I have a month old baby who sometimes screams in pure agony. I want to emphasize it's not just crying but screaming in agony, like he's being poked with a needle. In the episode that just happened:
- it was after he had a meal, so he's definitely not hungry
- I always burp 10-15 minutes while and after a meal so there should be minimal air in his stomach
- is swaddled, but still screams after re-swaddling
- diaper is clean
- checked his body all over and nothing is causing physical pain
- not responsive to pacifier, I rub it on the side of his mouth, but he's not rooting and still screaming
- put him on the side or give tummy-time but still screams, seems even more angry sometimes
- hold him and swing for a while but screams through that
- play white noise or shhh-ing him but screams through that
- make him do bicycle legs but still screams and is resisting and kicking against it
- raise him up and down to simulate weightless-ness. This actually does quiet him, but it's really hard on my back and knees. He starts screaming after I stop so it does buy me a few seconds of calm but I have back and knee problems that prevent me from doing this often.
- pick him up and try burping him while walking around the room, but he's still screaming, and possibly even more angry
I brought this up to his doctor and she says sometimes he might be over-stimulated and needs to just calm down by himself. So my last resort is just to let him cry it out, this takes about 10-15 minutes.
I looked up colic which follows the rules of 3 (more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 times a week, more than 3 weeks) so it technically isn't colic because these screaming episodes last about 10-15 minutes and happens about twice a day, about every other day.
I guess I can just let him cry it out put what really bothers me is the intensity. It looks like he's suffering the worst pain imaginable: His face is completely red, he's crying so hard that he's choking between sobs, eyes completely shut with tears coming down, he's screaming so loud my ears hurt (I have to grab my ear plugs before going to his room) and my neighbors probably think I'm a baby torturer.
Anyone else experience this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
raise him up and down to simulate weightless-ness. This actually does quiet him, but it's really hard on my back and knees.
May I suggest looking for some kind of newborn swing set / bungee jumper? Like this youtube.com/watch?v=9VcfnqJ3YPk but for newborns, so your back (and your ears) doesn't get so strained.