anyone else have a fussy/cranky baby?

[jlbaby]

DS was such a mellow, easy-going baby - having a very cranky DD has been so different (and a tad bit difficult). i have tried cutting things from my diet, trying to pay attention to what makes her happy, etc. she hates the sling, so i bought a moby today. (i can tell i'm going to have a HUGE learning curve with that wrap!) DD pukes a lot, she HATES riding in the car, and if she isn't eating or sleeping, she's basically crabby. she's not crazy about going on walks either. on the plus side, she sleeps quite well and doesn't mind diaper changes anymore. i am thinking (hoping) she will grow out of it as she gets a little older and more "settled"......hopefully this occurs before i go back to work, or leaving her will be that much harder!

[crosscat]

nak

re:moby wrap - we love ours! there are several vids on youtube that you can watch to help learn how to use it. i found many vids there to be very helpful.

gl with your fussy baby!

[casemnor]

We thought Lilith was a fussy baby. So much fussier than her big sister...and then we found out she was starving! .....She never acted starvy on the boob, she was just always very sleepy and when she wasn't sleeping...she was very very cranky. I had to start her on formula when we found out her weight gain was very poor at 6 weeks, and since then she's like a new baby. Awake. Happy. Alert. Content.

Don't know that my experience helps in your case though!

[sonshine_rae]

Granted my baby has acid reflux, and I don't think the meds are cutting it for him (Prevacid).

But YES I definitely have a cranky/fussy baby.... it's soooo exhausting too!

((hugs))

[jlbaby]

Originally Posted by casemnor

....and since then she's like a new baby. Awake. Happy. Alert. Content.

i'm glad you were able to figure it out for your DD. so are you nursing and feeding w/formula? DD gained 2 pounds in 3 weeks, so i think her weight gain is OK. we don't do well visits though, so i'm not sure where she's at now at 5 weeks? she seems to be eating quite well. hmmmm.

sonshine - thanks. i know she won't be fussy forever. it's just so hard, not knowing what she needs. i think she's allergic to her car seat, frankly.

[ferretfan]

my lilith is also cranky we figured out recently that she's sensitive to dairy. she's been a little happier since i cut it out of my diet. she hates being in the car (just like her big sister) and has just come down with a cold so, yeah, she's far from the picture of contentedness

[mama.rye]

i do!
although i have to say, we turned a corner now that he can SEE more! he seemed so frustrated in hi tiny infant self... now he has stretches where he stares at me and things and is beginning to smile!

like others, cutting dairy out helped tremendously...

the moby is great for outings - i second the suggestion to watch a youtube video of it being tied - within a few days, we had it down pat!

he too, hates his car seat...

i do think there is a touch of reflux going on - he tends to be crankiest after feeedings. we ry to hold him upright afterwards and have angled the co-sleeper 45 degrees.

i also have an overactive letdown and realized he was swallowing so much air when he ate... we now position him above the breast for less agressive milk flow.

gripe water has also been a godsend for gas and hurting hiccups!

good luck with your fussy one - i have a theory that the fussy ones turn out to be brilliant ones!

[lasciate]

I have been lucky enough to have a generally content baby - with the exception of a few days when I was suffering from a nasty stomach bug (picked up by my oldest at preschool) which impacted my supply and made him cranky at night. As soon as I felt I could hold down food I crammed myself full of oatmeal and he became much happier.

I have also noticed occasional signs of reflux, but they are intermittent and quite mild and don't seem to bother him, so I don't let them bother me.

[Cindy-Lou]

DD started being really fussy at night but I cut dairy out of my diet 3 days ago and it made a huge difference.

[jlbaby]

Originally Posted by mama.rye

gripe water has also been a godsend for gas and hurting hiccups!

i had to look this up, as i'd never heard of it! interesting - i will definitely give it a try. she gets really mad when she gets hiccups too, poor thing.

re: dairy, fortunately i don't eat dairy. we had allergy testing done and i cut out wheat for 3 weeks, but nothing changed. phbbt!

thanks for the info re: youtube vids, i did watch a bunch on the moby wrap. i am still totally perplexed and can't seem to wrap it tight enough, but i'm willing myself to be patient!!

[casemnor]

[QUOTE=jlbaby;12695938]i'm glad you were able to figure it out for your DD. so are you nursing and feeding w/formula? DD gained 2 pounds in 3 weeks, so i think her weight gain is OK. we don't do well visits though, so i'm not sure where she's at now at 5 weeks? she seems to be eating quite well. hmmmm.QUOTE]

Well, my milk is completely gone..so she's on formula now. Boooo.

I suspected issues before the well baby check confirmed. I've always been a poor milk producer...but I think the claritin I took for a hideous viral cold turned my supply from barely enough to not enough...to dry.

Her face looked very thin and drawn, and she'd gone from an alert baby to one who slept a lot and fussed a lot.

Your LO sounds like she's gaining at a good clip, so most likely it isn't the same issue as we had.

Lucky you!

[gabysmom617]

Oh god, I Just finished sending a shoutout to gripe water.

I declare, my kid would have hiccups and by the time I finish giving him a dose of gripe water, the hiccups have completely ceased.

Tonight he was kinda fussy, and by the time I finished giving him his dose of gripe water, I didn't hear another peep from him and 5 mins later he was sleep on his daddy's chest.

He only gets kinda fussy in the evenings though. It's been getting better recently.

[mkmb129]

Originally Posted by jlbaby

DS was such a mellow, easy-going baby - having a very cranky DD has been so different (and a tad bit difficult). i have tried cutting things from my diet, trying to pay attention to what makes her happy, etc. she hates the sling, so i bought a moby today. (i can tell i'm going to have a HUGE learning curve with that wrap!) DD pukes a lot, she HATES riding in the car, and if she isn't eating or sleeping, she's basically crabby. she's not crazy about going on walks either. on the plus side, she sleeps quite well and doesn't mind diaper changes anymore. i am thinking (hoping) she will grow out of it as she gets a little older and more "settled"......hopefully this occurs before i go back to work, or leaving her will be that much harder!

I think that we have the same baby! She will be content with someone besides me sometimes. She's just never happy with me unless she's nursing or sleeping. If she is content with me, I have to put forth so much effort to entertain her and that only lasts so long. It's frustrating because I want to just hold her, I want to snuggle with her but she isn't havin' it! But, compared to my ds, she's a walk in the park!

[TaraRae82]

Ally Rae has been pretty fussy in the evenings since about 4wks. It's definitely hard and wearing on my patience. After about a week of trying different things for her, I discovered keeping her stimulations at a minimum throughout the day help tremendously! When she's fussy she just insists on nursing frequently (every 30 min or so) and being bounced in my arms while I move around. Thank goodness I have decent upper body strength and a strong back/core! She wears me out!

[jlbaby]

Originally Posted by TaraRae82

I discovered keeping her stimulations at a minimum throughout the day help tremendously!

i was just going to write how much better DD has been these past 2 days, because we have just stayed at home and been laying low. my MW suggested she is overly sensitive to stimuli, and to try and keep things simple for a while. she said even going to the grocery store in the morning can cause fussiness at night.....sooooooooo, even though it comes with a bit of "cabin fever", we've been staying at home and she has been very minimally fussy the past 2 days. she's even had some quiet alert time at night with smiles, which has never happened yet! i'm so happy!

we kind of have to go to the grocery store today, so i'll see how she does later on.....

[jlbaby]

Originally Posted by casemnor

Well, my milk is completely gone..so she's on formula now. Boooo.

i'm so sorry to hear this...but glad that her disposition has improved a lot. i'm glad you're not dealing with milk supply issues AND an unhappy babe.

[milkmamamerina]

Originally Posted by jlbaby

she hates the sling, so i bought a moby today. (i can tell i'm going to have a HUGE learning curve with that wrap!) DD pukes a lot,

The upright position of the Moby will be better for your dd if she pukes alot. If you bought it locally, and the youtube videos didn't get you comfortable with the wrap, see if the place you purchased it will give you a hands on tutorial with it. My dd seemed to hate it at first, but they also have a learning curve apparently She cried for about 5-10 minutes in it the first time and then it decreased to about 5 and finally (after about a week of daily wear) she would fuss for a minute tops before falling asleep. I found that if she was worn in the Moby she tolerated a lot more outside commotion than even if she was just in my arms. She liked being taken for a little walk in it.

good luck. just keep getting to know your baby, mine was fussy for the first 6-8 weeks until I got to know her better. Now I know (for my dd) that the only reason she really cries is if she wants a nap. Hopefully you will be able to figure out what makes your dd fuss soon

[mamanurse]

Sorry to all y'all with cranky and fussy babes. I especially feel bad for those with babes who are like that 24-7.

My first dd had "colic" which I found out is just a label for a baby who cries A LOT. Dd1 cried for 4-5 hours inconsolably every night from about 5-12 weeks. She would only not be crying when she was eating. It was so very sad. Then she was the happiest baby ever at 3 months.

If you'd asked me 3 days ago, I would have said dd2 was not fussy or cranky yet. But...for the last 2 nights she has been crying inconsolably. It's terrible. The good news is that dh and I have BTDT and take it pretty well knowing it will all be over in 7 short weeks. Yeah right... short.

My back and shoulders are killing me, though, from hours of swaying and pacing the floor with her in my arms. Luckily, she appears to be happy during the day and the fussiness doesn't set in until between 5 or 6 at night. Of course, this is only her pattern after 2 days of this behavior

Everyone says to cut out this or cut out that, but I pretty much refuse. She went 5 weeks as a happy baby with me eating and drinking what I pleased. I pretty much guarantee that she will be that happy baby again around 3 months without me torturing myself with elimination diets.

My dh is convinced that there are far too many moms not eating dairy, wheat, etc... because their babes are "sensitive" to it. He thinks that they cut something out and the baby seems better, but it's a placebo effect. I told him that can't possibly be true all the time, but I do feel there is some truth to what he's saying.

[thefragile7393]

Originally Posted by jlbaby

DS was such a mellow, easy-going baby - having a very cranky DD has been so different (and a tad bit difficult). i have tried cutting things from my diet, trying to pay attention to what makes her happy, etc. she hates the sling, so i bought a moby today. (i can tell i'm going to have a HUGE learning curve with that wrap!) DD pukes a lot, she HATES riding in the car, and if she isn't eating or sleeping, she's basically crabby. she's not crazy about going on walks either. on the plus side, she sleeps quite well and doesn't mind diaper changes anymore. i am thinking (hoping) she will grow out of it as she gets a little older and more "settled"......hopefully this occurs before i go back to work, or leaving her will be that much harder!

Wow....I think I must have posted this in my sleep overnight lol. You sound exactly like me. I too have a mellow, easygoing son (who was the same for the most part as a baby...but when he was unhappy he was UNHAPPY!). I too have a cranky dd....I have tried cutting things from my diet, dosn't exactly like slings but I can keep her happy in one somewhat, pukes a lot, HATES riding in teh car, and if she isn't eating or sleeping she's basically crabby. She does like walks, does okay with diaper changes, dosn't really sleep well. I really want to take her to cranio or reiki or SOMETHING to maybe help her mellow out......I have no advice but just wanted to let you know that I wish you were closer and our kids could gripe at each other lol. Oddly though, she does well away from me...takes her bottle of mama milk ok as long as it's warmed up to body temperature.

Oh god, I Just finished sending a shoutout to gripe water.

I declare, my kid would have hiccups and by the time I finish giving him a dose of gripe water, the hiccups have completely ceased.

Tonight he was kinda fussy, and by the time I finished giving him his dose of gripe water, I didn't hear another peep from him and 5 mins later he was sleep on his daddy's chest.

Oh I too agree...this stuff is a God-send, I wish I had had it with my son. I have the Gripe Water from Wellements, with chammomile added, and it's just like you said, within seconds the hiccups are gone, the gas is up (or up fairly quickly). I've gone through 2 bottles of the stuff already and she's only almost 2 months old!

[mkmb129]

What brand of gripe water do those of you who use it have/recommend? And where can I get it?!