help me! mommys and daddys

from JoeUser Forums
I have a serious question. . . why in the world do babies feel the need to keep us up all night? I mean come on, wouldn't it just be easier for the both of us if babies would just sleep? Alysia was up every 2 hours. So of course I was up every 2 hours. Oh oh! My husband will be home in 4 hours! Anyways, Alysia was just waking up and crying. I'd try to feed her she didn't want it. I tried to change her, she didn't need it. I rocked her, she was still crying. What in the world was I supposed to do for her? help! Did she just not want to sleep, or was there something I was doing wrong? Please please help me if you can.

Emma
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3,007 views 10 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top

Oh...no.....  Every two hours is normal, but the "nothing will calm her" sounds familiar to me.  To prepare yourself, please start reading about colic.  My daughter was a bit premature and she was colicky. (they now assume it is caused by an under developed nervous system)  Nothing would make her happy.  She cried all night from about 4pm until about 4am for the first 6 months.  (Yes, I did said months).  She was a severe case, but what you are saying sounds like the beginnings.

Did you try walking the floor?  Walk around kind of swaying her gently like shes floating on a boat. 

I would recommend calling your pediatrician.  Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding?  If you are using formula, it might be her formula or she has trapped gas.  The Dr. can help you with both.  (Rubbing her lower tummy gently will help her release trapped gas, as will burping her for a long time).  Otherwise, if they do label it as "colic" then you need to learn how to deal with it and find a support system *fast*.  If she does have colic, let me know- I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve.

Feeding every two hours then sleeping is normal.  Being awake and crying for no reason isn't.

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Not being a parent myself, I can't offer first-hand advice, but my best friend is a recent parent, and I was around a fair bit the first few months his daughter was alive, and at first she would wake up every 2hrs and be upset for no discernable reason... Needless to say my friend got 0 sleep for those first few months. They took her to the doctor thinking it was colic, doc just said it was what babies do when they're first born. After a few weeks it grew less and less until she was sleeping through the night for the most part at a few months.

Like KG said, going to the doctor to ask questions is probably your best bet, as they'll be able to convince you things are OK better than anyone online can (having a diploma hanging on a wall behind him lends a bit more credibility).

-Z
Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top

Zoomba, that's weird that they would say that waking up every two hours for no reason was normal.  Babies usually only wake up when they need something.  A normal new born will wake up, feed, burp, be changed, then go back to sleep.  Especially since this newborn is only a few days old.

But, the doctor can help you out.  Either way- having a newborn is not peaceful.  They require constant feeding and it takes them time to get into a routine.  As they get a few months older, things get easier.  It's just living through the first few months that can be the trick

I always thought that sex education in schools should require a month of teens being woken up every two hours by a loud sound that could only be turned off by some complicated routine.  During this routine various nasty substances should either be squirt on them our simply be smelled.  They should also have to donate all their money to this noisy thing.  I think that teen pregnancy would decrease.

Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
KG - That would have made Sex Ed a hell of a lot more effective... instead they like to try and avoid the messy issues and just talk about the biological facts of it, and the dangers of STDs... I don't think in any of my Sex Ed classes we ever talked really about the actual act, anything on how it's done, or the complications that one can encounter. There's also no real talk of the long-term consequences aside from STDs, they avoid the issue of teenage motherhood completely.

Sex Ed in public schools is like taking a shop class where they only talk about the physics of putting a chair together, only show you one tool, don't tell you how to use the tool, give you one sample piece of wood and then expect you to know how to build and maintain a house from scratch.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
The bst advice I can give (father of two) is that it will pass. Make sure, though, to keep an eye on conditions to make sure there are no serious problems. Keep up the good work, you are doing fine. When you are at wit's end, switch off to that husband or another close friend/relative. It's OK to need help, you don't have to go it alone. When everything setles down you will learn the comfortable and easy feeling of getting 5 hours of good rest.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Thanks for your help!

Did you try walking the floor? Walk around kind of swaying her gently like shes floating on a boat. I would recommend calling your pediatrician. Are you breastfeeding or bottle feeding?


I paced the floor! I tried anything imaginable! I have to take Alysia in for a check up in a few hours anyways, so I'm going to mention last night to them then. I am breastfeeding. Yay... (sarcasam)

Well, my husband just walked in the door and after not seeing him for 3 months, I'm thinking that I am going to leave now and spend some time with him and my daughter before we take Alysia to the Doctor.

Thanks for all the help! You guys are great!
Emma
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
For my baby, if feeding and rocking didn't do the trick, then burping was usually the order of the moment.
One other thing that may help is if you have a baby seat that has a "vibrate" option. We have one, a PlaySkool "Soothing Vibrations" chair, I think. I speculate that the constant buzz helps to settle the contents of the baby's stomach, making it easier for her to burp or otherwise eliminate any troublesome gas buildup, plus it is like a mini-massage that relaxes them into sleepiness. Krystal slept in the buzzy chair for a couple of months before moving to the bassinet and then the crib. (She still wakes up at about 2:00, though. Argh.)
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
Me Emily was our colic baby, from 4 pm to 7 pm, nothing soothed her. She grew out of it after a few months.

One reasons mine cried:

Overstimulation: Too much for the brain to take in. Some suggest turn down the lights, slow rocking and singing. Bring her in close so that she can only focus on you.

I am glad you're husband is home. Enjoy the time. Not that I want another one, but I do miss this time.

All my hopes for your future.

IG
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
We had our colicky god daughter living with us, and some things helped.
~Dim the lights
~SWADDLING, this is a godsend, it simulates the feeling of closeness in the womb.
~White noise~ Like a ticking clock, it sounds similar to a heartbeat which is comforting.
~The baby will pick up on your stress, and cry more, so try your best to stay calm. One thing that helped us get through rough nights was some advice from the doctor. He told us if you feel overwhelmed it is okay to put her down and step out of the room for a few minutes to regain composure.

Good Luck!