How much crying is normal?

[lstillwell88]

My LO is 8 weeks old, and has been crying almost constantly since he was born. I pump and he drinks from a bottle and has been since 1 week old. He seems so gassy, and I feel like we have tried everything! We have tried probiotic drops which seemed to help but just for the first week. I cut dairy from my diet 2 weeks ago and again, he seemed better for a couple of days, but now he is back to screaming and crying all day long again. We do the 5 s's, swaddle him, take him for walks...all of the obvious suggestions. He seems like he just really struggles to poop and is very gassy. He kicks his legs out, strains, and his face gets all red. It's stopping him from sleeping well too. I'm just wondering if this seems normal or if I should have the doctor check him again!

[grumpycat88]

I would talk to your ped about colic or reflux. Most babies turn red and strain to poop. Some babies cry more than others but it's worth checking into.

[Deleted]

Have you tried putting gas drops in every bottle or tried gripe water?

If this has been going on for 3+ weeks and baby cries for 3+ hours a day, 3+ times a week, I would definitely ask about the baby being colicy.

[mapetitefamille]

Does he spit up a lot or have bloody or mucousy stools? If not I'd guess that it's colic; unfortunately some babies are harder to soothe. As long as there are no signs that anything is wrong medically, the good news is that it usually ends by 3 months. It might also be sooner-- DD1 outgrew it at 9 weeks.

[lstillwell88]

We have tried both gripe water and gas drops. The gas drops have seemed to work better but aren't consistent. His stools seem normal for a breastfed baby and he spits up sometimes, but not a lot. Maybe it is just colic. He just seems to be in pain so I guess that's the part that's really bothering me. I hope you are right about it clearing up by 3 months! If this ends in a few weeks I am more than ok with that! I can't wait to feel like I'm enjoying my baby boy more often! I can't wait for him to seem like a happy baby!

[llambrose]

Just a question, do you eat/drink a lot of citrus fruit? We were having some days like that and I was fearing that it was dairy but then I realized that I had been drinking a lot of OJ, I stopped and he was better, drank it again and he got bad again.

[lstillwell88]

I don't, but thanks for the tip!! I'm glad to hear that you were able to find something that worked! I have an orange occasionally but not too often.

[milagros315]

We went through this with my son last week (6-7 weeks). He kept waking up around 2 AM and would cry, grunt and strain until he finally pooped around 6 or 7 AM. I tried to figure out what could be causing it, but I really think it was/is just because his digestive system is still immature.

I'm sorry that you've been dealing with it for so long - it's really frustrating. I hope that you either figure out a cause or that he grows out of it!

[backseatdriver]

Definitely worth discussing with the pediatrician. My son was gassy and cried a lot between 2 and 8 weeks. It got worse before it got better. At his one month appointment we discussed it because he was crying virtually every moment he was awake. The only thing that helped really was time. I also found that a reclining high chair out him at the perfect position for pooping/farting. MOTN when he was grunting and crying I would head downstairs and set him in the chair for 10 minutes or so.

[kcrus]

Does your LO arch or gasp while feeding? My kids have all had reflux and only calmed once they were on medication. I would definitely contact your doctor, if only for peace of mind.

[pczmtru]

My son was like this & I noticed he would spit up clear drool like stuff and then he would make a face as if it were bitter. He also would cry right after and get red. I thought it could be reflux and took him to the pediatrician. His spit up was also projectile. I was right and we're trying to manage it by sitting him up after feedings and I go back Tuesday to check his progress with his ped. So far it has helped SOME but I think he will need meds as its still happening often. Good luck!