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Please help with a crying question

Hi all!!

Please help!! my hubby and I are going mad!!

Lily is 5 weeks and during the day is a lovely relaxed baby (clingy and wont be put down, but relaxed). At 7pm she cries and cries and this lasts for 4-5hrs before she finally falls asleep in our arms.
We initially thought colic but her cries sound more like tiredness rather than wind or gripey pains and she shows no other signs of not being able to burp or anything. She actually has no problem with this and will happily feed (breastfeeding) its just once she's finished she's crying again. She cries so much she cannot draw a breath sometimes.
I am now wandering whether Lily is hungry and whether she is not getting enough or something.
I have infacol which im starting to try also as I am trying anything to be honest!!

Any thoughts?

Just to add she is fine throughout the night too it is literally crying in the evenings. She will stop for 5 minutes if we change her position, give her a bath, take her nappy off or distract her but not for long!?


Thanks in advance.. grr shes crying again now!! image

Caz x

Replies

  • I know you say you don't think it's colic, but what you describe sounds very much like that....Characterised by crying around the same time every night for a good few hours. My lo was the same, from around 6 weeks if I recall correctly, but she was FF. I do believe it's less common for BF babies to develop colic, but not impossible.

    The infacol should help if this is the case. You could also try a warm bath, and massaging her stomach clock-wise, as well as moving her legs as if she's on a bicycle. I would say that if you're worried at all, I'd speak to GP/HV. Sorry I can't be much more help xx
  • Hey i have no experiance with colic or anything but when my lo was this age he fed constantly from around 7-11 pm. Do you offer the otherside when your lo comes off, do they come off themselves? If your lo is still hungry then sucking more will help you to produce more milk. At five weeks i don't think i had much milk at all and bf didn't really settle down until 6 weeks hth and it settles down soon x
  • Thank you all for your replies and reassurance!

    Since posting i have fed lily more tonight. Happymummy, i do usually offer both sides after a break of a nappy change however, i dont think i am producing as much in the evening. I fed Lily 2 1/2 oz of aptamil first milk at about 9pm and fed her another breastfeed at 10.15pm and for once she lightly slept between these. In total since posting my question she has had 4 big feeds. She is currently fast asleep in my arms!!!
    When i used the formula i also expressed and was surprised (or not! lol) that i didnt get out as much as i thought i would have!! which i guess means she could have just been extra hungry all this time???

    I may give another aptamil feed tomorrow evening too as a top up and see if we have another almost peaceful night.
    its very confusing though as i have so much milk in the day i just thought i would have loads in the evening too.

    honeypops, i have tried the bicycle thing when i change her nappy and whats odd is one of the one times she looks happy is naked on the changing mat! if this was colic would she still be crying through this?
    Kef, thank u for the hug and i aim to try her with the sling asap! she is so clingy lol

    xxx




    [Modified by: Caza82 on August 18, 2010 11:08 PM]

  • Absolutely colic! Just to be aware that offering formula may well affect your milk supply and lead to a cycle of further supplementing which may affect your breastfeeding relationship. I'm not critisising AT ALL and it's obviously your choice but just wanted to say that it can have consequences that may make you unhappy.

    It is incredibly common for BM production to feel more sluggish in the evening - you generally have far more milk in the mornings. Cluster feeding at this time is also common and will help stimulate your supply, which is partly why babies do it - and why formula top ups can affect supply. IT doesn't mean you don;'t have enough milk to feed your baby, it's just the way things happen.

    You could try the 'tiger in a tree' hold which worked for my DD who was unsettled due to reflux. Put her cheek in your palm and lay her body, tummy side down, along your forearm, with one leg and one arm on either side of your arm. Now swing her in a 90 degree arc by moving your arm from against your tummy to extended out in front, and back again. She will probably go to sleep almost immediately!
  • Thank you maenad,
    Yes, I have been having these worries about supplementing. I expressed again as well last night in the hope to not affect my supply too much! I hope it helped in some way.
    If I fed a lot in the day do u know whether my milk supply will increase in the evening this way and also if i did give a top up and then still fed during the day a lot would this have a big impact on my supply too?
    Thank you also for the tip about the hold. Unfortunately we have tried this too already. It has been going on for 2 weeks now and have tried various things. The only thing she really doesnt seem to mind is high up on our shoulders. image

  • Hey - can i also suggest something?

    You will br producing your worst quality milk in the evening, mainly due to tiredness and dehydration as the day goes on. I had this problem and my HV told me to eat LOTS at lunchtime and early afternoon, a full cooked meal with dessert, and then have some fruit and tea and biscuits mid afternoon. This worked WONDERS for me - it made such a difference. I ate just a small meal in the evening but apparently its the sleep that then replenishes your supply so i had no problems.

    Its so hard to eat with a baby, but i think if you can do this you might notice more difference, and it would save you offering formula if you didnt want to.

    Romeo xxx
  • Romeo, thank you also. I hadnt even thought about my food intake in the day. Im ashamed to say its not very good. Thank you for reminding me about this. im going to make sure i buy more for me to eat in the day when we do the food shop tomorrow. We have only done 2 shops since she was born and each time was a quick nip round as she was crying!!! I hadnt even thought about how little i eat could affect my milk. I spent the first 10 days readmitted in hospital due to being ill after her birth and i totally blame this for causing a few problems. It delayed me getting into a feeding pattern i think image
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