Worried about my baby at bedtime

[Rainbowhope]

My 2 and half month son is really bad at bedtime. He just cries and cries and we don't know why. His nappy is changed, he is fed and burped and every other day he has a bath. He is generally better when he has a bath at bedtime. We measure his temperature and he always fine. Hes not too hot or too cold. He generally gets up for feeds but last night be slept for 7 and a half hours after being awake from 6pm to midnight. He didn't get up for feed but was starving when he woke and drunk lots of his milk. We consider lactose intolerance but he is generally fine after a day time feed. He sometimes makes a slight grunting sound at night too which is concerning. I know he is little and might not have a bedtime routine just yet but I am worried that he might be sick or in some kind of pain. We wanna take him to hospital just to get checked out but are scared that we'll get laughed at for bringing him in for no real reason. I had GBS in pregnancy. When my waters broke they gave me the I. V antibiotics and he was born by c section but maybe he got GBS and his symptoms are highlighting something serious. Just want some advice and to know if anyone has been here.

[Seb9]

It sounds like totally normal behaviour for a baby. It's sound a lot like the witching hour, which babies go through. It tends to ease off at around 3 months,my little girl seemed to keep going for longer though it felt. If you have a look at PURPLE crying too, it's very common in babies under 3 months.

If baby is drinking milk, having wet and dirty nappies, putting on weight and generally happy during the day is sound like they are going through a very common developmental leap and that you're doing a great job. Xx

[Blue1986]

Hello 🙂

It’s hard work being a mum, I had so many moments like this and still do. I am sure your boy is just fine and that is probably his witching ‘hour’, I’m sure it will pass.

However, if you feel like something is not right don’t worry about going to the doctor, don’t feel silly and like you’ll be laughed at. It’s always better to be on the safe side.

[Popbee]

It can be so hard sometimes. I’m afraid I don’t have advice about crying. Just wanted to say that never hesitate to take baby to be checked over or call 111 if out of hours. Only you know your baby and would see and feel if he is not well. Nobody ever laughs about checking baby and finding he is not ill. Hope he gets better soon. x

[roxannacar]

You can call your gp if you're concerned, a&e should really be left for emergencies tho. However this sounds pretty normal colic. And as seb9 said fact he's drinking is a really good sign. If baths help then give him a bath. Tummy massage and leg cycling too. Some.people find infacol works but the jury is out on that. As for gbs ... After two an and months it's unlikely to be the issue as this affects newborns.

[Rainbowhope]

Thanks everyone for your reassuring messages. Yesterday he has a lovely day. Slept and played throughout the day. No tears, all happy. Until bedtime! Then the madness began. Luckily we managed to stop him crying but he just wants us to hold him and stand up. Eventually he fell asleep. Hes no sick. I feel reassured that he's well. He's just going through a rough time at bedtime. I've ordered a bath aid to hold him up in the tub and will bath him every night which should help. Thanks for reassurance and advice.

[Seb9 in reply to Rainbowhope]

I think I walked the globe those nights, I would pace with baby in my arms and I sang so many Row, row your boats and what do we do with a drunken sailor that I'll be surprised if she doesn't end up as a ships captain when she's older 😂We got a snuggle bath, which my daughter still loves, it was great because it had a non slip back so they don't fall over and you can use both hands to wash and play with them instead of trying to support them with one hand. Xx

[Rainbowhope in reply to Seb9]

How do babies know when you've sat down? As soon as we bend our knees he starts crying! I'm so grateful to have this platform to share experiences. Thanks for saying I'm doing good. Nobody ever says that!

[claire16c in reply to Rainbowhope]

That’s so normal! They totally know don’t they it sounds like normal baby behaviour. They want to be held and fed all evening. Cluster feeding cuddles and rocking! X

[Lovemylion]

Just a thought but have you got a sling? I used to strap my littl boy to me all the time and helped me to be hands free a bit and he'd go to sleep quickly as he felt all snuggled. I was sometimes even able to sit down! He would only sleep on me and want to be near me all the time. Everything your going through is completely normal and he's still very young.We were persistent doing the same routine every night from about 8weeks and it really helps (whatever that might be) we always did bath, pjs and milk and white noise and he always went off pretty quickly and gave us our much needed respite to eat our tea in peace. (Don't get me wrong he didn't sleep through the night until he was older so it's not a miracle cure....but it gave us a few hours of rest)

Never thought I'd say this but I really miss him falling asleep on me and the cuddles at night......it is so hard though! Xxx

[Pagan707]

Don’t ever worry that someone is going to laugh at you for getting your baby checked out. My wife is an ICU nurse, not specialising in children, and part of the role is reassuring parents and relatives so don’t worry ask for help and advice.

[Hidden]

My baby did this until I swapped from breastfeeding to bottle after 6w shes was either windy or starving, used to prop up her mattress, infacol, gripe water just stopped after a while she was never the best sleeper, my 2nd was like a log put her down awake and just went to sleep herself hardly ever cried.