Any Suggestions for a 3 Day Old Who Cries All Night?

Hi A.,

I am so sorry to hear about this. Sleep deprivation is such a difficult thing to live through. When mine was that little he insisted on being swaddled. He didn't like it when his arms or legs would jerk around. Bath time was a challenge.

let me ask you, does he cry all day long too? if not, then I would say it's not the formula.

I would take him in to see the Ped and have him looked over just for good measure. You'll be doing that a lot in the coming years. may as well get some practice in. :-)

I hope this resolves soon. best of luck to you all.

A., assuming that your other post was a response to this question, it sounds like he just has his days and nights mixed up, which is totally normal. And crying during his waking hours, also totally normal. Is this your first baby? The first few days can be so overwhelming. Sleep when he sleeps so that you're not as sleep deprived, and trust that in a few days, he'll figure out that daytime is for waking. Try to get him on a schedule where you are feeding, changing, and having some play/awake time and nap time in the same order over a period of several hours. Try to have that play/awake time during the day be longer and more stimulating than it is at night. Keep the night awake time dark and quiet. Eventually his days and nights will reverse.

Also at 3 days old you've already introduced two different formulas? If breastfeeding is an option and he seems like he has a sensitive tummy, perhaps breast milk will be easier for him. Your milk should be coming in now so it's a great time to try if you can.

Also if you're already home, can you get an appointment with a visiting nurse? A nurse might be able to check him out and give you some tips on whether or not there is something to be concerned about or if he's just a typical newborn getting used to the world. It's a big adjustment for everyone, hang in there!

What do you do when he cries? Have you tried feeding him, changing him, rocking him, singing to him, putting him a bouncy seat or a swing, driving in the car?

Did your ped suggest changing formulas? If so, give him/her a call and let him/her know what your son is doing.

Remember that he isn't used to being outside the womb and will need some time. Swaddling, sushing, swinging ... all good things to try.

Hi A.,

Someone mentioned your other question, so I clicked on it. I also checked to see if you had other children (which would make switching your schedule around to stay up with a newborn a lot more problematic). I didn't want to suggest that until I looked at the rest of your family make-up and any other info you might have shared in prior posts.

You have some old questions about your grandchildren so I'm not clear of your family make-up and whether multiple people are using this account. Are you all in the same house? What kinds of help do you have available? Whoever is writing this post, is this your first baby? Are there other children? Just wondering what experience you already have, what you might have done in the past, and whether you have a trusted pediatrician with whom you can discuss formula changes and digestive distress.

Since the 2 posts today have so little info, can you edit your question to add some details that would help us help you?

he might just be colicky.
two questions in rapid succession about this indicate to me a new mom who is sleep-deprived and hormone-raddled.
where's the dad? can he give you a break?
khairete
S.

What did the Paediatrician say? I have two babies, they slept very peacefully and were easily soothed when breastfed, they also were less gassy. When I used artificial milk, I used formulas specifically for gassy kids with sleeping / digesting problems.......😀

Swing. Sway. Swaddle. Shush.

in the day have the baby in the sunlight and bright lights keep the house noisy and active. at night keep it dark, calm, quiet. these things should all help baby understand what is day and what is night.
my first was born thinking that 6 am was bedtime.. so a sleeping nightmare for the first 3 full weeks. i slept when he slept, but with sunlight streaming in the windows onto him. i would swaddle him and belt him into a bouncy seat, turn the vibrations on and he would nap.. so i used this and the swing to get him sleeping at night. after a while he figured out that night was for sleep and only woke to eat at night. he was getting more active in the day too.