Unhappy Baby - Houston,TX

A.-
Maybe he is gasey. It could be what you are eating. I would not have any caffiene, onions, tomatoes, brocolli(sp),chocolate,cabbage,strawaberries, or spicey foods. I would try that first. Hopefully he doesn't have any allergies. Good luck.

Mel G

It could be that he is allergic to something you are eating. But I do not know how to solve that problem. Colic tends to be at one specific time of the day, usually early evening.

Good Luck!

Check with your doc first (or maybe the nurse line) but I remember being able to give my daughter gas drops. Mylicon I think is the name. She was very cranky and it turned out she just had gas. I think it says you can give infants these, but I still always check. Good luck.

A.,

I'm sorry you're having such a tough time. Has he had his 1 month appointment yet? If not, I would definitely mention it to his pediatrician. If so, it might be worth a phone call to try to get to the bottom of things. Here are just a few things I can think of off the top of my head:

Overtired (do you get him to sleep before he gets too worked up?)
Gas - Mylicon drops or gripe water may help with this, although I never seemed to have much luck with it
Reflux - My son had this and would scream and arch his back for 30 minutes following each feeding
Allergy or sensitivity to something you're eating - you may try removing dairy from your diet for a week or two to see if maybe he has a reaction to the dairy in your diet. You may have to keep a food log to see what it might be in your diet that's bothering him (spicy food perhaps?).

These are just a couple of things that I can think of that might be an issue. Just some suggestions to work through with the pediatrician. Good luck. It's no fun having a crabby baby. I hope he feels better soon.

read the book " the baby whisperer solves all your problems" I love this book. She describes different baby personalities and how to best approach them. It really helped me understand my daughter a lot better, she was a tough one. Hope this helps:)

Sounds like it could be a reflux issue. Have you mentioned it to the Pedi?

yes, it is normal, he is only 4 mos. old, and I don`t mean to be fecitious, but babies are not always born with a smile on their faces, it takes a little while for the smile to come in . My grandaughter didn`t start smiling until she was almost 2-3 months old, so have patience, we had to do alot of cooing as well.

H.

My baby girl seemed the same as you're describing. She was a slow nurser and then wanted to be held between feedings. Seemed like she was never really content. We started supplementing formula after she would nurse for 20 min. on each side. The formula seemed to top her off and she was a much happier baby.

I also have a friend with a boy who is 2 mos. younger than my girl. He was her most difficult baby (# 4 for her). She just recently switched from breast only to formula only (& table food) and he's a much happier baby.

I don't know much about colicy babies. Maybe it's colic and not your milk. I definitely don't want to discourage you about your milk. Of course checking with your doctor will probably help. Remember too...you're mommy and you'll know what to do and what is best for your little guy.

Good luck.

I could have written this myself except that I was 23 years old when this happened with our second son. Our first son was always contented it seemed but our second was jumpy, squirming, crying, etc. People said it was colic. Evenings from six to seven or so were the worst. I was advised to watch my own diet to be sure I wasn't eating or drinking things that might cause his tummy to hurt. While we were still trying to figure it out, he settled down. Even so, he was still an uptight child almost until he got to high school. He was always very empathetic toward other people. He wouldn't fish because he "felt the pain" of the fish for example. He is still very kind, very caring. He is the one of our three children who call us most often just to say hello and see how we are doing. He is grown now, mellow, healthy, and a great husband to his wife and a great dad to three fine sons. I hope you find this helpful so that if medical problems have been ruled out, you will believe that your baby will outgrow this difficult time Each of our three were different and still are. We wouldn't change a thing.

My third daughter was similar to your son. I was at my wit's end--she just cried all the time, and my other two were never that way. Finally I eliminated dairy from my diet and I'm not kidding you, in two days she was a NEW CHILD. Happy and smiling. Turns out she has a milk allergy which she is now outgrowing (she will be 5 in September), but when she was an infant it was pretty bad. Just FYI--might not hurt to try elimating various potential allergens from your diet for a few days at a time to see if it makes a diff. Good luck!

It took me about 3 weeks to make my son happy. Ever child is different. Some want more attention some want to just lay next to you and look at you. I learned that my son loves to suck. It made him happy. After many different pacifiers I found one he liked and it made him happy (and me).

If you son is sleeping 3-4 hours then it probably isn't your milk. Diapers tell if your milk is an issue -- look at the color, consistency. If he has diarrhea then it could be your milk.

I don't think I will ever forget the first 3 weeks of my son being home with me. I thought it was me but I kept pushing on and with support we got over the hump and now he is a happy 1 year old.

Does he arch his back alot ..it could be a bad case of acid reflux if he does this>>>the sucking on a pacifier will make him fell better and I would talk to his dr. please it is not you he just has some discomfort and do not start worrying about your milk cause it is not that either. All my children had reflux and colic and I ask their pedi about my milk and diet and he said it was not that

"Is this colic? Could it be my milk? What am I doing wrong?"
Hi A.,
It could be colic, could be something in your milk that is giving him a tummy ache, but to the what am I doing wrong part? I suspect, since you are on here asking that the answer to that one is "nothing"! I have to first say that sometimes babies are just not happy or content. At four weeks there are so many possibilities that I would first suggest you think about anything that could have changed recently. Are you eating something new, perhaps a craving recently that has made you eat more of some particular food or drink? Have you added formula to the baby's diet? Giving him milk in a bottle? Make sure he's burping well? Has the nipple changed on the bottle you are using? Compile whatever you find in your investigation and then make make an appointment and talk with your pediatrician about your concerns.
In the meantime there are certainly things you can try. You might try "wearing" your baby in a sling or front pack. There are ways to hold the baby to help if he might have colic too, they are a bit hard to describe on here but I'm sure you could get online and see a picture. Also, a postpartum doula could show you baby holds that might help you.
I wish you the very best.

W.
www.bundleofjoypostpartum.com

have you tried pumping to see how much you are producing. usually that cranky all the time means they are hungery. if you find he is getting enough ask the doctor next time you go. when everything was fine and we had no idea what was wrong with our son we played this viedo which today he still loves....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O0k7e5ApFU&feature=re...

if you loose the link just youtube.com search "hippo song"

My second child was so unhappy that his nickname is Happy. He was rarely happy as you described yours. He grew out of it (for the most part). It took 3-4 months though. Most people called it colic. I don't know. I do know he was just unhappy. Most people told me he would stop around 3-4 months, but I had also started switching him over to formula for my own emotional health at that time. Coincidence?

It sounds like your baby has some colic. My sister's first baby cried almost none stop until she was almost 3 months old. (I'm not exageratting either). What finally got my niece to stop crying was my sister found out what was causing the colic. It turned out that anytime my sister ate milk products (butter, milk, cheese..) and nursed her that my niece would cry for a couple of days afterward. When she had eliminted all milk it was like she had a different daughter. So happy and pleasant. For me it was chocolate with both of my boys seemed to give them colic. The good news is they do outgrow it around 3 - 4 months.

Maybe you should look at what you are eating and try to eliminate the things that most often cause colic in breastfeed babies and see if that helps. Things that can are milk, chocolate, caffeine, spicy food...

Hi A.,

I have a 5 week old son and he was having some similar problems. Have you talked with your pediatrician?

It could be a gastrointestinal thing. Do you eat a lot of dairy? Sometimes babies don't respond well to that. You could try cutting out dairy for a few days to see what happens. Does he burp well? I tried Mylicon gas drops and it didn't help us too much but it could help you.

Another possibility is reflux. Does he spit up? Even if not, it still could be reflux. Our son is on Zantac and I think it has helped him. He sleeps primarily in his swing and he does much better in that than in the co-sleeper we have. We also keep him swaddled the majority of the time, not just when he fusses.

I also came to realize that our little guy was getting overtired. I would get him in a sleeping position as soon as I saw him yawn once, and often even before that. he would wake up, feed, change diaper, maybe have a little awake time if he looked up for that, burp, and then get ready to go back down. He would get easily overstimulated and I needed to prep him for sleep before he got pushed over the edge, if you know what I mean.

Hope that helps!

Hi, you're not doing anything wrong. It's just the way it is. But it can be fixed.

My son was very colicky. We visited our GP, he had no idea and recommended gripe water. It did nothing. We tried homeopathy, no luck there. By accident (for another ailment on the advice of our midwife) we took him to a cranial osteopath. The colic and projectile vomiting was gone in 3 weeks.

Try a cranial osteopath. It works. It's very gentle treatment, non invasive manipulation via nerve endings. It's perfect for babies, and it really works!

Hi A.. My son Johnny was JUST LIKE THAT!!! Please see a doctor who has experience in acid reflux and milk protein allergies as soon as possible. With the right formula and meds, it all ending in about 2 weeks! He couldn't digest milk for the first 9 months so I would try removing that from your diet. Sometimes their digestive track is immature when first born and they can't break down the protien bonds and it causes heartburn. They out grow it, but in the meantime - there is a solution. Don't let anyone let you different. Colic is a description of symptoms NOT a diagnosis given by doctors who have no experience with GERD or milk allergies and don't know how to treat it. IT IS TREATABLE!!!! TRUST ME!

Hi A., there are definitely a lot of good suggestions here. I will say that both of my little ones were very intense as tiny babies. I'd always heard that little, little ones were easy. Well both of my kids were NEVER easy. A lot of what you describe sound like my kids. There wasn't anything wrong with them, they just needed more attention, more holding, more entertaining, be the center of my world. It was definitely exhausting! But thing eventually got better around 3-4 months. You know if something is wrong, get your doctor's opinion. But in my case, they were just needy babies. Oh, and I was/am breastfeeding, and I stopped dairy, caffeine, etc. with no change in behavior. Again, this was my case. Good luck!

It quite possibly could be your milk. Definately cut out dairy, that is a usual culprit. If it continues talk with a lactation consultant they are soooo wonderful. Does he like to be in a sling?

T.

Hi A....its so hard to figure it out, right?

If your little guy is sleeping 3-4 hours at a time I would say that is a great start. I had a baby that liked to be held. She didn't care if I was paying attention or doing anything special...she just liked to be held (though she was fine if I laid her down to nap). I used a pocket sling and Moby Wrap while she was small. Now we use a buckle-type Mei Tai backpack carrier and if she needs to feel close she tells me, "pack-pack mama". With another child in the house, your little one may be experiencing some over-stimulation.

I also decided to cut out dairy and that also made a HUGE difference. You have to eliminate it for at least TWO weeks--it takes that long for the protein to clear your system. Most babies ARE NOT lactose intolerant (that is already in your milk, dairy or not)--it is a sensitivity to a dairy protein. After about 4 months I started adding it in moderation and we've never had any additional problems--she nursed for 18 months.

Pumping can give you an INDICATION of how much milk you have but shouldn't be your only criteria. Some women have plenty of milk but can't pump a drop.

Your fist one probably wasn't that fussy...consider yourself lucky that you had it "easy" the first time!

Yes, it could be colic but could very well be what you are eating causing a problem. I had this with my 3 month old daughter till I found out what not to eat! I spoke with my lactation nurse and she told me to stay away from gassy foods. The list is beans, apples, onions (can be onion power too!!), garlic, peanuts and peanut butter and dairy! At 3 months gassyness shold go away or subside once their tummy is tough. At 3 months she told me I could start introducing one of these at a time and see what happens. Also, my daughter doesn't like formula that was milk based and I didn't try soy. I really wanted to make this breastfed thing work! This month I get to slowly start adding foods back! Yea! Hope that helps!! Best of luck to you!

If he starts this not long after eating he may not be getting enough. Have you measured the amouth by expressing into a bottle. If you are not getting enough drink more water and juice several times a day this will increase the output of milk. good luck

Hi A.~
I had an unhappy baby too. I was breastfeeding and thought the same thing about my milk. So I changed my diet, no dairy products, no caffeine etc. That seemed to help a little but not entirely. Finally at 2 months his pedi said he had reflux. She put him on zantac and reglan. DO NOT GIVE YOUR BABY REGLAN! if your doc prescribes it ask for something different. After 2 days of taking it he began to do this twitching thing. especially when he would fall asleep, it would wake him up. We even videotaped him doing this. I instinctively knew to stop giving him the medications and within days it stopped. That was almost 4 years ago, and now they have discovered that reglan can cause neuro sensory problems, such as involuntary movements..ha I knew it!! Anyway - I felt I just had to tell you that, and that it will all be o.k. This is all new to you and just take it day by day. If your baby does hv reflux, you could try adjusting his sleep position. my son slept either in his carseat or on top of me in an upright position for months. now he is an extremely happy 3 1/2 yr old non stop little man!!! God bless!!

H A. -
So sorry to hear about your unhappy baby - I know how hard it can be. Ask you DR about reflux. My 2yo had silent reflux - just cried a lot but slept ok. I was against medicine, especially since she didn't do the typical reflux stuff. Dr convinced me to try it and it worked! In a few days we were down to "normal" crying. When my second one came along (12 weeks) we knew at 4 weeks she had the same problem. Hers was more typical with spitting up and such but the crying was the same. Both were breast fed.

When I did my research I saw nothing that kept me from trying the meds - no bad side effects and such. Thought I'd go ahead and take the chance to see if it worked - worst case it wouldn't and I'd be back looking for another solution. Best case was it did.

Good luck with it.
E.
PS - We started on Zantac but went to Prilosec which worked best for both of them.

I am sorry you are stressed about your baby. Having a new baby in the house is challenging enough without worrying about his well-being. I can tell you that 4 week old babies do not experience emotions as we do such as happiness. He is probably having a difficult time transitioning from the womb and having many moments of discomfort. Swaddling, rocking, shushing and holding are the best things you can do for him right now. A great book on this is called "The Happiest Baby on the Block" written by a pediatrician. It explains why babies respond as they do, and recommends doing just what you are doing. By 3 months, he should be doing fine.

Good luck.