Why does my infant seem to scream in excrutiating pain for no apparent reason?

Question

My 2 month old daughter will be happy and cooing and then for no apparent reason scream like she is in pain. It is killing me when she does this.
She is a breast fed baby that has started to fuss more lately. She also seems to be more needy, she will get upset after a few minutes of not being held. I am trying to reasearch but any help is appreciated. I cannot see any blood in the stool and the stool is yellow to greenish (appears to be normal).
Thanks in advance.

We have the Mylcon for gas and give it to her but it does not seem to help as well as it did. The bowl movements are smooth so no constipation. I am sure that it is not from being startled as well.

Oh and she seems to do good when she snacks on the breast for long periods of time. But as you know Mom can't spend her whole day with the baby on the breast

Answer 1

Sounds like colic!

Answer 2

Oh, I understand exactly what you are going through, because that is what I'm on the tail end of with my 4 month daughter. This is all just what I think...

First of all, my girl cried a lot from gas. Don't know if that might apply. She definitely would go from cooing to wailing even without the gas though. She would also fight nursing a lot, but needed to be held constantly.

So, I've spent the last two months holding her constantly - definitely use a sling or a Baby Bjorn style carrier - and nursing as frequently as possible. And now, although she's grumpy at night and just before a nap, she's happy to sit in her stroller while I cook, or lie on the floor next to me for a little while. I still hold her as much as possible and nurse frequently, but she has definitely gotten much happier.

Believe me I know how very painful it is for you to hear her crying - it just rips out your heart. But if you've eliminated things like reflux, it really is a phase that will pass, no matter how unhelpful that sounds. The main thing - and I believe this from my own experience - is that you can't let people convince you that you are spoiling her or that she is manipulating you. People always criticize me for how much time I spend holding my baby, but then in the same breath tell me she is the happiest baby they have ever seen. Pretty ironic if you ask me.

I'm not a professional, but I think that right around two months was when she was figuring out scary concepts like "MOMMY CAN LEAVE." She also started dreaming really actively around that time - which when you think about it has to be really scary. That's just a time when they are becoming really aware of their surroundings and I think sometimes it can just be too much for them. And I always remind myself that there are definitely times I'm so frustrated that I would like to scream - I just don't. Babies haven't learned that self-control yet!
It also helps me to keep in mind that this isn't something she's "doing to me" - she's not having fun either!

Good luck mama, you are doing a wonderful job! I really hope any of this helps.

Check out the blog below - it's got tons of great info on this and lots of other questions.

Answer 3

She does not sound gassy or constipated. Does the screaming seem to happen around the same time of day more than 3 days a week? If so, this really sound like colic.

This was copied from BabyCenter: "Colic is a label for a pattern of crying in a healthy, well-fed infant under 3 months of age that has no explanation. Even though most young babies cry on and off for no apparent reason, especially in the early evening, colicky babies cry a lot more than others and can be difficult or impossible to soothe. The baby's crying usually intensifies between 6 and 8 weeks of age, and then tends to diminish when the baby is 3 months old."

Colicky babies can get stiff or rigid, have hands into fists and cry until their entire face is red and unfortunately there may not be anything to help. Here are some suggestions:

Try to have her swaddled or carried in a front pack, rocked, or kept in motion in a swing.

Try letting her suck on a pacifier or her fingers, or if you massage her gently, or take her on a walk outside.

Since you are breastfeeding you could try changing your diet to see if you notice less crying. You may want to eliminate spicy foods, high-fiber grains, beans, broccoli and cabbage, and caffeine. Some babies do better if mom eliminates all milk products from her own diets. (If you decide to do this, talk to your healthcare provider about it and take a calcium supplement.)

She may just be temperamentally sensitive and highly reactive (this was my daughter!)

If you start feeling tense, it's important to put her down for a while so that you can calm yourself. Taking a break will help you both. She will not come to harm if you put her in her crib and let her cry, even though it goes against everything in your body. It is better for you to put her down and you calm down before heading back in.

Our daughter was like this from 3 weeks to 4 months around 7pm almost each night for 1-2 hours. It was nerve wracking, but nothing we did helped. The hubby and I just kept switching who would hold her. Some nights neither of us could do it, so she was in her crib. She is now 3 1/2 and just fine.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Newborn Screaming In Pain

Answer 5

Have you been away from her any more than usual lately? Maybe a seperation anxiety thing. Also she may just be finding her voice and she just likes to hear herself scream. I know that sounds funny but sometimes my son will do this for no reason other than to just hear himself.
Have you checked to see if maybe she has an ear infection? When my son got his first one he did this alot. I didn't ever occur to me that he might have an ear infection. He wasn't running a fever or anything, but found out that was the problem. He was put on antibiotics and motrin for pain and he stopped.

Good Luck

Answer 6

My son was the same way. Some people told me it was colic, but it was never for more then 3 hours a day (which is how colic is usually deffined) but it was always very terrible and sudden.

I gave my son gas drops too and they would help sometimes, as well as rubbing his belly or running his legs, but I don't think it was always gas.
I also would give him "teething tablets" (which are avalibable in wal-marts and natural food stores) they are an all natural pill to help calm your child (there is no pain killers or downers in it, its just a tiny (to small to choke on) lactose pill that disolves SUPER fast in their mouth which contains camomille and 2 other herbs. Again these helped sometimes, but not always. Its trial and error trying to figure out what is bothering your babe. My son was very high needs as well so he needed me there a lot, but as tiring as it was I didn't mind being there for him.

You have to keep in mind when a baby is unhappy they have no control of their emotions. We don't know whats bothering them as they can't speak and we can't read their minds. It could be anything from a bright light in his eyes, to gas, to sleepy, to a wet diaper, to just bored. Even if its something slight thats bothering them they let it all loose, they don't control their emothions. If you think a toddler is bad throwing a tantrum of not getting what they want, imagine what an infant would do having less understanding of anything.

In the womb for 9 months he never felt a cold breeze, never heard loud sounds, never saw bright lights, was never hungry, was always being rocked inside you, was floating in warm fluid, never felt scratchy diapers, never slept alone, and a whole load of other things...for 9 months! being in this totally different setting takes time to adjust to.
If everything appears normal other then his crying I wouldn't worry, just try to do your best to comfort him. :)

Answer 7

OK, you have just described my now 8month old nephew to a T. He was diagnosed with gastric reflux disease when he was about 2-3 months old. One minute he is the happiest baby in the world, the next he is so miserable and unhappy. He was feeding all the time (brstfed also). Talk to your doctor and try keeping your son upright for 20 minutes following a feeding. My nephew was on two different gastric meds for about 3 months, he's down to one. Once he started solids, they were able to start wean him off the meds. Good luck to you, I know it's frustrating!

Answer 8

She might have gas. There are infant drops for gas (mylcon and little tummies) I had to give them to my twins around that age. Thats only thing I can really think it could be. I would double check with the doctor also.
Good Luck and I hope she gets well.

Answer 9

Possibly gas or teething. Try Mylicon drops (get them at Walmart in the baby section) to see if that stops her screams. These drops are for gas, and my doctor told me that there is no risk in giving these to babies... they cannot overdose on them, and they will not make them sick. So no harm will be done by trying... my youngest daughter lived off of these!!!!!!

Answer 10

You haven't found the cause of the screaming yet. Check for physical problems that aren't on the outside of the body. Maybe an infection.

Answer 11

It could be a number of things. My baby has Gerd You know the reflux and she would be happy one moment then sceaming the next. My Doc said b/c of reflux it hurts them really bad. It can also be teething b/c babies are teething early these days, or colic, or maybe a hard BM is coming. Its so hard to tell with babies. They cant speak to us they can only cry, but next Doc visit ask him. Hope I helped