Sleep

I went through the same thing. My son (just turned 3 months old) did the same thing and recently his fits just eased up a bit. Sounds like some colic is starting for you. This happened to my baby at the same time, around 6 weeks old. I tried the gripe water, the gas drops. Nothing helped much. I eventually had to do what I didn't want to do...let him scream a bit and sometimes for up to an hour. He eventually wears himself out and calms down or goes to sleep. I figured it out...he's fed, he's dry, and his tummy is soothed with the gas drops. The only other possibility was over-stimulation. He had so much energy to burn off and since he couldn't crawl or walk he had to do it through screaming. Trust me; you'll want to pull your hair out. I almost did. We also switched him to soy formula to cut down on the gas and I stopped breastfeeding when I couldn't decide if something I was eating was contributing to his gas. In any event, hang in there. It will get better.

I agree with the possible formula intolerance! I'd try stopping the formula for a week or so and see if it makes a difference.

My son as a newborn cried for an hour after a nursing session and was a horrible sleeper. I thought it was just "fussy baby" stuff, so I was surprised when our pedi sent us for a barium swallow. Turns out he had undiagnosed Silent Reflux. A month later, with the right medication, and my son was a completely different infant.

There could be a lot of unknown causes for excessive crying and not sleeping. I second the "Happiest Baby on the Block". Excellent book!

Sorry to send a silly link; but please read the section on the 5 s's of soothing your baby... it was helpful to me w/ my son at that age. Specifically swaddling, I even bought a Swaddle Me infant swaddler from Babies R Us so that I knew I was swaddling him 'right'. I'd also consult your pediatrician, often around 6 weeks colic could begin; evening colic is common with tiny babies. Patience is #1, if she senses you are stressed with her, then she will become more rigid. Gripe water works for some, we tried it too, typically it takes a few doses to really begin to see any difference. Hylands has alot of products for infants w/ colic and other issues.

Good luck.

Hi J.,

My son is 11 weeks, but we just went through this from about 6 to 8 weeks. It's like he just did not want to sleep. He would stay awake all day and sometimes would only sleep for about 4 hours a night, then stay awake all day again. When I tried to put him down for a nap or bedtime, he would scream like someone was killing him.

A friend of mine let me borrow a book called "The Happiest Baby on The Block". I read this and used some of the ideas in it. Also, you may just have a high-temperment baby...just like mine. :-) He did this for about 2 to 3 weeks. I was sure that he was destined to do this forever...it was making me crazy! But she will grow out of it.

Like I said, my son is 11 weeks old today, but when he was about 8 weeks old, I started doing a routine at night. I would give him a bath, take him into his nursery, dim the lights and rock him as I give him his bottle (I also breastfeed and give formula at night). After his bottle, I will sing and rock him until he is pretty good and asleep. Then I lay him in his crib and turn a fan and the mommy womb sounds bear on for noise. Sometimes his mobile with music if he's not quite asleep. He still fought me and screamed for a good 2.5 weeks.

I had to do this routine for almost 3 weeks before he started to get the hang of it. Last night was a milestone for us. I bathed him, rocked/gave him his bottle, laid him in his crib drowsy, turned his mobile on and went to sleep by himself.

My point being, it is a phase and she will slowly grow out of it with a little help from you in the way of predictability and soothing. We also tried Gripe Water (2 doses, 30 mins apart before bed) but it didn't seem to do a whole lot.

As far as formulas go, I supplemented my son with Enfamil Lipil, then went to Enfamil Lipil GentleEase, then went to Nestle GoodStart Supreme (the new kind in the green can). As far as tummy soothing and less gas, I love the GoodStart Supreme!

I hope any of this helps. Good luck!

Talk to your pediatrician about this as it sounds like colic. Colic is defined as uncontrollable crying that follows the rules of three- starts after three weeks of age, lasts more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week, and goes for at least three months. The dr won't be able to do a thing about it, but at least you can rule out any other ailments or allergies.
Sometimes a change in diet will help with colic, sometimes not. What formula are you using? She could be sensitive to the milk in the formula. You may want to try changing up the formula type to see if the crying gets better after a bottle feed. Mylicon and all those miracle tablets never worked for me- my son cried all day and all night regardless. He eventually outgrew the crying and yours will to. If it is colic, you can bet it will almost always be over by 16 weeks.
When the crying gets to you, make sure you just put her in a safe place, like a crib, and walk away for a few minutes. I had to do that sooo many times when I thought my sanity was on the line. It is very painful to hear and live with a crying baby, esp if you have no support. You might want check out www.colicsupport.com. It is a forum completely devoted to crying/colicky babies and their caretakers. You can read what others have done and just get some encouragement and advice when you need it. It was a lifesaver for me during those months!

Why do you give her formula at naptime and bedtime? Have you tried giving her breastmilk at these times instead? Maybe the formula is not agreeing with her. Maybe you need to switch to a different formula. Have you asked your pediatrician?

Could it be a formula intolerance? Try going back to 100% breastmilk (if possible). Or you could try burping after each half ounce. Did you switch to a faster flow nipple? If so, go back down a stage.

Also she could just be fussy to be fussy. Some babies are like that. Just try to soothe her and wait until she outgrows it.