Fussy 5 Month old....Is It MY Fault??

Some babies are just high maintenance. You might try brushing his back. Stimulation often helps settle little guys down. My grandson was like this. The projectile vomiting could be a sign of milk allergy or reflux.

I agree with the others. Projectile vomiting makes it sound like something is wrong.

My son was very mellow in personality (so none of the issues you are having), but he did vomit a lot. I ended up having to put him on a hyperallergenic formula - which really helped calm his stomach down.

Good luck!
L.

Sounds like it could be acid infant reflux and not something behavioral. At five months it's a bit young for being spoiled, though I guess anything's possible.If he is distracted it might be taking his mind off the pain and give him comfort. Some babies can be happy spit uppers and not experience any pain, like my first. It's just a bit messy until the get closer to a year old. I would suggest going to the store and getting some Cherry favored Supreme Mylanta (it contains no aluminum). Give him a small dose (about 1/2 a teaspoon) through a nipple, full strength about 30 minutes before you feed him. If you notice a change in his attitude I would suspect reflux and seek medical help and medicine. My 2nd son had reflux without any spit ups and he was a mess (we all were really) until we got him on Zantac liquid.
Best Regards,
C.

It sounds just like gas to me. You may have to switch his formula to something with soy, or even hypoallergenic formula. Burp LOTS you may be surprised how much he will burp. Try Mylicon too, it helps a lot.

Have you taken your baby to the doctor? A friend of mine had a fussy baby the first year of her life. She would not sleep through the night and cried a lot and projectiled vomited a lot. She took the baby to the doctor and found out she has acid reflux. She's older now and just fine. Good luck and hope your baby gets in a better mood soon.

It is NOT normal to projectile vomit 2 hrs after a meal. You definitely need to work on eliminating causes in conjunction with the pediatrician. I would back off on the solids and stick with milk. I have 3 kids and all of mine started solids well after 6 months because of sensitive stomachs and what turned out to be acid reflux. The fact that he's fussy all the time reinforces the thought of acid reflux or something else. Stick to your guns with the pediatrician and keep pushing until you get answers.
Keep a journal (Perhaps on a wall calendar) and jot down time of day when you feed him, what you fed him, when the fussiness occurred...any details like type of stools, how often.
Also, I had to hold mine upright to fall asleep. We tried putting a wedge under the mattress to put it up at an angle, but it didn't help that much. We turned them over to sleep on their stomachs, huge difference! I know they're supposed to be on their backs, but when you're desperate for sleep, sometimes you do crazy things.
It sounds like he's fussy because he's uncomfortable and being held upright relieves that. Also, as the 1st child, he doesn't have as much to stimulate him (eg, older sibling running around) except you. I would try giving him an intense 5-10 minutes of interaction, then set him upright and go do something, but where he can see you, for 15 minutes. Keep this up and gradually extend the time.
Even though it's hard when they're so fussy, they are dependent on you for stimulation...we are their world :} Hard to do, I know. Try talking to him when you're doing chores and describe what's going on. Show him the clothes as you're folding them. it will make your time go faster and he'll get the interaction he craves.
Good Luck to you!

My son was a very fussy baby also. He always wanted my attention, which is fine but he had underlying problems too. We found out he was lactose intolerant at the hospital when he was born because he perjectile vomited. We put him on the lactose free formula. We kept him on that for about a month and he was really fussy so the doctor suggested maybe to switch him to soy. We did that but then he was constipated and he was still fussy. So we talked to the doctor again and the last resort was switching him to Alimentum by Similac. It's for sensitive tummies. Well, then he was getting acid reflux so we got medicine for that. He was a little happier and acted like he felt better then. Come to find out several months later and going to a specialist, he has a dairy protein allergy which means he can't even have soy. His little body can't tolerate it.

It seems like when we started him on baby food, he had little tummy aches because his tummy isn't used to eating thicker foods. That's just something that needs to be worked out. If you feel like something is wrong, then your instinct is probably right and you need to talk to the doctor some more about it.

I hope this helps and hang in there! :-)

A. M.
www.4theLoveofMyFamily.com

You are NOT a bad Mom and his fussiness is not your fault. My son was the same way. Some babies just need more stimulation than others. Don't worry too much about it. I know how hard it is to get anything done, but you will figure it out. As far as the vomiting goes, he might not be ready for the foods you are feeding him. My son would projectile vomit when I gave him anything other than breast milk until he was almost 7 months old. I would try to give him cereal about once a week from the time he was five months. He would projectile vomit every time. After a few tries, I stopped cereal and moved on to bananas and applesauce. He stopped vomiting as soon as I stopped the cereal. Good luck! And don't forget that you are a wonderful Mom!!

I would get him checked for acid reflux. My son was the same way and it was because he was uncomfortable from the acid in his stomach and throat. That could be the vomiting after eating. And it could even cause him to be fussy while laying down because the acid just sits there and cant go anywhere. Just a thougt.

I would bring him in anyway for the vomiting, just to get it checked out.

And some babies are just clingier than others too.

I hope that helped a little.

You poor thing, I know how you feel and you are not a bad mom. Some babies are happier than others - my first was perfect, always happy . . . my second made me feel like such a failure b/c I couldn't do anything w/o him crying for me (and I did all the same things with both). My second also freaks out even when other people come over b/c he thinks if they are there then I must be leaving . . . just different personalities, he'll grow out of it. Yes it is normal behavior for teething as well. You might talk to your son's pediatrician about the projectile vomiting - my nephew had acid reflux and that was part of the reason he was fussy. Good luck and have confidence in yourself.

i would stop the green beans and just stick with the cereal. they don't really need solids at this age anyway - more for training purposes. most likely teething - my first was very fussy during teething times. you will find that the bottle (or breast) will be more comforting to them. also, my first was very fussy and dependent upon me. my second was so laid-back. most likely it is not you, just your child's personality. rest is key. i know when mine have more sleep the lest fussy they are. you may consider adjusting when you put him down for night. good luck.

I had the same issues with my son who is now 3 years old. He cried ALOT. The only way he was happy was if I was standing up holding him, preferable moving around. Even if I sat and held him for a minute he started crying again. I was a first time mom, so I just thought all babies cried all the time. Since then, several people have told me that they don't and I should have had him tested for reflux. I don't know if that was the problem or not. After all, hindsight is 20/20. The good news is, he grew out of it for the most part by the time he was about 6 months or 7 months. All in all, my opinion is that some babies are just cryers, just like adults have different personalities. But, it wouldn't hurt to have him checked for reflux just in case. Hang in there, things will change. Just about the time you figure it out he will have some new puzzling behavior.

Completely normal. Imagine not being able to sit, crawl, walk or move around at all, but want to learn all about this very interesting world. That is why your son needs to be held much of the time and entertained a lot. As soon as he is older, he will be able to entertain himself, but that's quite a while from now. No baby will be happy or healthy if left on the floor with no interaction and no parent close by. He is completely helpless and needs you close by at all times, in my opinion. Buy a bouncy seat and move it around from room to room and talk and sing to him while you are working. Babies cry, especially when they are teething. Check with your pedi about giving him some children's Tylenol for the pain. All babies spit up a lot after eating, especially if not burped well. My children spit up many times every day for months. I would not change formulas unless your pedi thinks it is a good idea. Your baby isn't depressed and you're doing the best you can, so be proud of what you've accomplished so far-a healthy baby who is well taken care of. All children are different and your son may not be one of those babies who smiles constantly, my youngest wasn't either until he got older. Not only is your baby normal, so are your feelings. All mommies feel guilty at times, but as your children get older you learn to get used to those feelings. Good luck with everything!!

No it's not normal and no it's not your fault... talk with your pediatrician to evaluate your baby for acid reflux. If that is the issue, which it sounds like, some mild medicine could make all the difference in the world.

A couple of hints also include: Does your baby sleep better on tummy? Does your baby do better if he/she sits up for at least 30-45 minutes after the meal? A yes to either could be another clue that there is a reflux problem, which is easily treated and they do outgrow.

I am not a nurse or doctor, but both of my children have had reflux (one...very badly). Sounds to me like your child has acid reflux and is eating to sooth his throat that is sore from the acid. He is being fussy because he is uncomfortable. After he eats the milk, it is coming back up...etc. Definitely get in to see your pediatrician. Hopefully they will put your bebe on either Prevacid or Zantac...or if it is a mild case, maybe Axid. He might even need his formula thickened to keep it from coming up. There are many ways to help the problem. Talk to your pedi!

Please take your child to a pediatric gastroenterologist! He may well be crabby because he is uncomfortable. When our 9 year old son was baby he was so crabby people still talk about it and the about vommit he could emmit. We finally had a fundoplacation done and it changed our lives. When the surgeon went in he said that Joshua's esophaugus had almost no lining left from vommiting so much and his stomach had bleeding ulcers- um no wonder he was crabby. I would rule out medical problems before trying any behavior changing methods with a 5 month old. If you are in the Dallas Ft Worth area we had better luck with Childrens medical than we did with Cook Childrens we saw Dr. Patel and he was great!