My baby is inconsolable! Help?

Question

My normally happy,cheerful, all smiles daughter will be 6 months old on Monday. I swear she never cries. For the past week she has been crying off and on all day wrong. She just screams and wails. She cries so hard her face turns all red and blotchy. I don't know what to do? I burp her,change her diaper, feed her, cuddle her. You no all the usual stuff. I took her to the doctor Friday and they checked her out and said she is probably teething. I am not sure. But it could be. This is my second baby and she is not acting like my son did during his uneventful teething stage. My main concern is that she is breastfed and when I put her on the breast she will latch on take a few swallows and unlatch and start screaming. Is this a teething thing. She hardly wants to breastfeed any more. There is nothing in my diet that has changed. I am at a loss on what to do.

Answer 1

Have you checked her mouth for thrush?? Take her back to the Dr and get her checked out again. It sounds like there is a problem. Teething does not cause crying like this. Take her to casualty and get somone to see her.

Answer 2

I would get a second opinion.  

Answer 3

You know........ My daughter is almost 6 months old as well, and for the past couple of days i have noticed this sort of patten with her....... very cranky, not really wanting to eat her bottle, she will eat a bit and then cry.......... she also will take a few bites of her baby food and than start fussing. I thought maybe its because she's having trouble going to the bathroom, but now reading this im thinking it may be a growth spurt, or the teething, i know my daughter is drooling like crazy and knawing on everything she can get her hands on......including her hands, i'm going to check back to see if you get any helpful advice on this.

Answer 4

it definitely sounds like teething -- especially with the eating trouble. try infant motrin (tylenol has never worked for ruby) if you think she is uncomfortable enough to warrant it. don't worry if she doesn't eat well for a few days -- it happens. ruby always lost her appetite when she was teething. and even if you don't see the teeth or they don't start to poke through, they still may be the culprit. they twist their way down in spurts -- painful spurts. this happened to ruby on and off for months with her earliest teeth. (now she doesn't even notice them...she just popped two molars without so much as a whimper; so it does get easier.) the other thing is, like with adults, sometimes babies have random discomforts that we never figure out. you may find after this passes that you still have no idea what happened. but if she is wailing that hard, i would try the infant motrin. if it alleviates some of her pain, whatever the source, it is worth it. good luck. poor baby. :(

Answer 5

My son was having the same problem, he is usually a happy baby and the past few days he's been screaming and grabbing at his ear, I took him to a doctor who said everything was fine and it was just his teeth coming through. I went and got a second opinion and it turns out that he has a sinus infection that traveled to his ear causing an ear infection as well. I'd recommend getting a second opinion.

Answer 6

Try putting some Orajel on her gums and see if that helps. There are also teething tablets you can try, as well as teething rings that you can put in the refrigerator to get cold and then let her gum it. You can also try wrapping a soft ice pack in a paper towel and putting it against her gums for a few seconds on, a few seconds off.  

When babies teethe, they often balk at nursing, so this story does seem consistent with teething pain. However .. if these suggestions do not help and she continues to refuse nursing, I would suspect something beyond teething and go back to the doctor for a more thorough exam. Good luck to you both!  

Answer 7

Sounds like it could be teeth some babies are worse then others during teething.  Check her mouth really well and throat you might need to take her back to the doctor it might be her ears. Good Luck  I hope things get better for you and your baby.

Answer 8

Probably teething. Is she drooling too? That's a pretty good sign also that it's teething causig the pan. Try Tempra or Infant Tylenol to relieve the pain. Does she like baths? A bath usually helps soothe a cranky baby. Try teething rings cooled in the fridge, baby orajel and a cold, damp clean cloth for her to chew on.  

Answer 9

The first thing to remember is that all babies are different, and although your son teethed uneventfully, this baby may have quite a different reaction.

Have you checked her gums, and can you see any teeth ready to poke through? There have been numerous times when I thought my daughter was teething, and found it ridiculously difficult to get her stubborn little tongue out of the way to have a look. (I usually try to investigate when she's managed to doze off in my arms.) It does sound like she may be getting teeth...the latching on and letting go screaming would be an indication. Babies who are teething often seek the comfort of breast or bottle, only to find out that it HURTS to suck. My guess is that the doctor is probably right, and if she seems fine otherwise, there probably isn't a big reason to worry. You can offer cold, wet washcloths to chew on, or teething rings, but there isn't much you'll be able to do about her eating habits right now. Let her eat when she wants, and don't force a feeding if she lets go screaming. Best of luck.

Answer 10

Is the fussing all related to nursing?  Do you have a fast letdown that is bothering her?  Check out this link about fussiness at the breast.  It does sound like teething though, if not the letdown thing.  Try some baby tylenol if your doctor says it's okay.  A wet wash cloth put in the fridge for a while is also nice for them to chew on and relieve some pain.

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby...