Excessive crying in newborn baby...help!!!?

Question

My sisters new baby girl (1 week old) cries every night starting at around 10 p.m. and continues non stop until around 3 a.m. Nothing seems to aleviate this. They have switched formula to the hypoallergenic variety and are at their wits end. Nothing seems to comfort her and she cries so hard that she turns purple. Any suggestions on what this may be due to or ways to treat it...will choose best answer

Answer 1

Is she swaddled? Babies esp newborns are prone 2 ferocious crys when they are cold or uncomfortable..as they were used to warm temperatures when they were inside their mums. Try swaddling her/him. Maybe it will help.. This step helps my baby alot till today, she's turning 4mths in a few days time. I swaddle her tightly and hug her tight, rock her with "shhh...shhh.." sounds, n put her to sleep (still with the swaddle on).  

Answer 2

It may be colic. My son had it, to get him to stop crying i held his stomach. Carry her facing forward and apply pressure to her stomach while rocking her. Some people try turning on the hair blow dryer.

Answer 3

sounds like she's colic

try some gripe water

try rocking her with a hot water bottle on her belly

if all else fails, take her for a car ride and she'll go to sleep

Answer 4

she's a week old - that is what babies DO.  

A lot of babies have a period of crying or fussing.  A lot of babies don't know how to handle the stimuli of the outside world.  Here are some things to try:

1.  Swaddle her

2.  use a swing or a swinging motion

3.  Use loud white noise

4.  Hold her differently - against the shoulder, laying across a lap or arm, jiggling her gently, rocking.

No one way will work all the time with all babies or even with 1 baby.

Also, buy/rent/borrow the DVD - Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp   http://www.thehappiestbaby.com/

Most of these techniques are document in there but are hardly new.  

Answer 5

Ok there is always a reason for a baby being colicky. Colic is not the problem it is a symptom.

I had my second child a girl on june 15. she was the same way would start crying at 6pm -10 or 11pm. it was EXTREMELY exhausting, and tiring as i also had my 3 year old demanding son to take care of to. my daughter would cry until turning purple and cried with real tears, it was really sad. there is so many reasons but if she is formula fed only with hypoallergenic formula, then i can only guess of a few things that is could be. some babies when they are born are really sensitive to the world around them. so it could be at the end of the day the are just overwhelmed and have to cry, it could be cause her nerves arent developed all the way and that can hurt at the end of the day, her digestive tract could not be developed all, and that could hurt. all these things are normal and will fix on their own. it can sometimes take a few days after using the hypoallergenic formula for things to settle. my daughter is now 10 weeks old and is barely getting better. im breastfeeding and had to eliminate a lot of things from my diet, and i sometimes supplement with enfamil nutramigien formula. every once in a while she will get fussy, but dosent scream anymore.

i know its hard, just be there 24/7 with your sister, it is really easy to lose it with a screaming baby. sometimes you just have to walk away. take turns walking the crying baby around, holding her will help if she is in pain from nerves or something like that, take on hour shifts, your help we be big, so dont leave. good luck and if she needs any help you can e-mail me at [e-mail]

btw: its not to late to BF. with my first i had way inverted nipples, you have to use a breast shield and that will help them pop out..lol. it helped me and they never went back in. you can by it like at target for under $5. Bf might comport the little one. also pumping will help make the nipples come out to, just pump for a minute for them to come out then put the baby on. the breast shield will help you have no pain while feeding her.

oh and it took my daughter a whole two months to stop the exclusive crying. its hard but once its over then it didnt seem like that long.

some ways that i held her was put her tummy down across my forearm with her head on the inside of my elbow and held her diaper part in my palms and sway her from side to side. she also liked being tummy down across my knees and i would sway her back and forth to. oh yes and make sure to keep her warm, i use the playtex bottles with the liners, so it empty's  like the breast. i used gas drops to, but that didnt help. also i would lay her on her back and bend her kness to her chest and move them around in a circular motion, and that would help. or laying her on her back and paddle her legs like she is riding a bike. each thing would only comport her for like 20-30 mins so i would have to one then switch then switch. white noise helped sometimes to, i would either put her in her bouncer or hold her in my kitchen while the stove fan was on.

Answer 6

the baby may have gas. try getting the drops, or pushing her legs to her chest. she could also be cholic. there are formulas made to help cholic babies, also they playtex ventaire bottles are supposed to help reduce cholic and gas. it would be best to ask a doctor for advice, it could be a different problem.  

Answer 7

Get the DVD for The Happiest Baby on the Block.  You might even be able to check it out from the library for free.  Anyway, it is worth the time, effort, and money.

They have a thing that's called the 5 S's.  

1.  Shhhhh very near her ear, pretty loudly

2.  Swaddle very tightly

3. Lay her on her side in your arms

4. Swing her (way more than you'd think to swing a newborn)

5. Give her a pacifier to suck

..........If you do all of them together correctly, it's like an off switch, she'll fall asleep almost instantly and stop crying.

It makes loads more sense if you're watching the DVD

Answer 8

I know I'll get thumbs down for this, but at one week its not too late to try breastfeeding, she may not be able to tolerate artificial feedings.  

Answer 9

Well, have you guys thought about colic? She seems to be having them... This is very common in babies who are formula fed... Has she thought about breastfeeding him better? If not, check out this link...

Answer 10

Sounds like colic.  I'm sorry you have to go through this.  I did with my daughter and it's very tough.  There's no cure.  But there are ways to soothe your daughter.  What really worked for us was putting our daughter in a front carrier (such as a Baby Bjorn) and bouncing on a yoga ball.  We'd do that for HOURS - but it calmed her down.

You can also try white noise (buy a CD, run a hair dryer, the vaccuum), swaddling, turning down the lights.

It gets better at about 6 - 8 weeks and then suddenly disappears at 3 months. I know that sounds like a lifetime from now, but you'll get there,

Hang in there hon.  I suggest you do some Google searches on colic to learn as much as you can and try different things to see what soothes your baby girl best.

Edit:  just saw that you bottle feed.  Maybe try a different formula.  One that has partially broken down proteins (e.g. Enfamil Gentlease) that is for babies with colic or digestive issues or is lactose free (my daughter isn't lactose intolerant but she tolerated this formula best)

Answer 11

There are several possibilities, and reasons why a baby would have a timed routine for crying.

Your best bet should be to see a pediatrician or

it could be the environment she is allergic to; try changing the type of diaper she uses, her cot, and her sleeping areas and see if that helps in any significant way.If you play loud music during the day, that also has adverse effect on babies to. try soft music when its close to bed time and do not feed heavily rite before bedtime, she might be having digestion problems also......

My suggestions are not certified since am not a pediatrician, it's just common knowlegde, but your best option is still to see a doctor...

good luck