Posted by jaicoleten on October 17, 2009 at 12:09:02:In Reply to: 5weeks old sleeping problem posted by aydens mommy on September 11, 2009 at 09:49:43:
Have you found anything that works? My daughter was almost 3 weeks old when she started that (she's now only 7 weeks). She was also crying for about 15 hours a day unless we had her in the car (driving) or out for a walk. We couldn't stand her screaming til she was blue, so we took her to the ER since our doc had no appointments for a couple days. Anyway, they found she had severe reflux and a heart murmur (not related). We started her on zantac immediately. They also recommended hypoallergenic food, which she never seemed satisfied, and it smelled (and it was expensive). Anyway, no relief followed for about a week.
I decided to ask a couple friends who recently had kids... all of them had perfect angels except one. Her son could only sleep when held (and would wake up when put down) and he exhibited the same symptoms as my daughter. Anyway, she stopped listening to her doctor after all his suggestions failed. She did research and found that there's a protein in most food that isn't tolerable by some babies. Casein proteins... they're in all formulas except Good Start. Once she started him on Good Start with Bifidus he was like a new kid. I started my daughter on that immediately and seriously, the next day she was a new baby. The zantac helped, and the food definitely helped. Also, babies who are in pain (silent or screaming) love to be held. They need comfort and physical love because it's a survival technique. I held my baby constantly while she cried and now that she's happier every time she sees me she smiles! I know my love for her was felt, even through the red-faced screams.
Sorry, I'm a chatty cathy... but here we go: try getting your baby on a schedule. Seriously, it works. After she showed positive feedback from her new food/med, I started giving her a bath every single night. Not always with soap, but it's a routine nonetheless. The first few baths were around midnight... then they moved to eleven... then ten... now she's ready for her bath by nine (which is perfect since my husband goes to bed around 930/10). I followed her sleep clues and thus moved the baths earlier. After her bath is a massage with California Baby Calming massage oil. She screams (hates massages) but I do it anyway. Then she gets a warm bottle with some gripe water (Organic, from Walgreens) and I rock her in our rocker/recliner. Then like clockwork, she's usually asleep within 30 min. Sometimes it takes a little longer if she poops and I change her diaper, she'll wake up... but not for long.
Let me know what you think. I'm a talker, so I apologize this is so long. I hope it helps, if nothing has helped already!