Fussy baby after midnight

My baby is 6 wks old and these past few days he has been fussy after midnight, around 1am until 6am. I cuddle him, I sing to him then when I put him back to his crib he only sleeps a few minutes then cries again even after the feeding and burping. Can anyone please help me understand why and give me tips on what to do?

[saz1986]

sounds like hes got colic,it usually comes at a particular time of the day,and unfortunatly your baby has it in the middle of the night!my son had it for the first 6 months of his life,but he had it from about 12pm to around 8pm.it was hell!hed scream all the time,nothing pasified him.i tried all the colic medicines going,nothing worked!i found gripe water and alot of soothing and rocking him helped.what is he like when hes crying?does he seem in any pain?there cry is usually different when they have got colic,its more of a screamy cry.

[tiredbuthappy]

I was also going to suggest colic. Mine had it from around 7 to midnight, but at its worst, it lasted from 5 pm to 2 AM. My ped said some babies do get it in the middle of the night like yours.
Try swaddling and white noise- that can help. Also do a search of colic and you'll find tons of tips and suggestions. Bouncing up and down worked sometimes, so we would bounce on an exercise ball to get her to settle down.

Hope things improve soon for you. It was a terrible, traumatizing time for me.

[Crritter]

Aw, you poor thing.  I would agree, sounds like colic.  If it is a screaming cry then definitely.  I would call your ped, could also be reflux & hurts when your little one lays down.  Best of luck, hang in there, it's tough but goes away in time.

[tiredbuthappy]

Crritter makes a great point.
Where does he sleep during the day? In the crib or in a swing? If the only time he lays flat at night, and he is having these issues at night, it could very well be reflux being aggrevated by laying flat. Try letting him sleep in an inclined swing or bouncy seat to see if it helps. It's not a long-term solution, but may help you determine if reflux is aggrevating things.
My DD was climbing on me earlier, so I kept it short. I wanted to add some other tricks I read about that helped a little.

When they cry so much, they swallow air, get gassy and uncomfortable and scream more. If you think this is happening, you can try simethicone drops (infant gas drops, brand name Mylicon, although generic is just as good). It is safe to use in infants.

i really want to emphasize the importance of white noise, and swaddling if he'll tolerate it. It's the only thing that always seemed to help a little. For her, the louder, the better. The vaccum would get her to stop screaming sometimes. I spent so many nights in a dark bathroon with the loud vent fan going.

Lights and TV can aggitate. Minimize exposure to stimulation throughout the day, not just during his spells. One of the theories behind colic is that it is sensory overload. This was definitely true for my little one.

Wear or carry him as much as possible during the day. Research shows that babies that are held more cry less at night.

Take him outside, even in the cold. My LC suggested that- she said colicky babies sometimes like the fresh air. My ped's baby was much like yours- screamed during the dead of night til dawn. He said his neighbors used to see him walking up and down the street at dawn as they got up for work.

Finally, I would recommend you consult your ped just to rule out other medical problems. Most likely, it's colic. Especially if he is happy/normal the rest of the day.

Like Crritter said, it does pass. I thought it never would, but it did. One day he'll only scream for 3 hours, and you'll feel relieved. Then it'll only be one hour... and then one day he'll act as though none of this ever happened. And you will deserve a BIG drink.

[mami1323]

My son was an evening fusser and would be that way from 5 pm until maybe 9 pm.  A lot of babies go through this starting from 6 weeks to 3 months of age.  They say it's either overstimulation from the day or gasiness, they can't say exactly why this happens and why during these ages.  It could also be reflux issues.  tiredbuthappy gave great suggestions.  My son liked to be carried during these times.  I guess the closeness made him feel comforted.  Not even the motion from the swing would help him.  Try some soft music with just a low light or night light and carry your baby.  My son once cried for 4 hours straight and I wanted to rip my hair out.  The good news is, it does pass and it seems that once he hit 3 months it all stopped.