A high-needs baby

[Green Orchid]

I have a friend at church who has a 4-month old girl. From about 1 month old, she's been crying all day long. It's gotten a little bit better in the last month, but she still has many periods where she literally screams from the top of her lungs for very long minutes, even hours. Her parents think she is just high-needs and haven't checked her for any problems. Are high-needs baby like that? Or could she have something else. I really feel for them, it's really hard to see their dd cry all the time and they are exhausted.

 

[Leanna]

Reflux?

 

[GolfingMom]

My sister, niece and friends baby were all the same. They all pretty much stopped at about 4-6 months old.

 

[Laurie919]

If they bring her for the checkups she is supposed to have wouldn't they see if something was wrong?

When Taylor was little we were at the doctor or ER every time she would cough.

 

[Green Orchid]

Reflux?

Is it that common?

When she has most of her screaming bouts, she takes her legs up to her belly, you know, like when a baby has tummy aches.

 

[Leanna]

Is it that common?

When she has most of her screaming bouts, she takes her legs up to her belly, you know, like when a baby has tummy aches.

Well, its not *uncommon*.... and yes that sounds refluxy. Is the mother breastfeeding or formula feeding?

 

[GolfingMom]

Is it that common?

When she has most of her screaming bouts, she takes her legs up to her belly, you know, like when a baby has tummy aches.

It's more common now.
One of my friends daughter had the similar problem. They had her on the special formula which really help

 

[Green Orchid]

She is breastfed on demand.

 

[GolfingMom]

well then it could be something the mom is eating. Dairy? Acidic food? Spicy?

 

[Leanna]

well then it could be something the mom is eating. Dairy? Acidic food? Spicy?

Exactly! I think dairy is the most common culprit....

What used to all be called colicky is now more often being called reflux that's why you hear about it more. Baby may or may not spit up a lot (ones who don't spit up have silent reflux), cries and arches their back.... they usually grow out of it, but you can make the journey more pleasant for both mom and baby if the crying stops until they grow out of the sensitivities.

 

[sparassidae]

Well our high needs baby would have been like that if he wasn't attached to us 24/7

 

[Leanna]

Well our high needs baby would have been like that if he wasn't attached to us 24/7

The way to tell the difference is if the baby is screaming and fighting you when you are holding him/her also. Maya used to claw at my chest and cause me to bleed, it wasn't a matter of me not holding her enough....

Things were so much better once we figured out it was reflux. Early on it was pretty rough.

 

[Green Orchid]

The way to tell the difference is if the baby is screaming and fighting you when you are holding him/her also. Maya used to claw at my chest and cause me to bleed, it wasn't a matter of me not holding her enough....

Yeah, the girl is like that, my friend's chest is all scratched.

I suggested she write down what she eats to see if it was allergies, but she didn't think it was necessary. *shrugs*

 

[Leanna]

My SIL also had a baby with reflux and she wasn't willing to cut out dairy either, but she got him onto either zantac or prevacid and he felt much better. Maybe she would be willing to mention it to her pediatrician. 4 months is past classic colic time anyway and if the acid is coming up her throat the baby could get damage.

 

[sparassidae]

The way to tell the difference is if the baby is screaming and fighting you when you are holding him/her also. Maya used to claw at my chest and cause me to bleed, it wasn't a matter of me not holding her enough....

Things were so much better once we figured out it was reflux. Early on it was pretty rough.

For reflux, yeah you're right. I guess for me 'high needs' is a personality thing, not a medical thing. My first was high needs (with the no sleep, need to be held, extreme emotions etc). My second had reflux. I don't consider her 'high needs', although she was certainly exhausting until it settled down.

It's funny actually, I was just telling her yesterday about how she used to vomit so much as a baby. She thought it was was hilarious when I showed her how far she could vomit across the room.