I always secretly thought that God knew I had a pretty short fuse when it came to babies crying (couldn’t stand hearing it pre-baby!)… so he was kind and gave me a baby that was very placid and happy, and barely fussed/cried. Starting from a very young age, I’d just pop him in his stroller and go out for lunches and coffees with girl friends. All the time. It was no issue, he would always just sleep or watch us quietly, and everyone would comment, “Oh! What a easy going baby. I can’t believe he doesn’t cry!” and I would think “Why do women get all nervous when bringing their newborns out? It’s not that hard?”
And this was the case… until Hunter turned 3 months old. I always read that at 3 months, “things get better”. And I used to wonder what that meant, as I had no issues with Hunter and everything was trucking along breezily. Well, I think Hunter is topsy-turvy or something… because at 3 months old, MONSTER BABY arrived.
For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly decided “Hey! Sleep is for losers. I refuse to sleep.”
He went from sleeping for 6-8 hour stretches at night and going down for his daytime naps with little fuss………… to waking up fussing every hour and crying (loudly) to be fed every 2nd hour at night. And fighting and crying when it was time for daytime naps. OMG. And do you know how long that’s gone on for? 7 WHOLE DAYS!!!!
Unfortunately for me, I become a raging lunatic when I don’t get enough sleep, and I was in disbelief that after 3 easy months, Hunter NOW decides to make me sleep deprived. Thankfully, Chris is my pillar of support, ever patient and ever soothing. Especially when I’m threatening to chuck Hunter out the window (oops). Seriously, my brain just gets all muddled up when I don’t get my wonderful sleep and I get woken up by a crying baby – a mix of heartache listening to his wails and annoyance over the annoying-ness of it.
Then, suddenly, last night he had minimal fussing and clocked in 4-hour stretches of sleep. Nowhere near what he was like before, but a ton better than his ridiculous 1-hour wakeups. I don’t know if this is the end, but I doubt it because 7 nights of disaster has really taken it out of me. It’s soul destroying, I tell ya. I am just not built to handle a fussy baby and don’t know what to do.
What happened to my baby? Who replaced him with this strange, crying bub? And WHAT IS GOING ON???? And why all perfect until the 3 month mark?? Me no understand.
PS. I have also come to the conclusion that mothers out there with babies that cry for days/weeks/months on end are superhuman, and deserve some sort of medal.
NO SLEEP! NO SLEEEEEPPP!!!!
Hunter watching himself in the mirror (looking much cheerier in the morning)
Hunter is a real easy baby! 🙂 and yeah he sounded like he was goin through a growth spurt and they don’t always react to them the same way each time. 🙂
Isy is so much harder work compared to tabby! He is one of those babies that you described- cry alot, fuss alot etc. But Timmy always remind me that he is being expressive 🙂
And yes, this too shall pass!! Press on mommy!
Ahem well, he CAN be easy, but not all the time (how I wish!!)
And everyone tells me our next baby is going to be freakin’ awful, lol.
Hunter is a real easy baby! 🙂 and yeah he sounded like he was goin through a growth spurt and they don’t always react to them the same way each time. 🙂
Isy is so much harder work compared to tabby! He is one of those babies that you described- cry alot, fuss alot etc. But Timmy always remind me that he is being expressive 🙂
And yes, this too shall pass!! Press on mommy!
Ahem well, he CAN be easy, but not all the time (how I wish!!)
And everyone tells me our next baby is going to be freakin’ awful, lol.
Could be a growth spurt as other girls have said. I too had a well behaved baby, so those stretches crying every hour for days drove me bats.
I found this site helpful when I was trying to find a reason, ANY reason, to explain what was going on! http://www.cyh.sa.gov.au/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=2312
There’s a chart at the end of this page that shows their “expected” fussy times: http://www.thewonderweeks.com/images/stories/Book/WW_info_chart.pdf
Hope it passes soon, I feel your pain 🙂
Those are FANTASTIC sites and so helpful – thanks so much! 🙂
Welcome to the club. My struggles with Clover has been well documented. The silent reflux, the colic and now her unwillingness to nap independently.
At least you had 12 easy weeks to start with. Anyway I’m sure Hunter will be back to his normal routine soon.
I hear those issues tend to dissipate around the 3 month mark.. so she should be better soon 🙂 Geez aren’t babies such a pleasure but such a headache?!
Hey Bev, welcome to the club 🙂 Don’t take this the wrong way but this is what some of us have to go through at various times. Some have crying episodes on “schedule” every night! No amount of comforting will help. To be honest, despite the lack of sleep, patience is your best virtue at this stage. Hang in there and just remember, IT WILL PASS. Try and see if the 5S works for you.
Swaddling – Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and support the fetus experienced while still in Mom’s womb.
Side/stomach position – You place your baby, while holding her, either on her left side to assist in digestion, or on her stomach to provide reassuring support. Once your baby is happily asleep, you can safely put her in her crib, on her back.
Shushing Sounds – These sounds imitate the continual whooshing sound made by the blood flowing through arteries near the womb. This white noise can be in the form of a vacuum cleaner, a hair dryer, a fan and so on. The good news is that you can easily save the motors on your household appliances and get a white noise CD which can be played over and over again with no worries.
Swinging – Newborns are used to the swinging motions that were present when they were still in Mom’s womb. Every step mom took, every movement caused a swinging motion for your baby. After your baby is born, this calming motion, which was so comforting and familiar, is abruptly taken away. Your baby misses the motion and has a difficult time getting used to it not being there. “It’s disorienting and unnatural,” says Karp. Rocking, car rides, and other swinging movements all can help.
Sucking – “Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system,” notes Karp, “and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain.” This “S” can be accomplished with breast, bottle, pacifier or even a finger.
Swaddling worked SO well but after Hunter turned 3 months, he couldn’t sleep well swaddled anymore! So we’ve weaned it off him last week (probably why he was also struggling to sleep recently, not used to not being swaddled either).
With the swinging, I heard the Fisher Price “rock and play” works wonders.. but haven’t caved and bought that yet, heh.
Yeap, every baby is different 🙂 I wouldn’t cave and buy the swing yet 😀 What works for one baby may not work for another. Hang in there honey!
Could be a growth spurt as other girls have said. I too had a well behaved baby, so those stretches crying every hour for days drove me bats.
I found this site helpful when I was trying to find a reason, ANY reason, to explain what was going on! http://www.cyh.sa.gov.au/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=2312
There’s a chart at the end of this page that shows their “expected” fussy times: http://www.thewonderweeks.com/images/stories/Book/WW_info_chart.pdf
Hope it passes soon, I feel your pain 🙂
Those are FANTASTIC sites and so helpful – thanks so much! 🙂
not that i can relate to this one totally… but hunter is sucha doll, soooo extremely adorable. [i would say he’s like a cabbage patch kid, but i am not sure how you might take it!] i say kudos to all mommies…
Hahahah he does resemble one, I have to admit! I used to like em as a kid 😛
his cheeks!!! i had one when i was younger… *nostalgic*
Welcome to the club. My struggles with Clover has been well documented. The silent reflux, the colic and now her unwillingness to nap independently.
At least you had 12 easy weeks to start with. Anyway I’m sure Hunter will be back to his normal routine soon.
I hear those issues tend to dissipate around the 3 month mark.. so she should be better soon 🙂 Geez aren’t babies such a pleasure but such a headache?!
he’s shortless
lol ya, it was mid-way during his diaper change
Hey Bev, welcome to the club 🙂 Don’t take this the wrong way but this is what some of us have to go through at various times. Some have crying episodes on “schedule” every night! No amount of comforting will help. To be honest, despite the lack of sleep, patience is your best virtue at this stage. Hang in there and just remember, IT WILL PASS. Try and see if the 5S works for you.
Swaddling – Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and support the fetus experienced while still in Mom’s womb.
Side/stomach position – You place your baby, while holding her, either on her left side to assist in digestion, or on her stomach to provide reassuring support. Once your baby is happily asleep, you can safely put her in her crib, on her back.
Shushing Sounds – These sounds imitate the continual whooshing sound made by the blood flowing through arteries near the womb. This white noise can be in the form of a vacuum cleaner, a hair dryer, a fan and so on. The good news is that you can easily save the motors on your household appliances and get a white noise CD which can be played over and over again with no worries.
Swinging – Newborns are used to the swinging motions that were present when they were still in Mom’s womb. Every step mom took, every movement caused a swinging motion for your baby. After your baby is born, this calming motion, which was so comforting and familiar, is abruptly taken away. Your baby misses the motion and has a difficult time getting used to it not being there. “It’s disorienting and unnatural,” says Karp. Rocking, car rides, and other swinging movements all can help.
Sucking – “Sucking has its effects deep within the nervous system,” notes Karp, “and triggers the calming reflex and releases natural chemicals within the brain.” This “S” can be accomplished with breast, bottle, pacifier or even a finger.
Swaddling worked SO well but after Hunter turned 3 months, he couldn’t sleep well swaddled anymore! So we’ve weaned it off him last week (probably why he was also struggling to sleep recently, not used to not being swaddled either).
With the swinging, I heard the Fisher Price “rock and play” works wonders.. but haven’t caved and bought that yet, heh.
Yeap, every baby is different 🙂 I wouldn’t cave and buy the swing yet 😀 What works for one baby may not work for another. Hang in there honey!
not that i can relate to this one totally… but hunter is sucha doll, soooo extremely adorable. [i would say he’s like a cabbage patch kid, but i am not sure how you might take it!] i say kudos to all mommies…
Hahahah he does resemble one, I have to admit! I used to like em as a kid 😛
his cheeks!!! i had one when i was younger… *nostalgic*
T being such Mr Velcro would fuss most of the time when he’s not being carried or entertained. add that to his colic, he’s quite a fuss-pot. haha! like what i blogged, if not for my family who help to entertain him, i’d probably have sent him down the spiral stairs. ;p
it’s cute that he wants to be with you all the time though, and you’ll enjoy it when he’s older and still wants to be close to you 🙂
Colic is meant to be HEAPS better after 3 months, woohoo!
the thing about babies is that they’re never ever predictable.
they could be happy doing one thing for months and then suddenly it’s a complete 180 turn.
annoying, but true!
and you’re not the only one to feel like chucking baby out the window. i had a really tough time with S in her first 5 months. she’s a real drama queen, that one. cried all the damn time!
SO true.. and then throw their parents into a complete tizzy trying to figure out what to do 😉
Nowadays Hunter LOVEs attention and gets all fussy if we don’t play with him… goodbye personal time for us!
awww… hang in there, you’ve been doing an awesome job and i’m sure this is just a passing phase!!
Seems like he’s over it but I have no idea now… too unpredictable, gah!!
he’s shortless
lol ya, it was mid-way during his diaper change
Hon, I totally know how you feel about wanting to chuck baby windowside!! Ollie drinks every two hours (since birth!!) and every hour when he’s in his growth spurt mode. And, I’m someone who totally needs her sleep too. Poooooooor you!! Sending plenty of sleepthruthenight vibes Hunter’s way!!
Wow he is a hungry boy! Hunter is random, sometimes 2 hours, sometimes 4.5 hours.No idea why…
They need to invent a way for us to close our eyes for 5 mins and somehow get 8-hr rest in 😉
You are so right. Sob…
I love my sleep too and tried to bank it before I gave birth. But all my friends in church told me that
1) you can never bank enough, and
2) you will realise that your body can function without sleep.
My Baby Boss has just turned 16 weeks and every time I think we’ve come to an understanding, he changes the rules.
As the early childhood nurse said to me, Babies are unpredictable; that’s their job.
So hang in there – If God has led you to it, He will lead you through it. Try 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Philippians 4:13.
hehe Baby Boss… that is so true, it’s amazing how life changes and it completely revolves around him now! Thank you for sharing those passages 🙂
T being such Mr Velcro would fuss most of the time when he’s not being carried or entertained. add that to his colic, he’s quite a fuss-pot. haha! like what i blogged, if not for my family who help to entertain him, i’d probably have sent him down the spiral stairs. ;p
it’s cute that he wants to be with you all the time though, and you’ll enjoy it when he’s older and still wants to be close to you 🙂
Colic is meant to be HEAPS better after 3 months, woohoo!
the thing about babies is that they’re never ever predictable.
they could be happy doing one thing for months and then suddenly it’s a complete 180 turn.
annoying, but true!
and you’re not the only one to feel like chucking baby out the window. i had a really tough time with S in her first 5 months. she’s a real drama queen, that one. cried all the damn time!
SO true.. and then throw their parents into a complete tizzy trying to figure out what to do 😉
Nowadays Hunter LOVEs attention and gets all fussy if we don’t play with him… goodbye personal time for us!
awww… hang in there, you’ve been doing an awesome job and i’m sure this is just a passing phase!!
Seems like he’s over it but I have no idea now… too unpredictable, gah!!
Hon, I totally know how you feel about wanting to chuck baby windowside!! Ollie drinks every two hours (since birth!!) and every hour when he’s in his growth spurt mode. And, I’m someone who totally needs her sleep too. Poooooooor you!! Sending plenty of sleepthruthenight vibes Hunter’s way!!
Wow he is a hungry boy! Hunter is random, sometimes 2 hours, sometimes 4.5 hours.No idea why…
They need to invent a way for us to close our eyes for 5 mins and somehow get 8-hr rest in 😉
You are so right. Sob…
I love my sleep too and tried to bank it before I gave birth. But all my friends in church told me that
1) you can never bank enough, and
2) you will realise that your body can function without sleep.
My Baby Boss has just turned 16 weeks and every time I think we’ve come to an understanding, he changes the rules.
As the early childhood nurse said to me, Babies are unpredictable; that’s their job.
So hang in there – If God has led you to it, He will lead you through it. Try 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Philippians 4:13.
hehe Baby Boss… that is so true, it’s amazing how life changes and it completely revolves around him now! Thank you for sharing those passages 🙂
I’m a terror when I don get enough sleep too! And I think this might sound like bad mews to you, my 2+ kid is giving me sleepless nights with her cries for me. She will wake up in the middle of night and cry for me.
One word: Madness
Oh noooooooo. You mean it doesn’t stop? I was thinking that once they hit a few months old or something it’s all smooth sailing at night. WAH!!!!
was he born in singapore ?
Leo
Nah, in Parkway Health (a Singapore hospital here in Shanghai)
maybe hunter is crying because he doesnt like shanghai ?
LOL!
Hey Bev
Thanks for sharing your heart. That’s really one thing I like about your blog, you’re so real and open. I can’t tell what might be “wrong” or what might be causing Hunter’s sleeplessness. I’m just like you. I’m a TOTAL zombie when I don’t get enough sleep. Its like I function but everything’s just in a blur and I’m sooo moody.
Just want to encourage you that no matter what season / stage Hunter might be going through, God will give you the strength and grace to be the best mom you can be. Bless you and pray that you’ll experience God’s help in any time of need. **hugs**
It’s definitely hard when you lose sleep.. and the main thing is that it compounds so by the end of the week you’re half dead!
I’m glad he’s faring much better now and thank God he is at least healthy 🙂
I always share this link with new mamas….it sounds to me like Hunter is on the cusp of a developmental jump….read on:
http://www.thewonderweeks.com/
And keep on reciting every new mama’s mantra: This, too, shall pass.
Thank you for sharing the link! It sounds like you’re right… as he’s suddenly snapped out of it. errrrrr at least for now 😉
That is the reason why I ban everyone from saying that zach was easy going too. It’s like Murphy’s law.
Hang on, hope it passes soon!
I have no comparison/benchmark since I’ve never been around babies before, so I have no idea if Hunter is easy going or difficult! But having gone through the past week, now I realise how much better it was before…. wont take it for granted again 😉
I’m a terror when I don get enough sleep too! And I think this might sound like bad mews to you, my 2+ kid is giving me sleepless nights with her cries for me. She will wake up in the middle of night and cry for me.
One word: Madness
Oh noooooooo. You mean it doesn’t stop? I was thinking that once they hit a few months old or something it’s all smooth sailing at night. WAH!!!!
You know you cannot be superstitious when comes to this kind of stuff. I mean I don’t usually believe but old chinese people always said when you want to say good things about ur kid. Say it in an opp meaning.. You never know when u will jinx the good stuff…
🙁
I think it works in the opposite way.. cos when i made this post, he suddenly stopped all the nonsense and is back to normal! Who knows if it will last though… doh……
I think it may be teething… Avery suffered a lot from teething as it was painful as her teeth erupted.. teething often causing lack of sleep or irritibility
may need to get some infant tylenol to give him when the teeth start to break through
Teething should start around 6m or so right? He’s only 3m! :X
was he born in singapore ?
Leo
Nah, in Parkway Health (a Singapore hospital here in Shanghai)
Babies go through growth spurt at 3 and 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months. So i guess that explains the frequent waking? So hang on and it will be over soon!
I did read that, but his earlier growth spurts were undetectable cos there was no change in his behaviour, so I don’t see why this 3m one would make such a HUGE change.. arghhhhh 🙁
Hang in there, he may just be having a growth spur which makes him hungrier and all. My friend’s baby is going through something similar. It should not last that long.. *hug* Dads seem to be better when baby get too fussy, thanks god!
I dunno.. I hope it is but it just seems so bad *wail*!
Hang in there! I totally understand the wanting to throw baby out of the window feeling!
Hhaha I’m glad to hear that, I don’t feel like such an evil mother!
It could be a growth spurt. Like you said, you had it really easy. So I guess it’s only fair… *snigger* Hahaha, just kidding! I’m sure he’ll snap out of it as suddenly as he went into it 🙂 Alexis is now at a stage of milk strike, which is worse, coz she’ll scream for milk, yet refuses to drink and continues wailing, and we fear she’s not drinking enough. Sighhh.. we just gotta wait it out.
well POOT to you too! 😉
I’m not convinced it’s a growth spurt cos surely he’s had spurts before but he’s always gone through ’em just fine. Gah.
Poor lil Alexis! Is it reflux that you think is causing her discomfort such that she’s hungry but can’t drink/swallow?
maybe hunter is crying because he doesnt like shanghai ?
LOL!
Hey Bev
Thanks for sharing your heart. That’s really one thing I like about your blog, you’re so real and open. I can’t tell what might be “wrong” or what might be causing Hunter’s sleeplessness. I’m just like you. I’m a TOTAL zombie when I don’t get enough sleep. Its like I function but everything’s just in a blur and I’m sooo moody.
Just want to encourage you that no matter what season / stage Hunter might be going through, God will give you the strength and grace to be the best mom you can be. Bless you and pray that you’ll experience God’s help in any time of need. **hugs**
It’s definitely hard when you lose sleep.. and the main thing is that it compounds so by the end of the week you’re half dead!
I’m glad he’s faring much better now and thank God he is at least healthy 🙂
I always share this link with new mamas….it sounds to me like Hunter is on the cusp of a developmental jump….read on:
http://www.thewonderweeks.com/
And keep on reciting every new mama’s mantra: This, too, shall pass.
Thank you for sharing the link! It sounds like you’re right… as he’s suddenly snapped out of it. errrrrr at least for now 😉
That is the reason why I ban everyone from saying that zach was easy going too. It’s like Murphy’s law.
Hang on, hope it passes soon!
I have no comparison/benchmark since I’ve never been around babies before, so I have no idea if Hunter is easy going or difficult! But having gone through the past week, now I realise how much better it was before…. wont take it for granted again 😉
You know you cannot be superstitious when comes to this kind of stuff. I mean I don’t usually believe but old chinese people always said when you want to say good things about ur kid. Say it in an opp meaning.. You never know when u will jinx the good stuff…
🙁
I think it works in the opposite way.. cos when i made this post, he suddenly stopped all the nonsense and is back to normal! Who knows if it will last though… doh……
I think it may be teething… Avery suffered a lot from teething as it was painful as her teeth erupted.. teething often causing lack of sleep or irritibility
may need to get some infant tylenol to give him when the teeth start to break through
Teething should start around 6m or so right? He’s only 3m! :X
Babies go through growth spurt at 3 and 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months. So i guess that explains the frequent waking? So hang on and it will be over soon!
I did read that, but his earlier growth spurts were undetectable cos there was no change in his behaviour, so I don’t see why this 3m one would make such a HUGE change.. arghhhhh 🙁
Hang in there, he may just be having a growth spur which makes him hungrier and all. My friend’s baby is going through something similar. It should not last that long.. *hug* Dads seem to be better when baby get too fussy, thanks god!
I dunno.. I hope it is but it just seems so bad *wail*!
Hang in there! I totally understand the wanting to throw baby out of the window feeling!
Hhaha I’m glad to hear that, I don’t feel like such an evil mother!
It could be a growth spurt. Like you said, you had it really easy. So I guess it’s only fair… *snigger* Hahaha, just kidding! I’m sure he’ll snap out of it as suddenly as he went into it 🙂 Alexis is now at a stage of milk strike, which is worse, coz she’ll scream for milk, yet refuses to drink and continues wailing, and we fear she’s not drinking enough. Sighhh.. we just gotta wait it out.
well POOT to you too! 😉
I’m not convinced it’s a growth spurt cos surely he’s had spurts before but he’s always gone through ’em just fine. Gah.
Poor lil Alexis! Is it reflux that you think is causing her discomfort such that she’s hungry but can’t drink/swallow?