constant crying

Hi, I have a two week old baby boy who cries (screams) anytime he is
not being held. He will only sleep in our arms. I have a two year old,
also, so carrying the baby around constantly is not possible. Should I
just let the newborn cry it out? I've tried just letting him cry but
he never falls asleep. He will cry forever if I let him. I've tried
all the calming techniques that I've read about but they don't work
for my newborn. What should I do? Should a 2 week old be left to cry?
Sometimes he cries in my arms, as well. I figure if he is going to cry
in my arms he can cry in his bed just as well. Is this cruel? With a
two year old and a baby I just can't hold him constantly. The pedi
says there is no medical problem, so how would you handle this? Do
all newborns cry this much?

Mel

Buy a copy of Dr. William Sears' _The Baby Book_ or if that's too expensive
(it would be for us right now) try _The Attachment Parenting Book_. Or go
to www.askdrsears.com. then search for help with constantly crying infant.

--
Krista Young
Devoted wife, loving mother

Melanie N wrote:

Hi, I have a two week old baby boy who cries (screams) anytime he is
not being held. He will only sleep in our arms. I have a two year old,
also, so carrying the baby around constantly is not possible. Should I
just let the newborn cry it out? I've tried just letting him cry but
he never falls asleep. He will cry forever if I let him. I've tried
all the calming techniques that I've read about but they don't work
for my newborn. What should I do? Should a 2 week old be left to cry?
Sometimes he cries in my arms, as well. I figure if he is going to cry
in my arms he can cry in his bed just as well. Is this cruel? With a
two year old and a baby I just can't hold him constantly. The pedi
says there is no medical problem, so how would you handle this? Do
all newborns cry this much?

Mel

Just a suggestion if those 2 books that were recommanded are too expensive
then go and see if you can find them at a library.

Jennifer
Ariana 8/17/03

"Krista" wrote in message
m...
Buy a copy of Dr. William Sears' _The Baby Book_ or if that's too
expensive
(it would be for us right now) try _The Attachment Parenting Book_. Or go
to www.askdrsears.com. then search for help with constantly crying infant.

--
Krista Young
Devoted wife, loving mother

Melanie N wrote:

Hi, I have a two week old baby boy who cries (screams) anytime he is
not being held. He will only sleep in our arms. I have a two year old,
also, so carrying the baby around constantly is not possible. Should I
just let the newborn cry it out? I've tried just letting him cry but
he never falls asleep. He will cry forever if I let him. I've tried
all the calming techniques that I've read about but they don't work
for my newborn. What should I do? Should a 2 week old be left to cry?
Sometimes he cries in my arms, as well. I figure if he is going to cry
in my arms he can cry in his bed just as well. Is this cruel? With a
two year old and a baby I just can't hold him constantly. The pedi
says there is no medical problem, so how would you handle this? Do
all newborns cry this much?

Mel

Could you put him in his bed and let him cry, but stay near him, talking to
him, singing to him, or playing a mobile or radio with soft music or
classical music ....??? Music may soothe him or make him cry more.
He won't cry forever..... he will cry for a while, it will seem like
forever... but he needs to find something that soothes him. I wouldn't let
him cry for to long, 5 minutes at this time with his age would be long
enough, I don't beleive in letting a baby cry but you have to do something
to get him to settle down, if you have another child and to keep you from
going crazy.
If he cries in your arms and in the bed, there is something that he doesn't
feel is right, .. are you keeping him to warm or to not warm enough...???
Have you checked for a diaper rash, check everything.

Good luck
Karen


"Melanie N" wrote in message
...
Hi, I have a two week old baby boy who cries (screams) anytime he is
not being held. He will only sleep in our arms. I have a two year old,
also, so carrying the baby around constantly is not possible. Should I
just let the newborn cry it out? I've tried just letting him cry but
he never falls asleep. He will cry forever if I let him. I've tried
all the calming techniques that I've read about but they don't work
for my newborn. What should I do? Should a 2 week old be left to cry?
Sometimes he cries in my arms, as well. I figure if he is going to cry
in my arms he can cry in his bed just as well. Is this cruel? With a
two year old and a baby I just can't hold him constantly. The pedi
says there is no medical problem, so how would you handle this? Do
all newborns cry this much?

Mel

Have you tried wearing him in a sling? Many people with high needs babies
swear by slings, although MY high needs baby hated it and much prefered a
front carrier like a baby bjorn.

Marjorie

animzmirot wrote:
Have you tried wearing him in a sling? Many people with high needs babies
swear by slings, although MY high needs baby hated it and much prefered a
front carrier like a baby bjorn.

Marjorie



This was going to be my suggestion, along with - have you tried
swaddling him tightly? That helps some babies.

Clisby

Absolutely have no advice for you but just wanted to let you know that you
aren't alone! DS is just over 3 weeks old and is just the same.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/April0...guid=184008739

Buy a sling and carry your newborn around so that way you have your hands
free to do other things. If you need sling recommendations, let us know. I
personally thought the sling was a godsend. )
--
Sue (mom to three girls)
I'm Just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll World...

Melanie N wrote in message
...
Hi, I have a two week old baby boy who cries (screams) anytime he is
not being held. He will only sleep in our arms. I have a two year old,
also, so carrying the baby around constantly is not possible. Should I
just let the newborn cry it out? I've tried just letting him cry but
he never falls asleep. He will cry forever if I let him. I've tried
all the calming techniques that I've read about but they don't work
for my newborn. What should I do? Should a 2 week old be left to cry?
Sometimes he cries in my arms, as well. I figure if he is going to cry
in my arms he can cry in his bed just as well. Is this cruel? With a
two year old and a baby I just can't hold him constantly. The pedi
says there is no medical problem, so how would you handle this? Do
all newborns cry this much?

Mel

In article ,
Melanie N wrote:

Hi, I have a two week old baby boy who cries (screams) anytime he is
not being held. He will only sleep in our arms. [...]
Should a 2 week old be left to cry?
Sometimes he cries in my arms, as well. I figure if he is going to cry
in my arms he can cry in his bed just as well. Is this cruel? With a
two year old and a baby I just can't hold him constantly. The pedi
says there is no medical problem, so how would you handle this? Do
all newborns cry this much?

No, a 2 week old should not be left to cry. Proponents of "controlled crying"
techniques say you should only use them after the child is 6 months old.

There are many reasons that babies cry. Newborns have just arrived from a
world where things were always the same -- same amount of light, same
temperature, etc -- and they have to adjust to life in the outside world.
Often, a change to the current state will send them into a tizz. If your baby
howls when his nappy is changed/he's bathed/fed/picked up/jiggled, it's normal
and he'll outgrow it. Try talking to him a lot during these times: "Oh,
isn't it terrible to have your nappy changed! Here I am taking off your
clothes! How dreadful! And your dirty nappy! It's terrible! Phew, it
really IS terrible!" etc. Be ironic, comforting, whatever you need to get
through it. Sing to your baby, and see what he does.

Some people overdress their babies, which makes them grizzly (and more prone
to SIDS). The old rule was to dress the child in the same number of layers
you are wearing, plus one. It's not a bad rule, except if it's hot -- babies
in Sydney wear just a nappy during heatwaves. On the other hand, through fear
of SIDS, some people underdress their babies. Determine whether the baby is
hot or cold by putting your hand down his back -- don't rely on his feet.

I am sure you would check his nappy if he cried, but consider the top end --
could he be hungry? How often is he feeding? A bad latch -- apart from
hurting you -- can mean that he's not getting enough milk because his sucking
isn't effective.

Sometimes babies get overstimulated, and can't unwind and go to sleep.
Consider this if you have doting relatives on hand who keep picking him up and
bouncing him.

Despite your ped saying there is no problem, reflux (baby heartburn) is still
a possibility. There is a type of reflux called "silent reflux" which is hard
to diagnose. If your baby seems to do better in upright positions, I would
suspect reflux. Apart from medical treatments, you can use a front carrier to
keep the baby upright, elevate the head of his cot, and generally make sure he
never lies totally flat.

Then there is stress. If there has just been a death in the family, or
marital problems, or something like that, your baby will pick up on it.

Now how about YOU? Babies that cry and don't sleep can trigger post-natal
depression. If you feel like you can't laugh at things any more, or feel
overwhelmed, head for your doctor. The earlier you pick it up, the better.

HTH,

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet

Melanie N wrote in message . ..
Hi, I have a two week old baby boy who cries (screams) anytime he is
not being held. He will only sleep in our arms. I have a two year old,
also, so carrying the baby around constantly is not possible. Should I
just let the newborn cry it out? I've tried just letting him cry but
he never falls asleep. He will cry forever if I let him. I've tried
all the calming techniques that I've read about but they don't work
for my newborn. What should I do? Should a 2 week old be left to cry?
Sometimes he cries in my arms, as well. I figure if he is going to cry
in my arms he can cry in his bed just as well. Is this cruel? With a
two year old and a baby I just can't hold him constantly. The pedi
says there is no medical problem, so how would you handle this? Do
all newborns cry this much?

Mel

This may sound a little wierd, but did you have a difficult delivery?
Have you tried to take him to the chiropractor? My first child at 1
week was the same way-I took her in(i had a difficult delivery-she was
all twisted around and had to do some serious acrobatics to get out).
She stopped crying after that. It sounds a little barbaric, but all
that happened was I laid her down on my lap, and the doc barely even
touched her, but that was all it took to put her back in order. Just
an idea, if the thought doesn't make you cringe.
Deanna