ok here we go again w/ nighttime fussiness topic...
sheamas seems bothered by...something. what it is exactly i can't seem to figure out yet...i don't believe its gas as i feel no bubbles nor hear any farting and i can't seem to help him relieve it by rubbing his belly, patting his bum...all the normal things i do that help. and he isn't having any BM's since about 11pm i think...that one was the first curdly one i've seen (yellow) so maybe it is a bowel issue and his system is real sensitive...could be, both mine and tom's (ex) are for sure.
he seems to be able to be temporarily soothed after a few minutes of crying...its the crying that upsets me so much, breaks my heart cuz i can't figure out what it is. i try nursing him...that doesn't help for more than a second if he takes it, that is...bouncing my body and/or rocking as i hold him standing up in upright position seems to work and taking him out of our bed and bringing him out to the living room...sometimes he wants his paci and sometimes not. i am SO TIRED but hey he needs me so here i am...awake and on alert. i'm gonna put him upright in my maya wrap sling and see if that helps. oh and the yanni tape seems to be soothing him too...he'll fall back asleep then wake again...i hear him again...poor little guy.
any ideas on what this is? seems to be very common in the first month. i also read this online and copied it for you guys...
A Pattern of Evening Fussiness in the First Month - Fussy Periods
Approximately half the babies I see develop fussy periods at two to three weeks of age, lasting up to 3 months! Fussy periods are characterized by a recurrent, reliable pattern of evening fussiness despite normal behavior during other times of the day. The infant may seem unsatisfied and irritable despite all your efforts including changing, rocking, feeding, burping and so forth. It may last one hour or as much as six hours! A popular current theory about the cause of fussy periods is overstimulation of the infant's nervous system. Over the course of a normal day the immature nervous system becomes overloaded with sensory input and needs time to reorganize, unload and "blow off steam." We recommend that once you recognize your baby's behavior as fussy periods take your baby into a quiet, dimly lit place and rock gently, thereby reducing the stimulation. Remember, it is the pattern of behavior that defines this crying as a behavior, not an organic problem.
A Pattern of Uncomfortable, Urgent Crying in the Evenings - Colic
Colic is really the fussy periods to the max. Instead of simply irritable and unsettled behavior, the baby appears to be in pain. During a colicky episode the baby will cry out, draw up the legs and scream. This can go on for a long while. Again, it is the pattern of evening behavior that identifies colic as a behavioral problem as opposed to an organic problem. Just as with fussy periods, the days and nights are normal around the colicky behavior in the evenings.
It is tempting to attribute colicky behavior to a problem with the intestines, however it does not seem to be true. Colicky babies have been shown to have no more gas in their gut than non-colicky babies. There are a variety of non-prescription colic therapies marketed in stores and products from other countries that we hear about. We know of no products that work reliably, but if you wish to try something like this we understand. One product that has seemed to help some of our colicky babies is called Colic-Ease Gripe Water. It is made of 5 herbal oils and seems to help ease the discomfort associated with babies' colicky pains. More information can be obtained from www.colicease.com. Preferably, try the same "quiet time" method described above in the section on fussy periods.
Painful Crying or Discomfort During or After Feedings
Heartburn caused by stomach contents creeping up into the food pipe (esophagus) is fairly common. We call this gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Usually, but not always, babies with GER tend to be spitty, i.e. they spit up routinely after feedings. However, for some refluxing babies the stomach contents come up to the throat and go back down without coming out the mouth. In either case, the acidity of the stomach fluid in the esophagus or throat causes pain and the baby will cry, arch and writhe as though trying to escape his own chest.
Painful Crying with Stooling or Gas
Many normal babies seem to have very painful bowel movements in the early infancy period. I commonly refer to this as the "Painful Poop Syndrome." This is different than constipation because the stool is soft or loose instead of firm or hard as in constipation.
The pain is caused by expansion of the rectum as it fills with stool. The baby will stiffen, cry out and turn red. As long as the stool is very soft when it comes out you don't need to do anything. The problem goes away after a few months of life.
As gas fills the rectum it causes expansion and pain just like stool. These are sharp pains. You can blame the discomfort on gas as long as you really hear the gas being passed and observe relief afterward. Without such "evidence," apparent unexplained pain in an infant should be discussed with the doctor or nurse. To help relieve gas pains make sure you are burping as best you can and consider using non-prescription gas relief drops as per package directions.
When to contact the office, :
* Random, painful crying that you cannot easily attribute to gas, constipation or hunger, and that does NOT improve with sucking, cuddling or other comforting measures, alternating with comfortable behavior.
* Episodes of sharp, sudden painful crying that you cannot readily attribute to gas or constipation, possibly alternating with listlessness.
* Lengthy episodes (two to three hours) of more intense than usual crying in a normal infant without an obvious time-of-day pattern.
sheamas seems bothered by...something. what it is exactly i can't seem to figure out yet...i don't believe its gas as i feel no bubbles nor hear any farting and i can't seem to help him relieve it by rubbing his belly, patting his bum...all the normal things i do that help. and he isn't having any BM's since about 11pm i think...that one was the first curdly one i've seen (yellow) so maybe it is a bowel issue and his system is real sensitive...could be, both mine and tom's (ex) are for sure.
he seems to be able to be temporarily soothed after a few minutes of crying...its the crying that upsets me so much, breaks my heart cuz i can't figure out what it is. i try nursing him...that doesn't help for more than a second if he takes it, that is...bouncing my body and/or rocking as i hold him standing up in upright position seems to work and taking him out of our bed and bringing him out to the living room...sometimes he wants his paci and sometimes not. i am SO TIRED but hey he needs me so here i am...awake and on alert. i'm gonna put him upright in my maya wrap sling and see if that helps. oh and the yanni tape seems to be soothing him too...he'll fall back asleep then wake again...i hear him again...poor little guy.
any ideas on what this is? seems to be very common in the first month. i also read this online and copied it for you guys...
A Pattern of Evening Fussiness in the First Month - Fussy Periods
Approximately half the babies I see develop fussy periods at two to three weeks of age, lasting up to 3 months! Fussy periods are characterized by a recurrent, reliable pattern of evening fussiness despite normal behavior during other times of the day. The infant may seem unsatisfied and irritable despite all your efforts including changing, rocking, feeding, burping and so forth. It may last one hour or as much as six hours! A popular current theory about the cause of fussy periods is overstimulation of the infant's nervous system. Over the course of a normal day the immature nervous system becomes overloaded with sensory input and needs time to reorganize, unload and "blow off steam." We recommend that once you recognize your baby's behavior as fussy periods take your baby into a quiet, dimly lit place and rock gently, thereby reducing the stimulation. Remember, it is the pattern of behavior that defines this crying as a behavior, not an organic problem.
A Pattern of Uncomfortable, Urgent Crying in the Evenings - Colic
Colic is really the fussy periods to the max. Instead of simply irritable and unsettled behavior, the baby appears to be in pain. During a colicky episode the baby will cry out, draw up the legs and scream. This can go on for a long while. Again, it is the pattern of evening behavior that identifies colic as a behavioral problem as opposed to an organic problem. Just as with fussy periods, the days and nights are normal around the colicky behavior in the evenings.
It is tempting to attribute colicky behavior to a problem with the intestines, however it does not seem to be true. Colicky babies have been shown to have no more gas in their gut than non-colicky babies. There are a variety of non-prescription colic therapies marketed in stores and products from other countries that we hear about. We know of no products that work reliably, but if you wish to try something like this we understand. One product that has seemed to help some of our colicky babies is called Colic-Ease Gripe Water. It is made of 5 herbal oils and seems to help ease the discomfort associated with babies' colicky pains. More information can be obtained from www.colicease.com. Preferably, try the same "quiet time" method described above in the section on fussy periods.
Painful Crying or Discomfort During or After Feedings
Heartburn caused by stomach contents creeping up into the food pipe (esophagus) is fairly common. We call this gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Usually, but not always, babies with GER tend to be spitty, i.e. they spit up routinely after feedings. However, for some refluxing babies the stomach contents come up to the throat and go back down without coming out the mouth. In either case, the acidity of the stomach fluid in the esophagus or throat causes pain and the baby will cry, arch and writhe as though trying to escape his own chest.
Painful Crying with Stooling or Gas
Many normal babies seem to have very painful bowel movements in the early infancy period. I commonly refer to this as the "Painful Poop Syndrome." This is different than constipation because the stool is soft or loose instead of firm or hard as in constipation.
The pain is caused by expansion of the rectum as it fills with stool. The baby will stiffen, cry out and turn red. As long as the stool is very soft when it comes out you don't need to do anything. The problem goes away after a few months of life.
As gas fills the rectum it causes expansion and pain just like stool. These are sharp pains. You can blame the discomfort on gas as long as you really hear the gas being passed and observe relief afterward. Without such "evidence," apparent unexplained pain in an infant should be discussed with the doctor or nurse. To help relieve gas pains make sure you are burping as best you can and consider using non-prescription gas relief drops as per package directions.
When to contact the office, :
* Random, painful crying that you cannot easily attribute to gas, constipation or hunger, and that does NOT improve with sucking, cuddling or other comforting measures, alternating with comfortable behavior.
* Episodes of sharp, sudden painful crying that you cannot readily attribute to gas or constipation, possibly alternating with listlessness.
* Lengthy episodes (two to three hours) of more intense than usual crying in a normal infant without an obvious time-of-day pattern.
