Witching Hour… W T F

[becky_jewel]

All I can say is WOW

My son is 5 weeks old and just began the witching hour where he will scream and be inconsolable from around 5-9pm. We do bouncing, rocking, dark room, white noise, swaddle, the 5 S, and offer breast. At this point baby is hungry but refuses to eat because is so worked up. This is my second and I never experienced this intensity with my first.

Note: I did bring this up to the physician and we just had a checked this passed Friday and she said everything looked good. LO does have gas and some reflux but does not act this way during the day. Actually sleeps and eats quite well during the day.

Did anyone else go through this? Please give me some sanity that this will pass soon and some coping methods.

 

[dartmanii]

@becky_jewel Outside time worked best for us. Go take a stroller walk or baby wear and walk once this starts.

 

[becky_jewel]

@dartmanii I can’t wait until that’s possible ! It’s currently cold and about to snow where we are and unfortunately baby hates all carriers I have tried to babywear

 

[dartmanii]

@becky_jewel I feel this. We purposely planned for a May baby the second time around so we could walk at night. I use to go walk rounds with the stroller in the mall with my oldest (a January baby).

 

[caecus]

@becky_jewel Can you take a drive with them? Also gas drops helped our little one

 

[lilbrenda]

@becky_jewel Maybe it's your LOs wake window? My LO started having wake windows during that time around that age. We started feeding her at about 4/5 pm and then after a little while of sitting up post feeding she gets some time at her play area I set up. It's a mobile (I switch them up every few days or so. I have about 3 or four simple ones I think) on A frame holder, mirror, contrast cards, and a rattle or book. I will also sing, talk or read to her during that time. Hubs and I also take turns eating and entertaining her. I also started taking walks a couple times a week when it was nice wearing her (as that can help with them not liking being carried (also try different carriers. I have one of each kind. She loves the wrap and sling the best because it adds swaddling in which ssc do not) or the stroller, to get sun on her face. Shortly after she really got into a carcadian rhythm. We try and let a little bit of sun on her since it's winter. We aren't that concerned about sunburn yet. Then she started doing longer night stretches two. She also started wanting a play wake window in the morning.

Good luck!

 

[stonesoffire]

@becky_jewel What’s the 5 S?

I have nothing…just came on here to find solidarity as I’m going through it with my 6 week old. Hang in there! Xo

 

[katrina2017]

@stonesoffire Here you go: https://www.happiestbaby.com/blogs/...Jv8ooSbfjvCkL9jhuT__RX8417_l9Q0AaAqAhEALw_wcB

It’s 5 soothing techniques meant to calm newborns through a relaxation reflex. They were coined by doctor Harvey Karp. The website will try to sell you a snoo, but the techniques are free and work very well for most babies.

 

[katrina2017]

@becky_jewel My baby did this too from 1am to 4am and it absolutely sucked. Hang in there, it will pass

 

[unglitchme]

@becky_jewel Ugh it sucks but it does pass. I found bouncing on a yoga ball would usually work for me but other than that you just get through it. Also, noise canceling earpuds and a good podcast can work wonders too while trying to settle the baby and need a bit of sanity.

 

[kimiad]

@becky_jewel Google purple crying. It’s rough; my daughter suffered for weeks. But it will pass! We found the sound of running water helped- bizarrely

 

[oliviate]

@becky_jewel It passes!!! I can’t recommend a good probiotic enough. Gerber soothe was a huge winner for my son. Now for the kind of bad news…for my son the witching hour and colickyness hung around until he was about three months old. By 4 months he was like a brand new child lol. So sometimes it does take time but I promise you it’s not permanent.

 

[channah]

@becky_jewel Love to dream swaddle, white noise, shusher, slow calm talking or humming, baby wearing as well. I can’t stress enough that finding their ideal comfort rock/ hold is so important. My baby needed consistent rhythmic steps in the wrap with a constant butt Pat. It was like my own version of morse code lol

 

[tony717]

@becky_jewel This sounds like a video we had to watch in the hospital about purple crying and the witching hour. It’s a pretty common occurrence for better or worse.

 

[scruffino]

@becky_jewel Yes! Baby is 9 weeks now and we seem to have gotten through the worst of it. For my baby gas drops helped a little bit, and burping just in case. Sometimes there was a missed burp that was probably causing pain. I’d also move up bathtime (baby loves baths) to get a break from the crying. Baby wearing also helped so my arms could be free! Witching hours were 5-8 for us..when I could I’d try to give a big feed as close as possible to 5 so hunger would be less of a problem (that didn’t always work out and if it did it didn’t eliminate crying). If you have someone that can help you take their help- my mom came by sometimes to give me and hubby a night off from the crying and that was gamechanging. Hang in there IT WILL GET BETTER!

 

[aspiegirl1105]

@becky_jewel Did you ever find a solution? How long did it last? Was it nightly

 

[christianbabel]

@becky_jewel Singing to baby is helpful.

 

[gramipam]

@becky_jewel What worked for us is we placed her in very soft blanket and I would put her in my palm and rock her back and forth ..

Also I know this is a stretch but we would take her for a walk in the park in the stroller . Other people would take their kids forma ride in the car.

Bath also worked for us. And changing positions lie Timmy time etc

But rocking her back and forth in my palm was the one that worked for us in very soft blanket and be persistent for like 8-10 minutes

 

[jackwalt]

@becky_jewel My 4.5 week old is in the same boat. Things we've done that help:
•Bath time! She loves baths and especially getting her hair washed.
•Mylicon gas drops - My daughter is an absolute gas-bag and burping her and doing bicycle legs almost never help to get it all out. These do the trick.
•Walking - even if it's just around the house. She loves walks in her stroller but we live in Chicago so it's cold and crappy right now but we found that even just walking around the house helps. Especially if we hold her with her little butt against our chest and stretched out along the length of our arms.
•Bouncing on a yoga ball. Yoga ball is a god-send. Sometimes it's the only thing that works. My legs are getting insanely strong from bouncing and I could probably kick someone through a wall.
•Her swing.... But only sometimes and it depends on what sounds we play on it. We have the Graco Sense 2 Soothe that has cry detection technology so it will change up the swinging pattern and sounds automatically until she settles. Doesn't always work but sometimes that bad boy finds something for her and we're grateful.
•Singing to her, especially songs with higher notes. Her current favorite is "Labyrinth" by Taylor Swift.
•Taking quietly to her. My fiance tells her about different Pokemon and she actually seems invested in these conversations.
•Baby massage - she loves having her head and face strokes gently, back rubs, leg rubs, etc.

 

[gell]

@becky_jewel Yup! Us. We had a cycle we would do. As soon as the fussiness started, into the swaddle and out for a walk in the fresh air.

Fresh diaper
Boob
Swaddle
Outside
Crib

Repeat. Now we do…
Bath,
books,
stroller walk outside,
boob,
bed.

The night walks, and yea sometimes at 3 am…. I would hate having to do them, but they were always nice. We put her in the body carrier once she was too heavy to carry in a swaddled burrito. Wrapped us both up in a coat/ blanket/ hats if cold. Umbrella and our beach blanket is it was raining. Now its my favorite part of the routine. I put the stroller, she is in her blanket with her lovee. And i get to sip on warm tea or catch up with my husband. Sometimes… she falls asleep in the stroller