Baby D is almost a month old and twice, yes only twice, have we had super fussy nights where my husband and I were pacing the bedroom and hallway for hours on end while Baby D exercised his little lungs for us. It’s so hard not knowing what is wrong with your newborn when you’ve done everything thinkable…fed him, changed him, burped him, swaddled him, cuddled him. I’m a big fan of Google and will research any and all questions I can think of. I also have a lot of time to do this when I’m nursing at 3 in the morning! As a first-time mom, I’ve learned that your newborn will have a fussy time, mostly in the evening or late night where they are just going to cry it out; it’s also known as “the witching hour,” but can last more than an hour!
Last night, my little man finally fell asleep after simply lying on my chest for 10 minutes and then slept for 3 glorious hours! This was after 2 hours of crying, stopping, crying and stopping. At his next feeding, he wasn’t fussy at all, just happy to be held, changed and fed in the middle of the night. As I fed him, I watched his little eyes starting to droop off into dream land and his tiny hand gripping my finger and realized that he’s only this little for such a small amount of time. I know the fussiness will pass, most likely pretty soon, and he’s simply going to keep growing up. Instead of getting frustrated with the fussiness and feeling hopelessly overwhelmed, I’ve decided to embrace it. I know he’s going to have his crying times and by remaining calm and knowing that I’m doing my best for him, then he’ll relax too.
I was watching the Today show this morning and was once again reminded that time really does fly. Days turn into a blur and you have no idea what day of the week it is or what the date is, taking a shower becomes a luxury and if you can style your hair then you’re even more ahead of the game, there will be breastmilk everywhere and getting 3 hours of sleep is a big accomplishment. Remember though…this won’t last forever and someday you’ll probably miss the middle of the night feedings and being the one that makes your crying baby instantly calm just by hearing your voice or being placed in your arms. I’m opting to treasure it all and soak it up while I can.
bellybelly has 12 tips to help cope with the “witching hour” and they’re all really helpful.
- Be prepared – it’s going to happen.
- Remember this isn’t your fault.
- Get some peace.
- Wear your baby.
- Have backup.
- Get outside.
- Give good cuddle.
- Have a bath.
- Feed your baby.
- Burp your baby.
- Use white noise.
- This too shall pass.