DS is six weeks old. He rarely cries--seriously, he almost never cries--except at bedtime. I can't figure it out. DH and I (well, mostly I) are at our wits' end.
Sometime between 9 and 11, DS is ready to sleep for the evening (he still usually wakes up at 2:30, 5:30 and 7:30 before being up for the morning at 9:30 - 10).
I don't start getting him ready to sleep until he's exhibiting signs of sleepiness. So I nurse him, rock him and he drifts off to sleep. Then he wakes up about 1/2 hr later and acts fussy. His not wet or soiled, he doesn't need to go to the bathroom, he doesn't need to eat, he doesn't need to burp ... he just S C R E A M S!!!
While it varies from night to night (some nights there's no screaming), last night he screamed for 1.5 hrs with tiny little breaks to catch his breath. I feel like I'm letting him CIO in my arms because there's simply nothing more that I know to do that will calm him to sleep that I haven't already done ...
He won't nurse to sleep like many babies ... well, he'll nurse, I'll let down and that makes him even more mad.
My mom tells me that it's just his way of putting himself to sleep, but it makes me sick to think of my baby crying so hard for so long -- I don't know what else to do ...
After making sure that all the red flags (hunger, wet diapers, gas etc) are fine, I just cuddle him while he screams until he drifts off. After that one spell, he'll ususally wake to nurse a couple of times and he'll go back to sleep in my arms until I leave for work and he goes back to sleep in DH's arms until 9 - 9:30 when he's usually awake for the better part of the morning.
What am I doing wrong? What can I do better?
Sometime between 9 and 11, DS is ready to sleep for the evening (he still usually wakes up at 2:30, 5:30 and 7:30 before being up for the morning at 9:30 - 10).
I don't start getting him ready to sleep until he's exhibiting signs of sleepiness. So I nurse him, rock him and he drifts off to sleep. Then he wakes up about 1/2 hr later and acts fussy. His not wet or soiled, he doesn't need to go to the bathroom, he doesn't need to eat, he doesn't need to burp ... he just S C R E A M S!!!
While it varies from night to night (some nights there's no screaming), last night he screamed for 1.5 hrs with tiny little breaks to catch his breath. I feel like I'm letting him CIO in my arms because there's simply nothing more that I know to do that will calm him to sleep that I haven't already done ...
He won't nurse to sleep like many babies ... well, he'll nurse, I'll let down and that makes him even more mad.
My mom tells me that it's just his way of putting himself to sleep, but it makes me sick to think of my baby crying so hard for so long -- I don't know what else to do ...
After making sure that all the red flags (hunger, wet diapers, gas etc) are fine, I just cuddle him while he screams until he drifts off. After that one spell, he'll ususally wake to nurse a couple of times and he'll go back to sleep in my arms until I leave for work and he goes back to sleep in DH's arms until 9 - 9:30 when he's usually awake for the better part of the morning.
What am I doing wrong? What can I do better?
It is so so hard to just hold a screaming baby and not know what to do to help...mariank has thought of everything!!great advice...the hair around the toe thing is kind of funny in a way because it would almost be a relief to find something like that just so you would know exactly how to help :LOL My sister did this every single night for one hour starting at 6pm...and every time I was convinced my mum must have stuck her with a diaper pin...thats how she was screaming....
... is bundeling up and poping him in a sling and walking outside...my kids have always been soothed by walking outside... 
