Windy Babies help? Alan?

Would love experience and advice please.
DD has been very unsettled - mostly at night between 9pm-7am.

She will be fed, dry and burped but continues to cry , jerking head movements, pulling at face, arching back and bringing knees to chest. eventually i have to let her nuzzle on my breast to fall asleep (she doesnt feed at this point just plays) or put my little finger in her mouth to help soothe.It will take up to a hour after a feed to settle her and then we are lucky if she sleeps 30-45minutes before waking again.

I assume it is wind pain?

Is it possible it is something i am eating... are there foods which i should avoid?
is there any holds/techniques to settle this pain?

We always put her in a dark quiet room at night, bath before hand, when i feed her i keep her swaddle and dont stimulate her any other way, keep lights dim etc but it doesnt seem to work.

Is this just what happens with newborns and we need to stick it out?
Should i introduce a dummy for comfort?

thanks :)

Hi Princessmya, it sounds like you are doing it tough :(
Do you think Ashley is getting overtired? I know that Natalie used to have terrible trouble falling asleep of an evening, she just didn't know how to get to sleep and so would cry for a couple of hours. (Never all night though - you poor thing! The sound of a baby crying is so heartbreaking...)
I think the thing with colic is that no one can tell you what is really wrong. I'm no expert, but I'd say follow your instincts. If you want to try an elimination diet to see if that helps, then give it a go, but talk to a HP first - you don't want to cut out so much that you aren't getting the nutrition you need. Introduce a dummy if you want to. Natalie used to like being held over my arm face-down - it was her favourite way to be until only recently.
Does she sleep much during the day? I wonder if she knows the difference between day and night yet? It might get better soon if she gets into the swing of this. You are doing the right thing by keeping things quiet for her and not stimulating her at nighttime. Its a bit contraversial, and I don't want to upset you or anyone, but I used to wake Natalie for feeds during the day and let her sleep as long as she wanted at night. Like I said though, this is not for everyone, but it seemed to help us.
I really hope it starts getting better for you soon. Of course it may just be that Ashley just needs a little while to grow up and get used to the world - in the mean time, take care of yourself, rest when you can and shamelessly accept any support that is offered - particularly offers to help with meals and housework, LOL.

ETA: I know its not all that helpful right now, but it does get better. Even if she continues to have unsettled times you will find that you can deal with it better in time. HTH and all the best.

Thanks Snacks.
She generally sleep well during the day - waking every 2-3 hours for a feed. I dont need to wake her - she just seems to know.
I am looking to buy a sling (but because we live in the sticks i have to buy one over the net without trying it out first - so any reccommendations are appreciated!).

Hey there,
Izzy has trouble getting burps up so i have to try lots of different positions like lying her down and then sitting her up to use gravity, sitting her on my knee with a hand under her chin and rubbing her back, picking her up under the arms and kind of letting her hang!! for a bit, over the shoulder rubbing her back, and sitting her with her back on my tummy and rocking her withmy body back and forward.

I also do cycling exercise with her legs while shes lying flat on a sheep skin and bend one leg in to her tummy with the other stretched out! Some of these work occasionally!

Ive been told onion, cabbage, chocoalte and caffeine are no nos, but really it could be anything so an elimination diet might be the go.

Also Ive bought Brauers colic relief and I give that to her 2-3 times a day and it has really helped too and its all natural.

Isabelle is very sucky too so i give her a dummy at those times that she just wants a nipple for 2 seconds to fall asleep!
HtH!! and good luck!!!

That's good about the day sleeps, PMya. She'll hopefully work things out herself then.
I'm not sure about slings personally, though I know lots of people will recommend the hug-a-bub sling for wearing your baby. You can buy them over the net (I think they're cheaper on eBay - maybe around $80?) and you get a DVD with them that shows you all the ways you can wear your baby. Having said that, you can make your own too once you know how they work. I know FionaJill made her own and it looked great... A lot cheaper doing it that way too, of course.
We have a Baby Bjorn, which is great for doing the shopping and stuff. I think it'd get uncomfortable wearing your baby in it for long periods though - and we have the one with extra back support too. The slings are supposed to be better for weight distribution.

I have a nearly 2 week old baby with similar issues - luckily only on the odd occasion rather than every night. Night before last was as you described - crying every hour and taking ages to settle. We do the same - swaddle, low stimulation etc. Last night we moved him from the co-sleeping bed in our bed to the bassinette next to our bed where he was placed after a feed, change and swaddle but still awake. He put himself to sleep and slept for 4 hours (bliss!!!) before waking for a feed. He then cried intermittently for about an hour (snoozing in between) before going back to sleep for about 2-3 hours and waking for the next feed.

I think we discovered (although repeating it tonight will be the test :rolleyes:) that Oscar gets overstimulated in our bed by our movements and he settles much better in his own space.

As for a baby wearing option - I am a hug-a-bub lover!!!!! The past few days of unsettled sleeping have made him unsettled through the day at times too so the sling has been a life saver. He is held close to me, I have my hands free and I can do things while he gets held and comforted at the same time. One very happy baby and mother here :D

I hope you get some answers for your little one.

thanks everyone.
well i have just tried my first dose of infants friend. i guess we will see if she settles when put down soon (still burping atm). heaps of hiccups thou!!!
i have ordered a babyrock sling... has anyone used this brand? i am looking forward to trying it. i feel silly pushing a pram with bub on my shoulder! lol