Fussy Baby:
A baby that is being fussy does not automatically have something wrong with him. Many babies experience fussy periods each day, often beginning when they are a few weeks old, and disappearing by the time they're a few months old. These fussy periods are often at the same time of day (usually in the evenings), and can often be alleviated by rocking, holding, or nursing constantly (cluster feeding). A baby that is overtired, overstimulated, lonely, has a wet diaper, etc. will likely be fussy.
What things work for normal baby fussiness?
If the baby is overstimulated, swaddling the baby, dimming the lights, reducing noise (using background "white noise") may all help.
Of course, if the baby is hungry, nursing will help. Nursing may also help if the baby is overtired, as the baby is often lulled to sleep by nursing.
Is the baby uncomfortable? Perhaps the diaper is an issue, or the baby needs to be burped, or the baby is too hot, or too cold. Some babies are amazingly sensitive to the feel of clothing tags rubbing against their skin. Maybe the baby just needs to be touched -- held, massaged, given a back rub, carried in a sling. Remember, this baby was in constant contact with you for nine months. Being out on your own can be scary and lonely! And because your baby spent so much time in a water environment, a warm bath is often the ultimate soother for a fussy baby.
Sometimes, the baby is in need of more stimulation. Singing to the baby or playing music, rocking the baby, holding the baby upright to look at things within the baby's range of visual focus, or going for a ride in the stroller might help.
Some babies are simply needier or more intense than others, and are termed "high needs" or "spirited" children.
What if the fussiness is accompanied by green, frothy, watery stools, or you have the tendancy to spray during let-down, or are often engorged, or get frequent clogged ducts? Perhaps the baby also clamps down on the nipple, or the baby gasps, gags, & grimaces while nursing. The baby may be very gassy, perhaps spitting up or even projectile vomitting. In that case, the fussiness may be attributable to an oversupply on your part.
Another possible cause of fussiness is thrush. Thrush hurts! Look inside the baby's mouth, particularly between the cheek & gumline, for white patches that do not wipe off easily. If your baby has thrush, both you and the baby need to be treated, or you will be passing it back and forth to each other.
Babies also become fussy during growth spurts, which occur at approximately 7-10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3-4 months, 6 months, and 9 months of age.
A baby that is starting to prefer a bottle to the breast (often because it is so much easier to extract milk from) will also likely be fussy at the breast. This is nipple confusion, or perhaps more accurately, nipple preference.
Other reasons for a baby who is fussy include a low milk supply and reflux. It should be noted that studies have shown that most cases of infant reflux are related to a food sensitivity. Modifying the mother's diet, therefore, can often greatly reduce the severity of the reflux in a breast-fed reflux baby. |
