14 week old baby who cries excessively for no apparent reason

[Jusnaa]

Hello Ladies,

Just wanted some advice as I have a 14 week old boy who cries more than usual. Have been to the Dr who says its colic but I don't agree as the baby is not showing the syptoms of colic eg he doesnt cry at certain times of the day nor does he seem to have stomach aches or pains. He seems to cry for attention, and constantly wants to be cuddled and kissed and spoken to. He wont sit in his bouncer nor will he sleep in his basket, he wants to be held through his sleep. It is very stressful as he's so demanding and has so many preferences, I don't know what to do as he doesn't really like being held by anyone but me and his father. How can I get him to overcome his clinginess? Is this normal?

[chocolatechip]

Oh dear! Have you heard of silent reflux, perhaps your little man has that? I agree with you, its doesn't sound like colic xx

[gigglysheep]

My lo is starting to get really strange with anyone that isn't me or my oh. Even grans and grandads are a nono. She is 17wks and it seems this is the clingy time. I honestly don't think there is anything to do except wait it out. Sorry hun. Im sure it will get better. after all we only have hope and marbles to lose Haha xx

[Pat_S in reply to gigglysheep]

When's your Leo's bday? Alice is EXACTLY same at the moment, I feel sorry for her gran! She was born on 1st Feb.

[gigglysheep in reply to Pat_S]

My lg was born on 29th jan. Only days between them xx

[CharlotteDavies]

Are you bf or ff ? My friends little girl had milk intolerance and cried round the clock till that's what they discovered it was now she has special milk on prescription xx

[Queenie89]

Hi hun,from having my first and seeing my close friends lo's, it is pretty normal at this stage. In fact they go through a few stages where they only want mummy and daddy and cry if you both leave the room! It is only temporary but they all get clingy.

I found that if someone took my lo she burst into tears, as soon as i had her she stopped like a light switch had been flicked! She would notlet any1 else but me and daddy near her (your smell/voice and heart beat will comfort her).

I know some of the other girls have suggested a few things (which i would not rule out) but this stage is normal otherwise. X

[Buzzy]

Dear Jusnaa,

That sounds like my LO described to a T! For the first 12-14 weeks of her life, she was so unsettled, cried and fussed most of the time. My dad even said that LO being awake and not crying was a rare combination, lol! My OH and I used to do the nights in shifts: he would let her sleep on him from 9pm-2am, and I would take over from 2am-7am! She wouldn't sleep for longer than 15 min in her basket... and just constantly wanted me or DH to carry her... grandparents just wouldn't do!

we took her to see the gp 4 times and she was diagnosed with possible reflux but gaviscon didn't help, and she was prescribed low dose ranitidine first, then low dose omeprazole.GP told me not to bother with food avoidances (I'm breastfeeding) because food intolerances does not exist.

Anyway, things were not getting better and my OH told me we just needed to come to terms with the fact that our LO was a grumpy/touchy baby, and we should do the best with what we'd been given.

I was still not 100% convinced so finally took the plunge and paid to see a private paediatrician at the london portland hospital, who came highly recommended by some friends.

From what I described, he diagnosed acid reflux and increased the dose of ranitidine and omeprazole.

It took about a week but the improvement has been remarkable. It's as if the cloud has lifted and my LO's true personality is being revealed. She's now 6.5 mths old and since about 5 mths, we've been going through the honeymoon period. There were lots of things we needed to do, medicines, raise the head of her mattress, I'm avoiding dairy&soy&beef, wind her upright for 20min after each feed but it's sooooo worth it. When she was 3 mths old, if you told me she would do all her daytime naps in her cot and she would sleep 11hrs straight at night when she was 6 mths old, I wouldn't have believed it.

My OH was very sceptical about paying so much money to go see a private paediatrician but has since admitted that he was wrong about LO being a grumpy/touchy baby and that it was money well spent.

So trust your instincts, mummy- if you think there's something wrong, seek help from a medical expert (I've since written to the GP surgery with a formal letter of complaint) and I've also read the Blissful Baby Expert book from cover to cover. The author (Lisa Clegg) is also a night maternity nurse, based in Essex, who gives free email advice. We had her come over to work for 3 nights to give us advice on settling techniques ( our LO was like putty in her hands) so if there isn't anything wrong medically, then seek help and advice from a maternity nurse you trust (I thoroughly recommend Lisa, even if it's just for email advice).

I was so depressed, exhausted and sometimes even resentful about what I was experiencing. Now, I can truly say I'm really enjoying this special time with my baby. Sorry for the long message, but I hope this helps you x

[Hidden]

I agree with the above comments, there's lots of things it could be. If it's not silent reflux, I would recommend a cranial osteopath. I took both of mine and it made a huge difference to my first who didn't like to be put down, my second I took at 5 days old for the first session and he is the loveliest baby ever (apart from in the evening sometimes when he needs a poo or I've not fed him enough and he wants more). Keep looking for an answer until you're satisfied, trust your mummy instincts.

[Nickynackynoo]

This is normal, your baby is not doing this to be demanding or clingy, it is the only way to communicate effectively. Try lots of skin to skin contact and eye contact with a soothing voice to help your baby feel secure. This will settle down soon, but babies will pick up on parental anxiety.