once, but it worked. I held him so much I developed bursitis in my shoulder! But it was better than hearing that screaming.
If it becomes too much, just put the baby in the crib, and take a shower to calm down (you can't hear the screaming through the shower), or just walk outside for a little bit. Anything you can do to give yourself some relief. Do you have any family close by that can watch the baby while you get a break? Hang in there...

It does sound like he's colicky which takes a lot of patience and time to get through as it appears to have NO known cause nor relief.

If you do use something like Mylicon, the advice from our pediatrician was to really keep up on it consistently instead of using it to react to possible issues with gas.

My sister is not naturally maternal, and her daughter was definitely colicky. She needed to learn how to hold her correctly. He daughter was having a lot of abdominal bloating and needed pressure against it - once she figured that out, she had a much better time with crankiness and crying.

I'd keep seeking the advice of other moms (especially in person) who may be able to show you different ways of holding him, etc. to help with the crying.

Good luck! We didn't have family close by either, but you can make it through with a good pediatrician, good neighbors, and good friends.

Have you tried simethicone (Mylicon is one brand, but I always bought the cheaper brands) in his formula? They were a lifesaver for my daughter. They just help them to release the gas.

Try changing formulas. you would be amazed how much this can help! talk to his ped also if that doesnt help. I just read the "so what happened" Get him off similac that formula ia slmost impossible for babies to digest. try carnation good start with nothing in it (dha or ara) this will help a ton!

He may have colic, take him to or call his doctor. he may also have gas if he cries mostly after he eats. you can buy gas drops at the grocery store and give them to him prior or after eating. You can also try a warm wash cloth on his belly while you snuggle next to him. Try laying him on your bed, for some reason my kids always soothed in my bed as compared to their bassinett. If it is colic, you can take him for rides in the car, sometimes that is soothing and gives you 'some' quiet time. You can buy a vibrating bouncy seat that lays back and he can just lay in it. Put him in the bathroom in his bassinett or carrier with you when you bathe so he can hear the water and feel the steam of the water. Sing to him, walk around holding and dancing with him, lay down in your bed propped up on a pillow and lay him on his belly on your belly and see if he can sleep that way. My kids would always sleep that way...It truly does sound like colic though which is REALLY hard b/c there is not much you can do to make him stop, just know that they do grow out of it around 3 months.

I have gone through this with 2 of my 4 children. It is very hard for a mom to deal with constant crying. My husband worked a lot and I didn't have family in the state, so I too was alone.
What worked for me was swaddling my daughters and carrying them around in a sling. When the doctor suggested it, I wasn't going to try it. I'm glad I did. Although it didn't completely stop the constant screaming, it helped. I also used lavendar bath wash and lavendar cream which helps sooth.
On a baby so young, I personally wouldn't try using over the counter medicines without talking to your pediatrician first. I have used them, but only on the advise of the doctor.
One of the most important things to watch out for is PPD. I got severly depressed from months of screaming from my daughter. I was lucky that my doctor realized it. It turned out my daughter had colic, reflux and chronic ear infections. I would lay a blanket on my lap and bounce her belly down on my knees. She loved it and it seemed to work.
Also, don't lay the baby down until 1/2 hour after feedings. If the baby has reflux, this will help. I did switch to a formula for gassy babies on the advise of the doctor.
You need to rest as much as you can. A tired mom can not always deal with a screaming baby appropriately. If you need to put the baby in the crib and take a time out, do so. If there is a friend locally who you can call when it is really bad, I would. Even if they can't come over, they can provide support over the phone. Sometimes 5 minutes of an adult conversation to motivate you can go a long way.
I feel your pain. I did make it through and so did my kids.
Good luck.

My answer may be a little late, but I hope it helps. My first child was EXACTLY the same as yours! She cried all day & night, wouldn't sleep but maybe an hour at a time (if we were lucky!) & would only sleep for that amount of time if someone was holding her but she had to be laying on her tummy on my chest. The doctor just said Colic, she'll grow out of it, but that wasn't entirely true. We took her in for a sick visit one day & had to see the other dr in the office, which was a blessing in disguise! He actually took the time to listen & decide that she had digestive problems as well as the colic (she still has stomach problems even today & she's 9 now). Think about the birth, did anything happen during delivery? For my daughter, she swallowed merconium (not sure if that's spelled right)before she was delivered. We ended up having to put her on Nutramigin formula (& WIC did supply it thankfully because it is expensive!), had her on the gas drops also, & put Karo syrup in her bottles for a stool softener. Thankfully tho they were right about the colic just ending, the day she turned 3 months old she slept thru the entire night for the first time! Hope this helps, feel free to e-mail me for anything! ____@____.com

I didn't read through all the responses but I've also heard gripe water helps

He sounds like he may have colic, a kind of unexplained tummy ache. I have found that Gripe Water (yes that is the name) is excellent in helping with the tummy aches. They usually pass the gas that seems trapped in there. I have found it at health food stores and once at Target of all places. It works better than Milicon Drops that I've also used.

Another thing that seems to help with colicky babies is to wrap them up in a blanket or receiving blanket snuggly, swaddle them. They make really cool things now called Kiddopotamus http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_swad.php . I have a 2-1/2 month old grandson and he loves these, makes swaddling so much easier.

So look for Gripe Water, swaddle and breathe. I know it's hard. You're tired, new baby and seems your life will always be like this. But it will pass and he'll outgrow it but until then---try those things.