Re: Up late with a crying baby
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hankpac</div><div class="ubbcode-body">First you have to determine if she is wet, or hungry. If those are both checked out, check to see if she has a bad rash on her bottom, Or a rash in her mouth.
Next, check her temp. If newborn, a subnormal temp is often a clue that she is sick, if older than newborn, then look for a fever (and yes, you really have to use a thermometer. There are ear and forehead thermometers so no excuses, get a temp before you call the doc). If the kid is otherwise well, and there is really no reason to be crying you may have a colicky child. Colic is uncomfortable for the baby and sheer misery for the parents. Read that as NO sleep. The baby often is calmed when held with the belly on your shoulder or mom's breast, but will awaken screaming the second you lay her down. The more she cries the more the belly fills with air, and the more uncomfortable she will get, so be sure to gently burp her now and then through this process.
If all else fails, (and you are allowed a short threshold on this until you get some experience), call the doc's answering service, you will either hear from him, or be instructed to meet him at the ER or After-hours clinic, depending on what is available in your town. Try to avoid the ER unless actually sick with a fever, or vomiting or diarrhea are involved. Any of those three of course (fever, vomiting or diarrhea), get right in.
Keep your patience and wits about you, it is not the mom's fault or the baby's fault (or yours). Just be gentle, patient, and use your critical thinking skills to determine what is what.
Good luck.
Oh, BTW, this is not really the best place to get this kind of help. Call your Doc.
Good luck. </div></div>
A good start, if all good advice. Without details it is hard to make an assessment; however, for colic, and for your sake I hope it is not, try a warm blanket to the stomach and lay the baby accross your lap on its stomach. Mylicon may help, but usually just makes you feel better (like you are doing something) anacdodally many say it helps at first, but does not remain effective. If breast feeding try to cut out dairy (takes about 10-15 days to have trace amounts out of breast milk), and any foods which cause gas if eaten by mother can cause this in an infant and lead to feeding intolerance (brocly (sp), pizza, salsa, ect). Babies also just need love, and alot of it, time snuggling is well spent. Once you become a parent you can forget about sleeping for about 18-25 years, there will always be something. Abviously as above rule out any illness first, remember in babies a low temp, (below 36.5C or 97.7 axillary) is an ominous sign of illness, babies don't alway have fever with illness, usually they will have low temp with lethergy. Exceptions are viral illness, Ecoli sepsis and a few others. If the baby is feeding well, has normal activity, and is fussy a half hour to hour after feedings it is usually either diet related and transmitted to the breast milk or general feeding intolerance associated with lactose, try similac sensitive if bottle feeding. Always talk to your pediatrician as well, should be the first step unless you think your infant is sick and then go to the ER.