I have a 10 weeks old baby girl and up until about 1 week ago she has been perfect. She had her first shots last week and hasn't been the same since. She is constantly crying and wanting to be held and sometimes even when I hold her she still cries and I don't know why. She has been checked out by the doctor and is very healthy, doesn't show any signs of colic and her temperature is always normal. I just don't know what to do. This has been an everyday problem for the last week and my husband is in Iraq (lucky me!) so I don't have extra help. Any ideas or suggestions? Could it still be from her shots or could there be another problem? Have any of you parents experienced this?

By Kate on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:35 pm:

What shots did she have? It could be from that, as they all have side effects, some more so than others. Crying for a week doesn't sound normal because unless it's a serious side effect, it doesn't usually last this long. I would investigate the side effects from the specific shots she had, preferably via the internet. Doctors may not be so eager to share that info with you. If she had a ton of shots (and remember, three shots can equal NINE diseases as each shot usually has more than one) her little new body is fighting off all those diseases and it could just be wearing her down. I realize it's all low dose and all, but still, her body is working to make those antibodies and it might just be bothering her. Don't hesitate to check in with your doctor and voice your concerns.

By Trina on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 10:16 pm:

WELCOME, Boxzgrl! Ditto what Kate said. It could be the shots, but it could also be other things. Does she spit up frequently? My youngest was a "perfect" baby for the first couple months until her GERD (acid reflux) really kicked in. More info and symptoms here:
GERD symptoms
Once on Zantac she did much better. She also didn't handle dairy well in my breast milk. I cut all dairy out and had a much happier baby.

If everything is ruled out and she is still crying a lot, it could very well be colic. Colic = crying/fussing for no apparent reason.

{{{HUGS}}}

By Cat on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 10:57 pm:

Welcome from another Military wife! My dh is AF (only has two years left!!!) and we're in Colorado. It could be from the shots, but like Trina said it could also be colic. My youngest was fine until about three months and then he'd cry for at least an hour every night until I stopped drinking milk. I couldn't start drinking it again until he was almost a year old (and I like my milk!). Are you nursing? If you are, are you eating any spicy/gassy foods, ie: califlower, cabbage, broccoli, etc.? I'd check that and it won't hurt to check with the doc again (hey, like a friend of ours says, "free medical"). Good luck and let us know how she's doing. Hope you like Momsview!

By Tklinreston on Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 11:09 pm:

Welcome to the site, Melissa. I have a five month old ds and I went through the same experience as you are going through. In fact it was this dilemma which led me to this site and you can read my posts from back in March. "my newborn wants to be held all the time". I agree with Kate and Trina that it could somehow be related to the shot and you should explore that possibility first. For me, my ds was just "fussy" for no apparent reason. Some babies are just more sensitive than others and just have a hard time adjusting to all of the stimulus around them. I just held him and comforted him as much as I could. It wasn't easy, especially because I also have a 3 year old who needed alot of my attention, but I didn't have the heart to let him cry it out. Everyone told me around 12-16 weeks, it would get much better as his system matures, and you know what? IT DID. I totally understand what you going through. ((HUGS)) It will get better!! Hang in there!!

By Eve on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 08:01 am:

Gas drops saved my life with my DD! Also, putting her in a sling-carrier tightly helped. Another thing that worked wonders was putting her in her carseat to sleep! The curve of the seat helped her tummy with gas! It will get better soon! Hang in there!

By Ginnyk on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 09:32 am:

Oh do I remember. My oldest had colic (back in 1961), and I remember going out and sitting on the front steps and crying while he was crying in the crib, because I felt so helpless and could not get him to stop crying. Turns out all 3 boys had "immature digestive systems", and with the 2nd a new pediatrician prescribed 1 drop of a medication on his tongue before every feeding - it worked. But oh my, do I remember.

They didn't have gas drops when mine were babies, but lots of people swear by them. And, as other say, it could be the shots.

I am guessing this is your first child - oh, poor first children and poor moms of first children - it is a learn on the job situation and while often delightful, is sometimes no fun at all for either mom or baby.

By Kaye on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 10:04 am:

It could be so many things. First thoughts are plain and simple your baby is uncomfy, whether it is shots, or something else, feeling a little off. Give her some tylenol. Ask the doc for dosage reccomendations. If that helps you know it isn't colic, but a physical issue. If it is shots, it should go away in another week tops. It could be a muscle soreness from tensing up from the shots. My little ones would get unreasonably fussy after we visited family, being passed around so much must of hurt their bodys, tylenol always helpped! If you are nursing, changing your diet is a great idea. If you aren't, what type of formula are you using. Most allergies and sensativities take a while to develop. Switch to a ready to feed formula, they are easier on the digestive system, make sure you never ever put baby milk into a microwave, it changes the protiens (formula and breast milk alike) this can cause fussiness. And good luck! Hopefully this will pass soon!

By Lauram on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 12:13 pm:

My second son screamed nonstop for the first five months (no joke). He barely slept too and when he finally did, we all just collapsed. I think his was colic and I think it was from an immature neuological system as bright lights and noises would throw him for a big loop. My first son screamed a bit and that was from constipation. Basically, I have no idea why she is screaming but she's tryingt o tell you something! Just keep trying to figure out what it is! GOod luck! I totally feel your pain!

By Boxzgrl on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 02:35 pm:

Thanks for all the advice. Today she is doing well (with crying) because I just keep her in the sling attached to me and she hasnt had a crying episode yet. But now i'm noticing that if she eats 4 oz. of her formula (Similac Advance w/ Iron) she spits up about 2-2 1/2 ounces. That is the normal amount she has been eating for a while. I called the Nurse Advice Line here on base and the R.N. told me it was normal because their tummies are so small. If thats true, why could she hold everything down fine until recently??? So now im stuck feeding her 1 oz. every 30-45 minutes and she keeps it down well. (My idea, nurse didnt help much) *Trina, i'm going to read more abour GERD, thanks!!!* It just seems as if the nurse was just putting her in a category with typical newborns. I may be a first time mom but I do know that it is not normal with how much shes spitting up.

By Oliviasmom on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 03:06 pm:

Do you know, when my kids were babies, I'd just go through the checklist:

Are they hungry? Burb? Wet? Too hot? too cold? sick? just need loving? need to poop? not peing enough? bothered by what I ate (breastfeeding) diaper rash? clothes bothering them? Is this a growth spurt? is it the type of formula, maybe you should change brands? (water it down more than it says too on the back.), is it the type of bottle, nipple? etc.

If the doctor has checked her and she's healthy, you need to figure out the minor details. I found both my babies were quite regular - meaning about every 4 wks, they'd have a growth spurt, need to eat constantly for about a week, then they were back to being perfect.

It's not easy, but try to react in a loving manner and console her so that she knows you're there for her. Give her the breast whenever she needs it, spend good quality time with her. She is too young to cry for any other reason but instinct - she needs something - you just need to figure out what that is!

NOTHING is typical about any newborn!! They are all different!

Good luck and come here for support!

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 08:59 pm:

My oldest daughter cried often and for long periods of time when she was a baby, between 2 weeks of age or so and 12 weeks of age. Pretty much for three hours every night! We used to take for car rides to help settle her down so we could get some sleep. Eventually, she started crying earlier in the evening, like 7-10pm instead of 12am-3am! Then she slept all night. By the end of 3 months, she was going to sleep at 7 and sleeping 12 hours. Most of that crying time, she really didn't need anything. She would have been fed and changed and would still cry! I was sure glad when that was over. My youngest daughter had her fussy periods, too, but never cried quite as much as the first one.

By Semperspencer on Thursday, July 31, 2003 - 09:24 pm:

If she keeps spitting up so much, you may want to talk to the doctor about switching formulas. Sometimes something so easy as switching to a soy based formula will significantly reduce the amount she spits up. One of my children had GERD also. I used the Zantac mentioned above and it helped tremendously. I disagree with the nurse about it being normal how much she spits up. If you are concerned, then there must be a reason. I would insist at your next appointment that they listen to you, and offer you some suggestions. Good Luck!

By Kaye on Friday, August 1, 2003 - 01:23 am:

We medicated my son for reflux due to spitting up so much. What really was causing it was a formula sensitivty. I swear by using carnation good start and only using ready to pour formula. Our drinking water just has so much junk in it, unless you take the time to boil all your water it isn't good for baby!