Screaming Baby...

My son did the same thing a few weeks ago! I ended up taking him to a chiropractor. He very gently aligned his spine, and now he's back to his happy self. The chiro said that if babies are out of alignment (which most are from birth) especially in the upper back it can affect digestion. I hope this helps!

You know I have a 3 month old and have been going through the same thing. I would recommend watching the dairy products, because even though mine was tested for lactose and allergies to milk which she was fine, it helps with her fussy ness. Now the sitting down then getting frustrated is just the way he likes to be comforted and at this age it is best to do what ever makes the little guy happy, but slowly getting him used to a routine of rocking then getting layed to bed. She still does the samething to me and am working with it. The acid reflex someone had recommended and ear infections are the extreme expecially if he is fine anyother time. Just hang in there it gets better. A mom of a three year old and 3month old.

I remember very well what these days are like for you. My now 13 yr old was a screamer. The Dr. had said "colic." I consulted a lactation specialist, and she suggested I withdraw all dairy products for myself and in formula. Lucky for us, it helped a lot. I got off milk, cheese, ice cream, all of it, and it really improved his days. Poor little guy. Maybe you're having a lot of something he's sensitive to, like tomatoes, or eggs, or nuts of any kind, or citrus?

HI S., maybe you should bring you little guy to the chiropractor. My baby would do the same thing cry ALL the time. Maybe his back is out. My Doctor said it was Acid reflux, we tried mylicon and RX Acid reducer and all the formula you can think of but nothing worked then a savior (my friend Tiff) told me to bring him to the chiro OMG he was a new boy! best thing I ever did! Good luck!... M. Proud mama or a 10 year old girl and a 15 month boy!! :)

I agree with some of the others that this sounds a lot like acid reflux. My 4 month old has reflux and had all of the same symptoms. We were really hesitant to put her on Zantac but it truly works and eases the pain for her. Our pediatrician explained to us that even if she isn't spitting up all the time, the acid can still be coming up and going right back down which in turn burns the esophogus both when it goes up and down. I'd take her in to the clinic.

S.,

At 2 months my son developed an ear-piercing scream that unnerved me and no matter what I did he contininued to cry so I made sure he was clean, full and safe in his crib and let him scream it out - as painful as it was for me. Even when he was 2 or 3 years old he would wake up from his naps screaming and nothing I did made him stop - except letting him scream it out. He continued this scream until he wasn't taking naps anymore. He is 7 now and happy and healthy. I placed him in his crib and made sure he was not hungry or wet because the screaming got on my nerves and that was they only way I could cope with it. If this is your first child let me give you this one piece of advice: It is okay to not be perfect. You were not created perfect and you are going to make a lot mistakes. Give yourself grace to fail so that you can get up and try again and again. Your son's screaming is not a reflection of your parenting some children just need to release frustration and that apears to be your son's way.

Is he crying because he's hungry or tired? Our daughter (8 months old) will seem perfectly happy but as soon as I sit in the rocking chair she will start crying. I always nurse her in the chair and usually sleep comes after nursing. I don't know why she does this. But she calms down as soon as she is able to latch on. I think she is frustrated that I can't get the breast out faster and sitting the the chair reminds her how hungry she is (no distractions).

Could be reflux if he does better sitting upright with feeding and especially after feeding. If his extreme fussiness is mostly centered around feeding and shortly after, I'd ask your doctor about reflux....

I would have him checked out. It could be an intolerence to the formula or something you are eating if you are breast feeding. It could be bad gas or colic, it could be ear infection. If he is crying and screaming then letting him cry himself out isn't good if there is a physical reason he is doing it. Take him in and have him checked, please.

Welcome, S.! This is a great website as where else can you hear so many stories of moms who are going through or have gone through the same situations as you.
I just wanted to share with you my thoughts. About three-7 months some babies go through a tough time and seem to have colic. What helped with my kids was different with each of them. My oldest I BF for the first three months until work and lack of sleep made me need to stop and switch to formula. It was h*** o* his tummy to make that switch and the iron constipated him at first. The mylicon drops helped emmensly to Calm him down after his feedings, but it is important they have the iron so I stayed with the iron formula. With my second, I nursed him until I found out we were pregnant with our third. He was 7 months old. He was fussy late in the day every day! I would have to keep bouncing, moving, or swinging him with the car seat. The regular swing just did not do it for him. So until he was too heavy to swing anymore, my husband and I would take turns swinging him in the car seat. Felt like my arms would fall off:) He also would need to burp more then just getting the first one out. I would rotate positions burping him. First over shoulder rubbing in large circles from top to bottom. Then, sitting him upright on my lap and laying him down and back up over and over. And sometimeslaying him on his back and pulling his legs up towards his tummy and down again. I also would give him the lavendar baths and then massage the lotion on his back afterwards. With our third, when she got fussy she just wanted to be left alone. It took me a while to figure it out. I would try holding, singing, dancing, bouncing, but she would not settle down until I just laid her down in her crib. She did not like to snuggle. Probably just over stimulated during the day and needed to just be at night I guess. I kept thinking something was wrong and I needed to do something, but not in her case:) You're so new to all of this and it will take sometime to figure out just what your baby wants. Just keep trying different things until you find what works for him. Also, try to stay as calm as possible when he is fussing. Babies can sense when you are stressed and often times will be stressed more just because you are. When you find that you are starting to get to that point remember to take a break, ask your husband for help, or just lay him down until you can take a deep breath and start again. When nothing would work, that's exactly what I did. Just put the baby somewhere safe like his crib. Walk outside your door so you can not hear the crys and have a cup of coffee or something to just relax. Then when you can go back in and see if he is more receptive to you again. Hang in there! It wont be long until he's two and all you hear is "NO!" Or wait until he's ten and everything "is so unfair" Mine are 10, 4, and 3. If you ever need any advice feel free to ask.

He may be getting gassy, I would try milacon (I think I spelled that wrong) but they're gas drops and that may settle his tummy. Good luck:-)

he may have gas bubbles....when you feed him, make sure he is burping good. you can also try gas bubble medicine like mylicon (sold in the baby dept or by the pharmacy). you can also try bike pedaling his legs to get the bubbles out or lay him on his tummy for a while as the pressure sometimes helps work it out too.

The greatest book a mom could ever read is "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. The book has lots of great suggestions on how to calm a screaming baby.

I was thinking it could be reflux, my son who is 14 months old now had reflux until about 5 months old. He needed to be in a more upright position and after the feeding he needed to sit up for awhile.
Good luck,
H.

is he formula fed? if so you might have a constipation issue. constipation is not the lack of pooping it is the difficulty and pain when passing or having to pass stool. it really sounds like he is in pain, and you should take him to the doctor, perhaps even at a feeding time so the doctor can take a look at exactly what is happening...

be assured that your son is NOT MANIPULATING YOU!!!! babies do NOT understand how to do this, and they dont have a reason to. babies up to around a year old DO NOT DO THINGS TO GET THEIR WAY they do things when they have a need. your baby is in pain. figure this out, dont ignore him! its very important to trust yourself and not think that your baby is out to get you or something. dont let him cry it out - that is detrimental to your relationship. check www.askdrsears.com for info on the cry it out method.
no, it is not good to let a baby cry unless you are at your wits end.
it really sounds like your baby has a definate pain and you need to take care of him, not worry you are being used. typically when babies eat it stimulates passing stool.

good luck )

Just to be sure, I'd take him in and have his ears checked for an infection too. My baby started doing this at 12 weeks when I went to feed her becasue both her ears were infected.

No,a 3 month old does not cry to get frustration out. He cries because he is frustrated his request isn't being meet. It would be cruel to just let him cry.

Are you breastfeeding? If so there may be something in your diet bothering him, have you been eating anything different lately? If you cut down on dairy, beans, onions and other gassy foods you may notice a change. Most babies are slightly dairy sensitive even if its just coming through your breast milk.

Do you have a sling or wrap you could carry him in? This would comfort him immensely and make it easier for you to move around as well.

It sounds like acid reflux. Straightening of the legs and arching the back are sure signs. Both my kids have/had that, and you're right, it's because of a not-quite-developed digestive system. You can get Zantac from your doctor for it. It takes a week or two to really get the full affect, but don't give up! It helps!!

Definitely acid reflux. Get him to the doctor. They will give him some meds and instructions for positioning. I elevated the crib mattress. They make those crib wedges. Wonderful things. You also need to keep him upright after you feed for about a half hour. The first thing you need to do is get him on some medicine to get that little guy's upper digestive tract healed and feeling better.

Hope this helps,

S.

it sounds like gas maybe. I didnt' see what you are feeding him. I was on similac with iron- and the iron really messed with my sons digestive system and he would scream in the same manner you are describing. So I took him off the iron, and he did fine.

My daughter screamed from day one and would scream for hours every night and also scream alot during the day. The sad thing was I did not realize until watching videos of her that she had Reflux from day one. It hurts to eat, it hurts to lay down, and when they cry it makes the burning stop so they continue to cry. Get your baby tested for reflux. It peaks at 12 weeks and It can also burn their asophagus and vocal cords if it gets bad enough. I second guessed my ability to be able to breastfeed and stopped at about 12 weeks and tried every formula hoping that it would help but the only thing that helped was reflux meds.

It sounds to me like it could be positional and for whatever reason that feeding position causes him some discomfort. Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Let me tell you, my babies responded SO well to chiropractic care. He may just need a little alignment. Good Luck.

Try to put your baby on babies magic tea. I was coping with the similar issues and this tea did great help to us.

Hi S.,
Whenever my kids did this they had an ear infection. I would get a doctors appt. My kids would also wake up more frequently at night or from naps when they had an ear infection.
Good luck,
L.

Usually the straight leg thing at that age does mean abdominal pain. Are you breastfeeding? That would help some. If not, though, don't worry as the phase with poor digestion usually is only from 3 months to 6 months or so. You may need to walk with him more during this time. Also, laying him on his left side will help, or holding him in your arms on his tummy 9so the pressure of your hands presses on his tummy. Also gently massaging his lower tummy in a circular motion (clockwise if you are facing him.) I am a mom of 3, youngest being 6 months is now past it. You will pass this phase soon! Good luck!

Sounds like you've got a little high-maintenance guy on your hands. You must be exhausted. It doesn't last forever--but it could if you do not indulge his needs/wants (same thing at that age). Hold him as much as he wants, it's the best thing to do. Do you have a good baby sling for wearing him? Let me know if you need one. I remember my girls as babies didn't ever want me to sit down while wearing or holding them. It was exhausting but I indulged them as much as possible. I think they like the feeling of being suspended and protected from falling at the same time...indulging their demands and not letting them cry at all is really the best thing for them because you will have a one year-old in seven months who isn't whiny and clingy and he will be all set to move into his next phases of development. I don't believe at all that any babies have to get frustrations out--how could it be good for them to be frustrated?--that's what the terrible two's are for (ha ha ha). Helping the new life you've got in your care become secure in this big, wonderful and scary world is, in my opinion, the best coping tool you can provide your child in their first year.