Temperament change at 5 weeks

amother

Thu, Jan 14 2010, 6:58 pm

I'm a first time mom and was just wondering if this is normal. My baby was what I would think of as a happy, reasonable baby until this week (he'll be six weeks this weekend IY"H). He used to cry only when there was a "reason": he was hungry, he was tired, he had a dirty diaper, etc. These were all problems I could solve for him. Now, he cries all day long, is not interested in napping during the day, and seems to be really unhappy. He is especially kvetchy at night between his second-to-last and last feedings before I put him down. He's unhappy in his bouncy seat, in his swing, in my arms, in my husband's arms, in this that and the other position...it's very frustrating. Only some of the tips from "The Happiest Baby on the Block" seem to work (white noise mostly).

I always was told colic develops at about 2 weeks past due date but this started at five. I don't know if this is colic or what, and it doesn't seem to be related to what I'm eating (he is almost exclusively BF). He's not very gassy at all, although he does spit up. The pediatrician said at his one-month checkup not to worry about the spitting up as long as it doesn't bother him, which it doesn't seem to.

I am just wondering if it is normal for a baby to become colicy or just super-kvetchy, whatever it's called, at his age or if I should be calling the pediatrician. TIA for experienced mom replies, if you made it through my megilla

Annie

Thu, Jan 14 2010, 11:34 pm

Well, if it makes you feel better, my now almost 8wk old (my 4th) had a similar transformation about a week ago. Some of it was related to a growth spurt, so she was actually hungry, but much of it was that she was overtired. She was suddenly harder to get to sleep and so I wasn't trying as hard and she was getting too tired to fall asleep. I have now started encouraging naps at regular times, even if that means pushing her in the stroller for 1/2 hr or driving in the car to get her to fall asleep.

B'H the last two days have been better.

Also, with my 1st, we found out she had reflux at about 5 weeks, but she was grumpy before then. Ask your pediatrician about reflux if you think it might be an issue. there are medications you can use and if it's reflux, the meds make a big difference. Other than that, just keep trying things, but make sure to try and relax b/c babies can sense tension. One of dh's favorite thing to do is put the baby in the sling, find a comfy chair and fall asleep -- the baby ALWAYS falls asleep this way unless she's hungry.

Good luck.

luvsdarkchocolate

Fri, Jan 15 2010, 12:00 am

First off - hang in there it does get easier.
I agree, check with the Dr. about reflux. When my dd went on Zantac, she was so much happier. The spiting up also decreased.

"The Happiest Baby on the Block" is a great book but not everything works the first or second time. Your baby has to kind of learn that this will help them calm down.

Do you have a front carrier? I would try keeping dc upright after feeding. Swaddling also can work wonders but you need to 'learn what your baby likes'. Some love it but want an arm out instead of all swaddled.

amother

Fri, Jan 15 2010, 1:23 pm

OP here. Thanks for the replies, any other input is much appreciated. I'm trying not to become too frustrated with him, he is only a little baby and a very cute one at that ka"h.

Annie and Chocolate - about the reflux - wouldn't he be acting like he's in pain if that were the case? I have seen his pain cries and I don't think that he's in pain while he screams. They seem more like angry or frustrated cries, like he is trying to send me signals and I'm not getting them. I wish I could get them Sad

Also he was really not kvetchy before this week and nothing has changed about my diet. Maybe it is a growth spurt like your dc, Annie? While he does spit, he spits less now that I learned a new nursing technique where he takes in less air and burps better. So I don't think it's reflux although I may try cutting out dairy if this persists...as much as I love milchigs and wouldn't know what to eat if I stopped eating them.

Chaimhersh - when you say three months, do you mean 12 weeks? Or like 3 calendar months from your baby's birth date? I never know what people mean and I obviously hope for all of our sakes it's the shorter of the two!! And was it a sudden thing, like overnight your easygoing baby became colicky? Did your pediatrician diagnose the baby as colicky? Did he act like he was in pain or just become bad tempered?

Thanks again.

amother

Fri, Jan 15 2010, 1:23 pm

amother

Sat, Jan 16 2010, 6:08 pm

Quote:

Posted: Sat, Jan 16 2010, 1:13 pm Post subject: re: Temperament change at 5 weeks
When my son was 8 weeks his temperment changed a lot, and I realised (as many other posters have) that it was because he could no longer drift off to sleep on his own and he was getting very very tired and frustrated!

What did you do to help him? Any tips are appreciated. I also thought it may be that he is just exhausted. He does not sleep anywhere near what a newborn is supposed to - definitely not 16+ hours a day. Maybe 10 or 11 max.

My DS has three states of being at this point: sleeping (sometimes), eating, and crying. There's nothing else. I finally called the pediatrician and he prescribed baby Zantac and said maybe it will help. Ugh. I hate to give medicine without a diagnosis but he said it's trial and error and if the crying persists to bring him in next week. Although he didn't sound hopeful that there's anything that can be done other than wait it out and cope in the meantime.

mommyofboys

Sun, Jan 17 2010, 10:30 am

I dont remember exactly. It was 3-1/2 & 5 years ago. I just remember that they suddenly changed from a regular baby with a bit of crying, to a baby which cries NON-STOP. One of them cried whenever his eyes were open, but he slept thru the night. I remember when they turned 3 months, I could see them calming down. Dont remember if it was 12 weeks or 3 months.

pina colada

Mon, Jan 18 2010, 10:29 am

Ds was colic from 5 weeks to three months. Generally often begins at three months of age. I would bundle up ds, this was in February and take him outside. He slept well outdoors and once he was fully asleep I would bring him back indoors. It did not always help, but often did help calm him and fall asleep. afaik, colic is when the babies have a set time during the evenings that they cry. Ds would become kvetchy at about 4ish and would have crying spells on and off until about 1am.