Hi there. I just cannot seem to figure out what is wrong with my LO. She just doesn't ever seem to be comfortable. Though I do not expect a 4.5 mos old to sleep through the night, I do expect her to sleep some of the night!
She is up 2-5 times a night, cannot be put down during the day for more than 2 minutes at a time, is not a big crier, but is constantly, constantly and I mean constantly fussing.
I have brought her to the pediatrician several times over it. No ear infection, no fever, no reflux, and otherwise checks out perfectly fine.
Yes, I am utterly exhausted, but I am more worried. I do not know what to do.
She is especially fussywhen she eats - whether from the boob or from a bottle (always breastmilk). She bobs on and off on and off, scratches her head, wriggles all around. She also constantly wriggles when she sleeps.
Any thoughts?
Do you have a swing? Some babies just have a high level of need and often a swing and stuff to look at is good for them.
I know you were told she doesn't have reflux, but my hunch would be that she could have silent reflux. My babies had reflux problems, but my DD was fussy like that and never really spit up. For that reason, it took a little longer for her to be diagnosed with "silent" reflux, but once she started taking her acid medications, she was like a different baby!
Here's a little info on silent reflux:
http://www.pollywogbaby.com/refluxandcolic/silent-reflux-...
Hang in there- I know what it's like!
I am no expert but I am currently breastfeeding my very fussy second baby. Have you tried altering your diet? Dairy, soy and chocolate can make babies very fussy. I brought dd to the pedi to rule out reflux, ear infection, ect. It was recommended to alter my diet. After giving up dairy dd's fussiness greatly improved. This shocked me as my first was fine with whatever I ate. I recently tried to reintroduce dairy and dd went right back to the constant fussiness/screaming baby she was when she was born.
Have you tried babywearing? That may help too. You can keep baby right on your chest while your arms are free.
Do you ever keep her in an activity table, jumper or other upright position like a chair. I just saw a very fussy 6 month old girl in my office who was extremely fussy and had some odd repetitive head movements. I checked her out developmentally and she still could not crawl on her stomach. My advice to her parents was to make her default position to be on her stomach on the floor. Within a week the repetitive head behavior had stopped and her fussiness had cut back significantly. Now we are working with her digestion using probiotics and enzymes to see if that will further reduce her fussy behavior.
I believe it would be best to stay away from medications for reflux because they impact how well children are able to digest food. It would be better to figure out what in your/her diet she is sensitive to and remove it. I would start with all bovine sources of dairy.
In health,
S. L. G., Jr.
Exec. Director
Active Healing, Inc.
www.activehealing.org
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Active-Healing-Inc/84065...
____@____.com
All of this sounds very normal.. Also wriggling at night is part of her growing process. Have you ever put her down fo a nap and when you come back she looks completely different or has grown and stretched out a bit? That is how fast she is growing.
Do you swaddle her? That can also help her sleep. Place her head up against the corner of her cradle or crib up against the bumper, some infants like that pressure. It reminds them of the womb. Also if she is in a crib, roll up a towel and divide the crib so it does not look like such a huge open space. Lay her on one side side to side, not length wise.
I agree about the swing, also our daughter loved being in her carrier. She seemed to like being up slightly ..
When you feed her during the day, try to speak in quiet tones, or play some music. Burp her through out the feeding. Not just once but maybe 3 or 4 times.. Start the pats at her lower back and work your way up..
Watch what you are eating and drinking. Maybe keep a food log and see if there is any pattern to what seems to keep her awake or make her fussiest.
At night, feed her in total darkness and do not speak with her. This will encourage going back to sleep.
The other thing we discovered is that the diaper changing experience, went a 100% better once we purchased a Wipe warmer. The cold wipes on her tush, sent our daughter into a crying fit. With the warm wipes, many times, she slept through the changing right after her feeding.
Hang in there. I know exactly how you feel. I do not do well without sleep..
If you need help, this is the time to call all of those people that said they would love to help. Invite them over to watch the baby while you take a nap and a shower. .
