Crying ALL DAY.....

Gavin is 4 weeks old and yesterday and today all he wants is to be held otherwise he just cries.....

Am I a bad mommy to let him CIO? He usually cries for about 10 minutes and then falls asleep.....awake again 15 minutes later.....

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

awww is he colic?

Message edited 12/5/2007 10:20:47 AM.

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

sounds like Colic.

I think he is too young for CIO.

I had a very colicky DD here are my suggestions:

Swing
white noise machine
car rides
sleeping the infant carrier



For you: I suggest a bottle of wine.

Good thing about colic is they outgrow it. Hang in there.

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I'm not sure it's colic......it's not constant......isn't colic constant crying that cannot be soothed at all?

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DD had a fit the other day, I think it was gas, but when I turned on the kitchen fan-bingo! She quieted down and eventually fell asleep! Also, the vaccuum has worked too.

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I think colic can present differently in all babies. I thought I'd make suggestions on how to soothe your little one.

Good luck.

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aww Have you mentioned this to the doc?

Just something to think about...Both my girls, especially my youngest cried all the time when i put them down. The only way to soothe them was to hold them.
Both my girls have/had acid reflux and when i put them down their acid was backing up and hurting them.
My youngest along with acid reflux also has a protein allergy.
Once we figured it out, the cries turned into smiles. Both were diagnosed around 3-4 weeks old with reflux and the allergy.

IMO 4 weeks is wayyy too young for CIO, crying at that age is baby's way of telling you something hurts or they need something.

Hang in there and you are NOT A BAD MOMMY

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

Posted by sweetness


aww Have you mentioned this to the doc?

Just something to think about...Both my girls, especially my youngest cried all the time when i put them down. The only way to soothe them was to hold them.
Both my girls have/had acid reflux and when i put them down their acid was backing up and hurting them.
My youngest along with acid reflux also has a protein allergy.
Once we figured it out, the cries turned into smiles. Both were diagnosed around 3-4 weeks old with reflux and the allergy.

IMO 4 weeks is wayyy too young for CIO, crying at that age is baby's way of telling you something hurts or they need something.

Hang in there and you are NOT A BAD MOMMY

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I think 4 weeks old is too young for CIO. Is she having regular BMs and wetting her diapers?

Are you FF or BFing? Maybe try feeding her a little more. It could be her body is demanding more food b/c she's going through a growth spurt.

If you think something is wrong (colic, gas, allergy, etc), I would see the ped. I don't have experience with colic or allergy but I did have a few fussy periods like you are having with DD and she outgrew it in a couple days. In the meantime, I tended to her every need.

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CIO is not the best approach at this point -- he is too young to self soothe. Of course if you are at the end of your rope and are about to lose it, then yes, put him down in a crib and take a deep breathe.

Do you own a carrier yet? It may help you through this time.

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

We have an appointment tomorrow, I will tell them then. He definitely has a big gas problem and a bit of reflux (thanks to our ER visit we found out), but not enough to warrant actually doing anything but Maalox........

Michelle, what did you do for the reflux?

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

I think he's too young to CIO. For the first 6 mos, you're establishing trust with them and crying is the only way they let you know they need you, something is wrong, etc. It could be colic but it could also be gas. DS was like that in the beginning as well (crying for no apparent reason). If you are concerned, call your doctor. It will be okay!

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Hey! One day he will be a big smelly wriggly toddler and you will wish you would have held him more!!! Hold that kid! He wants to feel safe!

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Do you own a carrier yet? It may help you through this time.



I'll have to try it, he falls asleep in my arms and when I put him in the papasan, he wakes and cries.......

I'm thinking a growth spurt.....I'll see what happens tomorrow before our appointment...

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

Message edited 12/5/2007 10:40:27 AM.

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

I bought my friend a Mai Tai carrier, its fab, you can hold him really close to you and get on with doing things.

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

Aw!! I've been there. Many of us have. My oldest was "colicky" - the term you use when it's not officially colic. He would cry and cry and cry...good lord! What a shock as a first time Mom. It did pass though and he was the happiest baby. It's so hard when they are newborns - your hormones, the baby being so small and everything being so foreign to him, the sleep deprivation - need I go on? I agree that he is too young for CIO. However, if you ever feel ready to lose it, it's always better to put him in the crib and let him cry for a bit and get yourself together than to feel like you can't put him down for a minute, KWIM? Not even saying losing it in a drastic way just sometimes it feels way too overwhelming. Def been there.

I also agree about mentioning it to your pediatrician. Acid reflux is common, sometimes certain formulas can disagree with them, sometimes something a BF Mom eats can disagree with them. It can't hurt to mention it. Sometimes newborns cry just to cry, they need the emotional release.

Hope you get some relief, I really do feel for you, it's not easy with a young baby.

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First of all never ever call yourself a Bad Mommy! You are doing the best you can.

I've been there too. In the beginning DS cried a lot. I would say it lasted like 3 or 4 weeks. I thought he was colicky at first because he would cry for 2 or 3 hours every night and it would always start around the same time. So I thought he was colic. Then after he turned like 5 weeks it stopped. I think the problem was gas. And I think that based on what you described about your DS that it may be the same thing...

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

he is too young for CIO at that age...I know it stinks but you just need to comfort him on demand...hang in there

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Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

those first few weeks are so rough. hang in there....this too shall pass!

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sounds like Colic....the one thing that soothes Christopher was the vacuum cleaner.
Maybe it is reflux, or a milk allergy.
Also the swing worked WONDERS...the motion back and forth.

My 4 months he is was completely different child.

Message edited 12/5/2007 1:16:48 PM.

Re: Crying ALL DAY.....

The Baby Bjorn was my savior at that point. Luca would also cry like a maniac whenever he was put down, so I had him in my arms at all times for atleast the first 2 months. It does get better and you'll be able to put them down for longer and longer. I was so afraid that I was going to start bad habits, but holding him was the only way I could keep him quiet. And let me tell you, there were no habits formed and my 1 year old is extremely independent. He still doesn't like to be alone, but he can play by himself and he completely puts himself to sleep and has been since about 4-5 months.

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I let my DS cry/moan/grunt for a few mins when I put him down for a nap. The thing is, I know he is tired and that he just fights the sleep...b/c then he'll sleep for a long time most of the time. If he wakes up soon after like yours does I walk in so he doesn't see me and put the binky in his mouth from behind him...and he falls right back to sleep w/the binky. Sometimes I have to do this 2 or 3 times before he is down for his real nap. So maybe you can try that?

Babies cry...they cry when their tired...I would be doing they same thing as you, letting him CIO for a bit. Mentally, its just too hard to soothe him all day long. I know, its sooo tiring.

Message edited 12/5/2007 1:13:52 PM.