Why would a 2 week old newborn baby cry for 1/2 hour each night at 3am?

Question

a neighbors newborn is always very quiet but cries for so long at the 3-4am slot. Is the mother too tired to help it or? Breaks my heart to hear its plea not resolved for so long at that time...

Answer 1

Hungry or gas could be the culprit.

tell her to lay him across her lap and pat his back

Answer 2

It could be colic, in that case the mother might not be able to quiet the baby. It is also possible she is trying to let it cry itself back to sleep so it will sleep all night, but at this age the baby is really too young for that. If you are aquainted with her, be a friend and go over for a visit. Maybe if someone watched the baby for an hour during the day while she took a nap she would be better able to handle the situation at 3am.

Answer 3

It could be that the mother may be asleep and it takes that long for her to hear the cry, get out of bed, use the restroom, change the newborn and then nurse it.

For some reason whenever my babies cried in the night I always needed to pee once they woke me up. Most mothers will change their babies diapers before they feed the baby so that it is a smoother transition to place them back to sleep after eating.

Have patience and take a meal over to the new family. They will enjoy it and know that they have a caring neighbor.

Answer 4

has got to be hunger. Babies that young cannot "play games" to attract attention. Indeed maybe the mother has decided to stick with a fixed schedule - this can be a good idea once the baby is, say, over 2 months, and provided the schedule allows for the necessary meals (about 6 a day at regular intervals). But with a 2 week old this seems like pure, completely useless cruelty.

Maybe you should tell her, I mean in a nice way? Maybe she is not cruel just ignorant?

Answer 5

My best guess is because it is a baby.

Most babies are on a schedule that is not related to the adult world. it needs food/changed/comfort at regular intervals. It is rare for a baby that young to sleep through the night every night.

It seems far too young and far too mild to Identify the "problem" as colic:

Colic is when a baby cries for longer than three hours every day for more than three days a week. It is the extreme end of normal crying behaviour. The condition is harmless, though it can be very distressing for parents or carers. The cause is not known, but there are ways to help calm a baby down.

About infant colic
Colic is uncontrollable, extended crying in a baby who is otherwise healthy and well-fed. Every baby cries, but babies who cry for more than three hours a day, three to four days a week, may have colic.

About 20% of babies get colic, and it equally affects boys and girls, first-born children and those born later. In general, it appears at around two to four weeks of age and can last for three months, or longer in some cases.

Causes
The cause of colic isn't known. In the past it was thought to be related to the digestive system. However, although painful abdominal gas may contribute to colic, there is little evidence to prove it's due to gastrointestinal problems.

Another possible cause of colic is a combination of the baby's temperament and an immature nervous system. The baby's temperament may make him or her highly sensitive to the environment, and he or she may react to normal stimulation or changes to the environment by crying. Because the baby's nervous system is immature, he or she is unable to regulate crying once it starts.

Answer 6

My goodness, this child has colic, and no amount of comforting will quiet it at that point. Fortunately for you (and moreso for the parents) this is transient and almost always goes away in a few months.

Those first months are SO exhausting for the parents. Why not go do something nice for them...casserole, offer to babysit or just give her some adult time together. Offer to pick up a few items for her from the grocery when you go. Offer to sit with the child while she takes a nap or a shower. Those little things are what helps. Take her a package of diapers on your dime, just to show honorable intent. If she is having problems, it is quite possible she will seek advice from you about lots of things.

It really does take a village to raise a child and any help you can offer will be much appreciated. It is just not natural for a single mother to take it all on, even if only during the day when hubby is off at work. Be her friend.

Answer 7

crying baby, especially if the crying continues for a long period of time, can be stressful on the parents or caregivers. In order to understand how to soothe a crying baby, we must first understand why babies cry. Here are a few common things that could be causing your baby to cry:


Hunger

Dirty diaper


Illness/Colic

Lonely

Tired/Cranky

Bored


It is important for babies to cry as this is how they express their feelings or their needs. Babies have different cries to represent their different needs.


Eventually, you will be able to identify what is wrong with the baby by the sound of the cry. Until you can identify what you baby needs, you will have to rely on trial and error. The first thing you should do is pick the baby up. Babies need to be held and cuddled. Don't worry about spoiling your baby: holding and nurturing will not spoil a child. Babies that are repeatedly left crying may begin to feel neglected or insecure.


If holding your baby doesn't stop him from crying, go down the list of possible problems. Try changing his diaper, feeding him or talking to him. He may just be bored or lonely and need to hear your voice.


Prolonged crying may indicate that something is wrong. If your baby displays any signs of illness such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or any other abnormal symptom, contact your doctor for an evaluation. Sometimes babies that don't normally cry much will cry a lot when they are ill.


Some effective steps in soothing your baby include:


Rocking or swinging


Many babies enjoy the motion involved in rocking or swinging. You can rock your baby in your lap in a rocking chair or swing in a porch swing with your baby in your lap or you may invest in a baby swing. Many parents have sworn by their infant swing. Never leave an infant alone or unattended in an infant swing.


Wrapping the baby in a snug blanket (swaddling)


Wrapping the baby snugly in a receiving blanket may help him feel safe and secure. Some parents have stated that swaddling was the most effective method of soothing their infants, ages newborn to six weeks. Be sure you do not wrap the blanket too tightly and never put a baby to sleep while wrapped in swaddled blankets.


Singing, talking, or humming


Just hearing your voice could be soothing for a crying baby. You can try singing to him, humming, reading a book to him or just talking. Hold the baby against your chest when you are singing or humming, the vibrations of your voice and the sound of your heartbeat are also soothers.


Taking a walk

good luck!!!!

Answer 8

I agree that the baby is awake and hungry (there is a growth spurt usu. at 2 weeks)... Maybe the mom is heating a bottle? Hopefully, she is breastfeeding, and it's possible that the baby is having difficulty latching on b/c it's so hungry.
I agree with Shelly S.... take a meal over, be patient. And where do you live that you can hear the neighbors that clearly? yikes!

Answer 9

my baby did the same, trust me, the mother is trying, she's not doing anything wrong and she's tending to the baby, like some have mentioned, it could be colic. and it takes a while to make a baby stop crying, especially newborns, because they are still adjusting to live outside the womb.

Answer 10

Could be colic. My daughter cried from 6:30-7:30 pm EVERY night with it. All we could do was offer her gas drops, wrap up a hot water bottle and lie her tummy across it and pat her.

Answer 11

It's very normal. The parents AND the baby are just trying to figure out the baby's schedule, or he/she might have some colic that affects him/her at that particular time.