HELP! My newborn has me stressed and stumped!

[SugarBunsWool&More]

OH, are you still swaddeling her tightly when you put her down? That made a big difference with my son.
Have you tried a warm bath? My son konks out after his bath and its nice to bond and nurse in the bath. No one cares if you get messy and leak like crazy everywhere.
I'm just trying to brainstorm for you.

[annes_cottage]

Originally Posted by serena22304 I couldnt eat or drink any dairy right in the beginning with both of my kids. They were just like what you are going through

I was just thinking maybe she is sensitive to the dairy too. Or maybe peanut butter?

[Lisa-Rachelle]

Thank you all so much for the suggestions, and for reaffirming my feelings about not letting her just cry herself to sleep.
I had never considered reflux as a possibility. I will definately read up about it tonight and share the info with my husband.
I did some reading on colic, and while she has SOME of the symptoms, she doesn't have all of them. I think reading that "colicky babies tend to have a lot of wind" raised the biggest flag for me. Emma farts constantly while she is sleeping.
She seems happiest when she sleeps on her tummy, but I almost feel like a bad mother putting her on her belly due to the abundance of SIDS literature imposed on me during my pregnancy as post-partum days. When she is on her back she just kicks and waves about wildly.

I try to swaddle her, but she is a little Houdini! No matter how I do it or how snuggly, she manages to wriggle free in a matter of moments. She also gets angry when she cant move her arms and legs. Perhaps I should have been swaddling her from the first day.

I probably sound like a really aweful mum to all of you. I think the lack of sleep is getting to me...that, coupled with the feelings of "why can't I soothe my baby? Whats wrong with me?" are just weighing on me. I just want so badly to help her feel well and content, and when she cries I feel like I should be doing more or am just not taking her cues well enough.

[annes_cottage]

Originally Posted by RileysMama OH, are you still swaddeling her tightly when you put her down? That made a big difference with my son. Have you tried a warm bath? My son konks out after his bath and its nice to bond and nurse in the bath. No one cares if you get messy and leak like crazy everywhere. I'm just trying to brainstorm for you.

Aweeee......I cant wait till February!!

Good ideas mama!!!

[emmiebaur]

My daughter did the same sort of thing until she got the reflux diagnosis. Definitely check it out, feel free to PM me if you have any q's!

[Christianna]

Try taking her to the chiropractor. That may help.

[littleways]

One other thing I might suggest is wearing your baby to help give your arms a rest - maybe try using a carrier or sling. It does sound like your little one is in pain - I had to cut dairy out of my diet because it caused my dd terrible pain and gas and she wouldn't sleep well. Good luck! CIO is totally wrong - you are completely right about that!

[jeniperlyn]

Originally Posted by tennesseemom I probably sound like a really aweful mum to all of you. I think the lack of sleep is getting to me...that, coupled with the feelings of "why can't I soothe my baby? Whats wrong with me?" are just weighing on me. I just want so badly to help her feel well and content, and when she cries I feel like I should be doing more or am just not taking her cues well enough.

NO! You don't sound like an awful mom! Your just a new mommy and it can be
VERY overwhelming in the begining. We have ALL been there, i was just there a little over 4 months ago and it does get better. After about 2 weeks of having my DS home and the lack of sleep, one morning i just couldn't take it so i put the covers over my head and let my son wake up his daddy. My BF called my mom and she came and took care of DS for a few hours while i slept(he will take a bottle). I also learned soon after that, co-sleeping saved my life and my sanity when it came to sleep when DS wakes up i just pop a boob in his mouth and within minutes we are both back asleep! Hopefully your DD tummy starts to feel better soon and you get some sleep, let daddy take care of her for a few hours.

[Timetodance]

Just so you know this is not unusual. Just when you think you have it worked out dd will change!

I think reflux sounds accurate, she could have a food allergy, and it sounds too early for colic. I give everyone I know who is pregnant a copy of "Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child" by Weissbluth. That book was a Godsend when we had sleep issues.

Get yourself a wrap! Somthing easy like the Moby wrap is a good way to start. My dd also only wanted to be held up straight (dairy allergy, who knew ) I WISH someone had told me about wraps at the time.

I guess that is what your 2nd children are for.....

Good for you for asking for advice.

[suziraye]

Me again! I had people suggest reflux but I didnt want to have to give her medication. By the time I took her to the Dr , she had almost damaged her asophogus. not serious but it took about a week for it to calm down. It was awful, she just cried and cried. I eventually had to stop BF and start a special formula. Then it was me crying and crying. I hated to do it but it made her a different baby. She stopped crying the next day!