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Unconsolable infant



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 24th 04, 05:36 AM
dkc
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Default Unconsolable infant

Hi,

I have a newborn who is 11 days old. About 4:30pm every day, he begins a
very loud crying fit that usually continues for 4 or 5 hours. We've tried
everything to calm him (feeding, burping, changing, rocking, swaddling,
providing a calm environment, playing soft music, interacting, etc.), but
nothing seems to work during this fussy period. It seems too early for
colic (which normally starts during a baby's third week, as I understand).
BTW, not sure if this matters, but my baby is mainly fed breast milk with
some formula supplemented.

Does anyone have any suggestions for calming such a fussy infant? The only
thing that seems to work (which I *hate* doing) is giving baby a pacifier,
which someone must hold in his mouth.

Thanks!

Debbie


  #2  
Old May 24th 04, 06:01 AM
dkc
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Default Unconsolable infant

Debbie, do you feed your baby formula around the same time every day? His
stomach could be upset from the formula. If so, the best solution is 100%
breast milk, but if that is not possible, switching formula brands could
help.

Richard
Micaela's dad



I don't think so. I believe the supplemental formula feeding time usually
varies, though I'll pay closer attention to the actual times.

Thank you for the suggestion.


  #3  
Old May 24th 04, 06:02 AM
Staycalm
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Default Unconsolable infant

"dkc" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I have a newborn who is 11 days old. About 4:30pm every day, he begins a
very loud crying fit that usually continues for 4 or 5 hours. We've tried
everything to calm him (feeding, burping, changing, rocking, swaddling,
providing a calm environment, playing soft music, interacting, etc.), but
nothing seems to work during this fussy period. It seems too early for
colic (which normally starts during a baby's third week, as I understand).
BTW, not sure if this matters, but my baby is mainly fed breast milk with
some formula supplemented.

Does anyone have any suggestions for calming such a fussy infant? The

only
thing that seems to work (which I *hate* doing) is giving baby a pacifier,
which someone must hold in his mouth.

Thanks!

Debbie


First up - you are not doing anything wrong by going with the pacifier. At
this age and stage of being a new parent you do whatever works or gets you
through the evil hours. This sort of behaviour is very common. Have you
tried extra breastfeeding? Rule out if you can: hunger, pain, discomfort
from wet nappy, overtiredness and overstimulation (this was our main problem
with DD), etc. It could be colic. Try a little tummy massage or the colic
carry hold. It could also be you have a baby that wants to be carried a
lot - try a sling perhaps.

I had a very unhappy baby and someone told me that "sometimes there are
babies who just don't like to be babies!". Boy, did DD hate being a baby! It
took her over 3 months before we began to see an improvement. I think we had
to spend a lot of time getting to know her particular characteristics. And
as a toddler she has turned out to be stubborn, independent and determined
to have her way. Being a baby must have been very frustrating!

Hope this is some help. Others with more experience will be sure to have
more to offer.

Liz


  #4  
Old May 24th 04, 06:23 AM
dkc
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Posts: n/a
Default Unconsolable infant

First up - you are not doing anything wrong by going with the pacifier. At
this age and stage of being a new parent you do whatever works or gets you
through the evil hours. This sort of behaviour is very common. Have you
tried extra breastfeeding? Rule out if you can: hunger, pain, discomfort
from wet nappy, overtiredness and overstimulation (this was our main

problem
with DD), etc. It could be colic. Try a little tummy massage or the colic
carry hold. It could also be you have a baby that wants to be carried a
lot - try a sling perhaps.


Hi Liz,

Thank you so much for your suggestions. In terms of breastfeeding, my son
rarely latches on and stays on. (I'm seeking help from an LC.) In fact, he
gets *very* angry and often starts his lengthy fits when I attempt to
breastfeed. It seems that he really wants to breastfeed and gets frustrated
when he can't keep a latch-on going strong. (At times, he seems to have a
voracious need to suck.) Right now, I'm just trying to keep up with pumping
breast milk to feed him every 2-2.5 hours. My mother suggested the tummy
massage, too, but that is hard as his umbilical cord stump has not yet
fallen off (he's only 11 days old).

I have a Baby Bjorn carrier that I need to learn how to use. Perhaps that
will help us.


I had a very unhappy baby and someone told me that "sometimes there are
babies who just don't like to be babies!". Boy, did DD hate being a baby!

It
took her over 3 months before we began to see an improvement. I think we

had
to spend a lot of time getting to know her particular characteristics. And
as a toddler she has turned out to be stubborn, independent and determined
to have her way. Being a baby must have been very frustrating!


You must have worked hard at remaining patient! I can't imagine enduring
this extreme fussiness for another two or more months...but I suppose I will
need to just take one hour at a time and try to endure.

Debbie


  #5  
Old May 24th 04, 07:00 AM
Kelly
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Posts: n/a
Default Unconsolable infant

"dkc" wrote in message
...

Does anyone have any suggestions for calming such a fussy infant? The

only
thing that seems to work (which I *hate* doing) is giving baby a pacifier,
which someone must hold in his mouth.

Thanks!

Debbie

I seen this Doctor on Dr Phil... Dr Harvey Karp (an associate professor of
paediatrics at UCLA)

He had 5 things that can calm a baby...
Swaddling - wrapping them up in a blanket..
Laying them on their side or stomach - this always worked for my Eldest DD
Shushing them
Rocking/moving
And they need to suck - dummy/fingers/breast

For more information about Dr. Karp and his techniques for calming crying
babies, go to
www.thehappiestbaby.com

Kelly
Mummy to Emily nearly 3 and Isabella 17mths


  #6  
Old May 24th 04, 12:02 PM
dkc
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Posts: n/a
Default Unconsolable infant

Thank you! I see that my library has this book and also the video. I'll
check it out!

Debbie


For more information about Dr. Karp and his techniques for calming crying
babies, go to
www.thehappiestbaby.com

Kelly
Mummy to Emily nearly 3 and Isabella 17mths




  #7  
Old May 24th 04, 01:08 PM
Marty Billingsley
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Posts: n/a
Default Unconsolable infant

In article ,
dkc wrote:
Hi,

I have a newborn who is 11 days old. About 4:30pm every day, he begins a
very loud crying fit that usually continues for 4 or 5 hours. We've tried
everything to calm him (feeding, burping, changing, rocking, swaddling,
providing a calm environment, playing soft music, interacting, etc.), but
nothing seems to work during this fussy period. It seems too early for
colic (which normally starts during a baby's third week, as I understand).
BTW, not sure if this matters, but my baby is mainly fed breast milk with
some formula supplemented.

Does anyone have any suggestions for calming such a fussy infant? The only
thing that seems to work (which I *hate* doing) is giving baby a pacifier,
which someone must hold in his mouth.


Does rocking have a soothing effect at all on your son? I've read that
the Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing by Fisher-Price, which rocks the baby
side-to-side while semi-reclined, has been helpful for some babies with
colic.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=glance&s=toys

Also, one of my girls cried quite a lot, but not at any one time of
the day. Holding a pacifier in her mouth did wonders, and she didn't
become dependent on it at all; doesn't use one now. My other girl,
on the other hand, has always self-soothed by sucking her thumb; don't
know how I'm going to wean her from that. :-)

Best of luck. And sometimes, when the crying gets too much, you may have
to put him in a crib and go out of earshot for an hour. Really, it
won't kill him, and might save you.

- marty
(mom to Andie & Alex, 3-year-old-girls)
  #8  
Old May 24th 04, 03:38 PM
Patricia
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Posts: n/a
Default Unconsolable infant



Marty Billingsley wrote:
: In article ,
:thing that seems to work (which I *hate* doing) is giving baby a pacifier,
:which someone must hold in his mouth.

: Does rocking have a soothing effect at all on your son? I've read that
: the Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing by Fisher-Price, which rocks the baby
: side-to-side while semi-reclined, has been helpful for some babies with
: colic.
: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=glance&s=toys

: Also, one of my girls cried quite a lot, but not at any one time of
: the day. Holding a pacifier in her mouth did wonders, and she didn't
: become dependent on it at all; doesn't use one now. My other girl,
: on the other hand, has always self-soothed by sucking her thumb; don't
: know how I'm going to wean her from that. :-)

: Best of luck. And sometimes, when the crying gets too much, you may have
: to put him in a crib and go out of earshot for an hour. Really, it
: won't kill him, and might save you.


My baby sister would do this bit of unexaplinable crying, we didn't know what was wrong.
Only, when she did, not even the pacifier would help. The doctor suggested turning
on the vaccum cleaner or clothes dryer, apparently these sound like noises in the
womb or something. It worked most of the time. But if the baby calms down with
a pacifier take advantage of it, there is a finite amount of resources,
you want to explore them all before moving on to the next one, because
you might run out.

--
Patricia
Email:
  #9  
Old May 24th 04, 04:27 PM
Welches
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Posts: n/a
Default Unconsolable infant



I have a Baby Bjorn carrier that I need to learn how to use. Perhaps that
will help us.

That's exactly what I was going to suggest.
Debbie



  #10  
Old May 24th 04, 05:08 PM
Catherine Woodgold
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Posts: n/a
Default Unconsolable infant

"dkc" ) writes:
Hi,

I have a newborn who is 11 days old. About 4:30pm every day, he begins a
very loud crying fit that usually continues for 4 or 5 hours. We've tried
everything to calm him (feeding, burping, changing, rocking, swaddling,
providing a calm environment, playing soft music, interacting, etc.), but
nothing seems to work during this fussy period. It seems too early for
colic (which normally starts during a baby's third week, as I understand).
BTW, not sure if this matters, but my baby is mainly fed breast milk with
some formula supplemented.

Does anyone have any suggestions for calming such a fussy infant? The only
thing that seems to work (which I *hate* doing) is giving baby a pacifier,
which someone must hold in his mouth.

Thanks!

Debbie


Hi, Debbie! I know it's so hard to go through those times
with your baby! Hang in there!

I read that it's quite common for babies to be fussy in the
evening, and that nobody really knows why. It may be a combination
of tiredness, tummy ache, overstimulation and stuff like that.

I have a theory that it's mostly pains in the digestive system.
Babies usually eat more in the daytime than at night (I think?)
and their digestive system is overwhelmed by evening; maybe
stuff isn't moving along in their intestines as well as
it might.

I also read that a study showed that if parents were encouraged
to carry their babies around more, even when they're not crying,
then the babies cried less on average. One theory I have to
explain this is that carrying them around helps move things
along in their digestive system, so they don't get pains as
much.

With some babies, it helps to not give them cow's milk or
cow's milk based formulas, or for the breastfeeding mother to stop having
cow's milk products. Some babies are more sensitive than others;
some breastfeeding mothers find they have to avoid all
cow's milk, even tiny bits, while others can have small
amounts of milk and there is no problem.

You might want to try carrying baby around a lot, moving
baby through a variety of positions and/or gently massaging
baby's tummy -- perhaps now and then through the day, not
waiting for baby to start crying -- to help move things
along in the digestive system. Some adults go for a walk
each day because the motion helps their digestive system
move along; I think babies need the same thing (or more!)
but we have to do the moving for them.

It's good to develop a list of things that have sometimes
soothed your baby, and memorize it. The crying may be
from a combination of minor irritations like being too
hot or too cold, too much or too little stimulation,
having a slight tummy ache, etc. If you can solve some
of the irritations, that may be enough to allow baby to
relax. We used to run through our list, trying one
thing after another. Over time we found more things
to add to the list.

One trick is to turn on the washing machine or dryer
and put baby on it, tummy-down. This is soothing for
tummy aches. The vibration is soothing. It can also
help to have a small pillow under the baby's tummy,
or a hot-water-bottle (not too hot!).

In one of William Sears' books ("The Fussy Baby" I think
it was) he describes a massage for the tummy:
he called it the "I love you" massage. It's designed
to help the intestines move stuff along. First you
rub along the left side of the tummy, towards the
legs (the letter "I"); then you go along the
top of the tummy, from right to left (the letter
"L"), then you rub upwards along the right, and
continue with the rest of the "L" motion (the
letter "U").

Sometimes it's soothing for a baby to have a change
of scene: going outside or having a bath.

If baby has a bit of diaper rash, spending some time
with no diaper on, exposed to the air, can help.

Giving the baby a bottle or pacifier will tend to
make breastfeeding more difficult.
You may feel it's worth it anyway. Formula or pumped
milk can be given to a newborn with a cup, spoon or
eyedropper, which will not interfere with
breastfeeding the way artificial nipples (bottles or
pacifiers) do. Even a newborn can be
fed with a cup. However, it takes time and effort. You can
decide whether it's worth it.

You might want to consider switching the supplementation
to goat's milk. Someone I knew found that her baby was
much healthier on a combination of breastmilk and goat's
milk than on a combination of breastmilk and formula.
Goat's milk can't be used as baby's whole diet because
it's deficient in folic acid. Formula can contribute
to digestive problems. If it's based on cow's milk:
cow's milk contains substances that encourage the growth
of bacteria, and can promote diarhoea.

There's a method for gradually switching from bottlefeeding
to breastfeeding, involving using a nipple cover while you
breastfeed, and maybe a lactaid (tube) too, and gradually
cutting larger holes in the nipple cover over a number of
days as baby gradually gets used to the feel of the breast.

The problem with nipple confusion is usually that baby
instinctively wants to feel the nipple pressing against the
back of the mouth, in order to know that the positioning
is right, but the artificial nipples are much firmer so
when all the baby feels is the breast's nipple, it feels
so soft it doesn't seem to count, so baby doesn't know
it's time to suck. Baby needs to get used to interpreting
the feel of the soft breast's nipple as meaning something.

Some babies who are having problems with breastfeeding for
one reason or another will breastfeed when they are half-asleep.
It's tricky to find just the right stage of sleep and
introduce the breast with the minimum of disruption, but
sometimes it works. If baby has been sleeping and you
can catch baby when he has just started to move around or
cry a tiny bit, it might work then, for example -- perhaps
lying down next to baby rather than picking him up, to
disturb his sleep as little as possible while beginning
to nurse. Just a chance it might work.

Good luck! I hope things improve soon! Try to look
after yourself too!
--
Cathy
 




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