HELP! What happened to my quiet little miss?

[bec79]

I need advice. My 11 week old bub won't settle unless I am holding her up so that she is looking over my left shoulder...and I mean that literally. She cracks it if I lie her down, cradle her, sit her in my lap, even the left shoulder is no good...its' got to be the right!
She was a content little baby, but this seems to have started happening and getting progressively worse since we took her on a long trip to Sydney, (we live in Brisbane) about 4 weeks ago. I think it really threw her routine out.
Can any one offer any advice, I'm going insane. It's gotten to the point that I can't even put her down and go to the loo before she's crying again!

[JanetF]

Sounds like a normal baby to me :) Their stages change so quickly! If she's expressing a clear need to be held, then holding her will provide what she needs, right? Maybe you need a cheap sling to make it easier for you to move around at the same time? You can go to the loo with a sling and never have to put bubs down! :D This stage will only last a little while and perhaps it's related to being away from her familiar environment and she just needs a little more reassurance that her beloved mama is there, no matter what. Remember they don't develop "object permanence" (the ability to remember and know that when you leave, you come back) until they're many months old so when you put her down, she doesn't actually know you're coming back. If you can't hand her to someone else while you go to the loo, or whatever, maybe lie her somewhere where she can still see you and hear you? And learn to wee quickly ;) Now you have a child you'll never be alone in the bathroom again LOL. She's just being a normal baby, and holding her is a great idea! Good on you!

[Baby Girl]

I had a similar problem (she was only happy being held on the right but hated the left) with DD2 at about 4 weeks and it turned out that her neck was out of alignment. I took her to a paediatric chiro and he checked her over and gave her a small neck twist, no cracks and she was fine after that.

[Kristy7]

Hi bec,
My name is kristy, my little girl is only 5 and a half weeks. but she has already started to do the same thing, or did.
I ended up just having to put her bed for a time out, she has sort of figured out that if she is silly, that it want work on mum, and mum will just put her down..
the first time i did it, it was sooo hard, but she cried for 2 minutes and relised i wasn't coming back..
Dad made me do it, i dont think i could of done it on my own, he still holds me back every now again.. but it works..
Kristy :o

[JanetF]

Kristy I really urge you to rethink that idea. A newborn baby only cries when it needs it's mum, they have no capacity to think about anything at all, they react purely on instinct to everything. She just needs you to pick her up and cuddle her. You're not spoiling her, you're being her mum. That yucky feeling you get when she cries is supposed to happen, it's what is meant to make us pick up our babies. Remember she's totally dependant on you, you're the only familiar thing in her tiny experience and she just needs to be held.
I hope someone gives you a hug when you cry too. I'm sending you a cyberhug, just in case ;)

[mummycloud]

My son is almost 4 weeks old and some days he screams like he is being murdered till I pick him up. It breaks my heart to leave him that way, but because he is lactose intolerant and thinks his tummy pains are actually hunger pains,some days he can do it all day long, and becasue I am human and have 3 other kids, I have to just let him cry sometimes. I wish I could just pick him up and hold him all day long, but it's impossible. Of course, if he gets too hysterical, I pick him up, cause I don't want him to think I don't care, but most of the time I just go in every few mintues an let him know I'm around, or I put him where he can see me, but he still cries to be picked up :rolleyes: If he had it his way he'd be permanantly attached to the breast. As it is he is getting fed every hour (he has gained 3Ibs in 3 weeks).

Last night he was screaming and I didn't hear him. My daughter came in and said, are you going to do something about the baby? I was like..OMG how long has he been crying?
When I got to him he had real tears, I felt so bad, I picked him up and couldn't stop saying sorry and kissing him :(
So long as our babies don't get left for too long, I'm sure it's ok to let them cry while we go to the toilet or have a shower etc, we all need our space occasionaly our we go crazy!

[JanetF]

Genie maybe a sling would help you hold your bub and still have your hands free? Babies with sore tummies are often more settled in a sling and there's easy booby access there too. It's much harder with an unwell babe, so I hope you have lots of support and other hands to help out. I'd try a sling in preference to ever leaving a tiny baby to cry, especially one that was unwell.

[mummycloud]

I have a baby sling thingy, but it's not too good on my back. I'm in agony after 15 minutes :( I'm aslo not fond of the idea of using a sling when cooking or drinking hot drinks etc, I've seen lots of badly burned babies and get paranoid of oil splashes and stuff.

I've had Aiden is a bouncer in the bathroom watching me shower, but he still cries. I sing to him so he knows I'm there and listening, STILL cries. It's very hard to hold a crying baby 24/7 with 3 other kids and no support. I'm doing the best I can and am very good at feeling guilty for not doing better.
Feel free to come over and hold him when I can't though Janet ;) that will solve the problem perfectly! :D

[Kristy7]

hi gene,
it is kristy here, i have to agree with you. it is hard to hold them 24/7. alot of the time i hold paige, but there are some times when she is feed and burped and there is nothing that could be wrong, but she just wants me to hold her all the time, and i think she is too use to me holding her every time she is awake. she has her days were she is just tired and i put her down and she goes to sleep after a little.. i have a sling and i use it some times, but it makes you hunch over.. and hurt after a while.. and the same thing i dont want to burn her while cooking or drinking...
All of this and i only have one bub, i praise you for doing it with 3 other children to have to run around after...
My bub knows i care about her, but i dont want her to later be upset if i go out and leave her with her nan because she is use to me being there 24/7....
:)