How to Soothe a Fussy Newborn?

You have to burp him often.
Some babies are prone to spitting up til they are about 1 yr old - receiving blankets are your friends.
You can try the baby gas drops - our pediatrician said they were worth a try.
Also - some babies just cry - a LOT - for awhile.
Whether it's 'the witching hour' thing (crying for several hours same time of day usually in the evenings) or full on colic - it's tough to get through.
Our son seemed to cry almost non stop for his first 8 weeks before he settled down.
My Mom tells me I screamed my head off for the first 6 months of my life.
Keep talking to your pediatrician and talking with a breast feeding consultant is a great idea.
Car rides, vibrating bouncy seat, a baby swing, etc might help and are worth a try.
They all out grow it sooner or later - but it seems like it's taking forever while you are gong through it.

Congratulations on your new baby!!

As a mom of 4 boys, I can tell you it's tough for each one since they are each different.

My first was sleeping the night through at 6 weeks. Rarely ever cried. NEVER took a pacifier.

My second was a screamer for the first 9 months. it was rare to hear him giggle and laugh. Had a pacifier until he was 4.

My third was a mix of the first two, but good after 5 months. Loved his paci until he was 2.

My last was just like the first, although he had colic that woke him up. He had reflux. We kept him in a Johnny Jumper after burping and feeding. White noise helped. A fan and the radio station not tuned but only static.

I had to watch my diet since I breast fed all of my boys. There are foods that make babies gassy.

He might not be hungry, he might just want to suck on something. Try a pacifier. Try white noise.

Call your pediatrician. Many have a lactation consultant on staff. Get in to ensure your son is properly latched. Pump, as another suggested, to see how much milk you are getting out.

This WILL pass!! Promise!! It's tough! I know. You can do it!

Not all crying means baby Is hungry. I fed my first born too often. He didn't get a chance to digest, work out the gas, work up an appetite. Speak with your doctor to see if baby is gaining appropriately and how you are doing.

Best F. B.

ETA: My youngest was VERY fussy - thanks for the reminder Margie!! He just turned 15 yesterday! His first year was tough! He needed to be kept upright for a while (we found out his tubes were not fully formed in his ears - any way - we had a vibrating bouncy that helped him as well.
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Welcome to mamapedia! CONGRATULATIONS on your newest addition to your family!

Maybe you should start pumping to find out how much milk you are producing if your son wants to nurse all the time.

Contact Le Leche League or call your pediatrician and ask if they have a breast feeding consultant available and make an appointment to see her.

You need to watch what YOU eat while breast feeding - broccoli and eggs can cause a LOT of gas in babies.

Good luck! The first year is the hardest. I know it's tough. It would help if you told us how old your son is and if there were complications at delivery/birth.

I learned early from symptoms just like these that my infants were cows milk intolerant. What that meant was that if I drank milk or ate dairy, the cows milk proteins were passed through my breastmilk to the baby, and gave him gas. The smoking gun was the day I gave into temptation and ate a bowl of ice cream, and then had a screaming gassy baby for the next 12 hours.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to test this - stop drinking milk/eating dairy for a week and see if your baby feels better. Do NOT switch to formula - most formula is made from cow's milk.

Good luck

Welcome to our forum, and welcome to your new baby!

Great ideas below. I agree, shorter feedings with burps in between, even if you put him back on the breast after a good burp or too. The less air in his stomach and the less milk too, the less spit-up you'll deal with. Keep him vertical and don't nurse him to sleep when he's horizontal - he's got to burp. And I'm sure it makes you nuts to see all that good breast milk get wasted!

Do consider pumping for 2 reasons: you'll know how much you're producing when your breasts are really full, and you can consider freezing that milk so someone else can feed the baby while you nap.

Be sure he's really eating and not nursing/sucking just for comfort. A pacifier can help - my son really only used one once, but many babies do well with them. There are pros and cons, but if he calms down with one, you'll know he's not just hungry.

Also, try skin-to-skin contact with someone else, like Dad or Grandma/Grandpa - some babies like that feeling to calm down, and it doesn't mean they are hungry. What you want to avoid (and if you scan the prior questions on Mamapedia, you'll see dozens of questions around this), is a 9-month-old or an 18 month old who simply cannot be soothed or cannot fall asleep without nursing, or a 12 month (or 24 or 36 month) old who can't get through the night without eating! Someone else MUST be able to put a child to bed, and you want to develop a rocking/book/lullaby routine long before the child develops the habit of nursing to sleep. While a newborn must nurse on demand because they just don't have the capacity for a big meal, a child over 6 months of age doesn't need to eat every 3 hours during the night. Ask your doctor, but that's the most common cut-off. And at that age, they need to sleep at night (brain development) more than they need to eat.

I agree about La Leche League or a lactation consultant or a casual moms' group. You'll get great suggestions and support from those who have "been there"!

I agree with Wild Woman - if you can contact La Leche League, or whatever support is available to new moms for babies and breastfeeding in your area. Sometimes there are simple tricks (better latch, etc.) that can help. I agree to watch what you eat too.

I always found that if I was very full, my babies would get too much milk at once. A good burp between sides, or mid way was helpful for me. Sometimes expressing a little first if needs be.

Some babies are more prone to spitting up unfortunately. I had one like this. I did smaller feeds, more frequently. We just developed our our pattern of feeds. Eventually the spitting up went away on it's own.

My oldest was thought to have colic. We tried the drops (without much success), and worked on our burping techniques. My husband mastered how to get his gas out. Walking a certain way after a feed (with baby against his shoulder), etc. Bicycle movements for his legs if he had pain in his tummy.

A mommy/baby group might be able to help you too if you have one locally. We tried baby massage - I found that quite helpful.

The fussiness does pass over time. Hang in there!

Added: I had a vibrating bouncy chair which was the #1 most helpful aid for me with my infants. It always would calm them (ours had bubbles that played soft water music).

Newborns have very tiny stomachs and cannot eat much at one time. Honestly, the best thing you can do is give him a pacifier in between feedings. Babies younger than 4 months have the instinctual need to suck. That doesn't mean they need to drink milk all the time. Your baby needs a break from nursing, and so do you!

You may need to buy several differnt types of pacifiers to find one that will suit him. You should be nursing every 3 hours, starting timing from the time he started nursing to the next nursing. Stop and burp him often.

I really think that you aren't giving him enough time to digest his milk before offering him the breast again. Let him work some of this out without just assuming that he is hungry.