Cream Crackered

[TheFaQQer]

look out for depression. ask for help.

WHS - both MrsF and I suffered from depression when DD1 was a baby. Absolute nightmare, which no-one can really understand unless you have suffered from depression as well.

Ask for help when you need to, though - it does get better, honestly. If it didn't, I wouldn't have two children

[FiveTimes]

he is crying during the day a lot but is a very healthy weight, 10 on apgar, no issues at all highlighted with health visitor. I think we've just gotta understand he is only 3 weeks old and this is all to be expected.

just didnt think it would be this much hard work!

If baby is bottle fed - could be a touch of colic.

It does get better. Good luck

[TykeMerc]

If baby is bottle fed - could be a touch of colic.

It does get better. Good luck

Very likely that the persistant crying is colic and that's a hell of a lot more common with bottle feeding. With all of my 3 they had some colic while under 3 months. Mine were all sleeping pretty much through the night by 8-10 weeks which I put down to their mother being pretty relaxed and feeding them herself helped.
We had them all in our bed for the first few months and none of them had any real issues being moved into a cot after that.

I spent most of my childhood and teens hearing tales of babies screaming all night for years, my mother was a district Midwife and then Health Visitor and the majority of the tales centered around the parents being up tight/anxious/dogmatic about "methods" rather than an actual problem with the baby.

[PRC1964]

It does get better, but not at three weeks.

PRC #1:

Not too bad though it didn't seem it at the time

PRC #2
PRC #3

twins. #2 slept on his own with no fuss from day one. #3 was born screaming and hasn't stopped. #3 in the first 12 months was the closest I have ever come to insanity.

PRC #4:

We just left him to get on with it.

[MaryPoppins]

Our Baby is 3 weeks old tomorrow. I havent slept for longer than 3 hours since he was born. Other parents - Please tell me it gets better (and very soon) im falling asleep at my desk.

Mine is now 3 and a half months, and those first few weeks were awful - and he's a good baby. I can say that it does get better, although it is hard now for different reasons!

Everyone has advice. Some of it filters through, most doesn't. Everyone wants to help, but I think it clicked with me that every single baby is unique and although some advice I've read is brilliant, its always trial and error!

www.babycentre.co.uk is an ABSOLUTE godsend for me. The articles are clear and concise, and they seem to cover everything from feeding to carseats.

Constant crying is hard to take, and can have a real effect on your mental state - your partner is really lucky to have someone so great to support her. I'm doing it by myself and can't imagine what it would be like to occasionally have someone with equal responsibility to lean on/chat things through with.

Trust your instincts and be confident - some people insist that babies in their own rooms early on is for the best, others are adamant that babies sleeping in the same room as their parents in the early days helps regulate breathing. Do what you feel is right.

If you're interested, Ben does now go into his own cot and isn't too bothered by it. I am fairly relaxed with him most of the time, but was keen to implement a night time routine (bath, jim jams, bottle, softly lit room/quiet voice) from about a month old. Earlier than that would have been impossible cos his feeding routine wasn't established. Apparantly some babies don't establish their own routine though.

I could probably ramble for ages. PM me if you like, although I am still new to all this too!!

[Alf W]

Look into Cranial Osteopathy for the baby. Our littl 'un had awful 'colic' from about three weeks and I stuck it out trying every remedy on the market whilst poo-pooing the wife's suggestion we tried this as new-age tosh. I gave in in the end and after one session everything was sorted.

It works on the principle that when babies are born they are twisted and bent in all directions (especially if born quickly like ours was). This results in trapped nerves which can lead to the stomach producing too much acid for example leading to indigestion and reflux problems etc. All sorts of things can be caused by trapped nerves. Basically the Cranial Osteopath straightens them all out and, bingo, often an instant fix.

Since then I've suggested it to numerous people and it almost always does the trick.

[MaryPoppins]

Mr P found the perfect solution to sleepless nights, he didnt have any!
I was feeding her myself and there wasnt much point in him being up as well

It does get better - honest

We didnt have Pogle jnr in bed with us for the first year, then we spent the next 6 years trying to get her out, but to be honest, what's wrong with you all sleeping together?
We tried the controlled crying bit - and hated it. We made many mistakes I'm sure, but our daughter seems very happy and confident so I dont think we're doing too much wrong.

All the best

Pogle

I was about to say, controlled crying methods are very controversial aren't they. I tried it with him for 3 days and nearly lost my mind, really upset me (and him). Works for some, but not for us! The one thing I don't do is hold him all day long, as some new mums appear to, and I think that makes a huge difference to have clingy he can be.

[MaryPoppins]

Look into Cranial Osteopathy for the baby. Our littl 'un had awful 'colic' from about three weeks and I stuck it out trying every remedy on the market whilst poo-pooing the wife's suggestion we tried this as new-age tosh. I gave in in the end and after one session everything was sorted.

It works on the principle that when babies are born they are twisted and bent in all directions (especially if born quickly like ours was). This results in trapped nerves which can lead to the stomach producing too much acid for example leading to indigestion and reflux problems etc. All sorts of things can be caused by trapped nerves. Basically the Cranial Osteopath straightens them all out and, bingo, often an instant fix.

Since then I've suggested it to numerous people and it almost always does the trick.

I have heard about that and it sounds good, makes sense to me! A traumatic birth can take enough of a toll on Mum, so makes sense it would have an effect on baby.