5 Week Old Super Cranky in Evening Nap

My daughter is 5 weeks old as well and gets fussy at the exact same time and is an angel the rest of the time. She also bobs back and forth on the boob and does not want it. I have been changing up what I am eating during the day to see if it makes a difference since my daughter is also strickly a boob baby ;-) I have noticed that depending on what I have eaten makes a diference in how cranky she gets. I have cut out chocolate and some dairy products and soda (which was only maybe once a day) and she is only just a little fussy now and will go to sleep in her bassinet around 8 and stay there till her 1130 pm feeding, before I had to hold her as well and she would only take cat naps until I finally went to bed and had her co sleep until her 11pm feeding. So maybe look at what your eating and change it up a little and see if it makes a difference, or like the other moms say, its just the witching hour. My first daughter was horrible at that time but I never thought about what I was intaking that might effect her that much, this one I had gestational diabetes while pregnant and it made me much more aware of what I was eating which was what made me think to try and changre it uo and if it would effect #2 and her nightime fussiness. Hope this helps ((HUGS)) and cingrats on your little girl.

I think that the problem is waking her, she will wake up if she's hungry. I always let my son sleep. I was always told never wake a sleeping baby. And I have kept that true with my son. I tried breastfeeding and just did not produce enough milk. I tried for 3 weeks and that was it. I would let her sleep as long as possible that will get her used to sleeping longer.

It could be that she has her day and night mixed up. I have heard of that as well. If she doesn't want to sleep I wouldn't force the fact. My son is 4 months old and he is forever changing up our routine on us. One thing that has helped is that we have a routine. We give him a bath at 6 then a bottle and put him to bed. He sleeps pretty well till about 6 am the next day. Try doing that and see if that doesn't calm her down, but like I said before, try not waking her and see what she comes up with. She is making her own schedule now, so try to be consistent with some things. Same nap time everyday, bath at night at the same time and then a feeding. Good luck mom hope everything gets better.

I wanted to add that there is a book called I think, "happy baby, happy sleep habits" look it up my sister in law swears by this book and it truly helps.

babies just like to cry at that time of night. Its "The Witching Hour" and i'll bet 99% of babies get fussy in the evening. Both of mine did it starting around 5 weeks to 9 weeks then it just tapered off. It's maddening and heartbreaking to hear your baby cry like that, but I think they're kind of making white noise for themselves and letting out some energy (if you think about it, they have no other way to release energy other than crying) before they wind down for the night. Best of luck!

I don't know, but I'm an older mother and the best advice I ever got was "never wake a sleeping baby".

Sometimes it can't be helped if you have to put them in their carseat to go out somewhere or something and hopefully you can do that with as little waking as possible and they can go right back to sleep. At night, however, let your daughter sleep and signal when she is hungry.
Some babies do better if you get them lulled and then lay them down before they actually are sound asleep. You can lay her down and pat and soothe her. She might wiggle and fuss a bit but she might sleep better that way with no disturbing her after she truly drifts off.
The saying that newborns need to eat every two to three hours isn't always true. It depends on the baby. My kids didn't eat on a schedule like that.
They let you know when they are hungry. You don't have to worry about waking them to feed them.

You are not inept!
One thing is to try to relax because if you get nervous, your baby can feel that. Another thing you should know is that baby's patterns change so much in the first couple of months and the first year. Then, just when you have it down, they can change again. It's okay.
I work in a maternity ward with brand new moms and babies and one thing I know is that there is no such thing as exact science when it comes when it comes to babies. They really are little individuals from even before they are born.
I always say, even if there was a manual with all the perfect answers, heck....the BABIES can't read them!
Sometimes babies just get fussy. It doesn't mean we are doing anything wrong. It doesn't mean we're not finding the right thing.
I would begin with trying to put her down before she's actually fully asleep and then don't wake her up, if you can help it, until she wakes herself up.

You're obviously a very loving mom. Hang in there! You and your baby will be all right!

Best wishes.

It's probably not true colic. I call that time of day the "witching hour". They are fine all day then go nuts in the evening. Both of my babies did this at different times/stages. For my 1st it was 6-10 and my second it was 5-9. Around 3 months old they did it again and would stay on the boob and cluster feed for about 3 hours then pass clean out for several hours because they loaded up on all that great hind milk.

But for now feed her at her 6 feeding and watch her cues. If she seems like she wants to sleep try putting her down but if she doesn't go wear her in a sling like a mayawrap or mei tai. That really helped my sanity and kept baby calmer during those couple-few hours. And it may help keep her from getting to a total melt-down.

And if she does go to sleep, at 5 weeks old, you don't need to wake her for a 10:30 feed unless she isn't a normal weight or has health issues. She will probably sleep for 5-6 hours and then let you know she's hungry. My daughter was a good birth weight, gained her weight back timely and was gaining well so when I asked if it was ok that she had slept 5-6 hours at around 5-6 weeks old they said it was fine.

it soundslike colic to me. i say maybe try a 3oz warm bottle of water with a teaspoon of table sugar in it and then burp her very very well and even lay her on her stomach on your knees and rub/pat her back. i also have a question why WAKE her up to eat? i always let my daughter tell me when she was hungry and when she was that little that meant waking up and crying.

At this young age, sometimes they cry "because they are a baby" as my husband used to say. You might need to hold her during this time, and not put her down, if that helps. We spent a lot of time with our daughter sleeping on our chests (Dad was best at that).

I agree with the "never wake a sleeping baby" rule. If she is sleeping, leave her be. She is still working out her "schedule" at this age. I would stick with breast feeding - her demands will help adjust your milk production level. You are still getting into a rythmn with this. Introducing bottles can just mess with that.

Don't worry too much yet, they are so unpredictable at this point! I fully agree with everyone who said don't wake her up! She will ABSOLUTELY let you know when she is hungry, so don't you stress about that. ;) I would advise against giving her anything but milk unless you talk to doc first. might be a lactose thing, but she could just be in a weird growing spurt that is winding her up.
Try some calming things before this hour if you really need her to keep that schedule. Bath time, baby lotion massage, soothing music and mommy time. Some stay it's too early for a routine at that point, but it sure worked for my daughter! I would check with doc if you are noticing things like rumbling tummy, pulling her legs up to her stomache or arching her back like she's uncomfortable- these could be gassy symptoms that might have solutions.
The key (although sooo hard) is to stay as calm as you can. She will feel how you feel and will sense if you are stressed. You are not inept for certain. You could be an expert on one baby and feel like a complete fool with another. They are unpredicable and sometimes difficult, but that is why they are so blasted adorable!!!

I agree with the witchin hour and let her sleep until she let's you know she's hungry (unless there is a medical reason to wake her).
I also played with what I was eating and noticed some foods/drinks that contributed to the fussiness. Soda for sure seemed to bother her (only on can in a day and not every day) so I cut that out.
It was trial and error but there were foods that contributed or reduced the fussiness.
And they change the routine on you just when you think you have it down. Some put their babies on a schedule early others don't. We let our daughter let us know what she needed and adjusted accordingly and I have no regrets.
Sounds like you are a great mom with a wonderful daughter! She's just being normal.

You should check with your doctor

Welcome to the 'witching hour'. Both of my sons were angels during the day and even late at night, but there is something about that evening to night time that is a hard transition for babies. In adults they call it 'Sundowners'. For both of my sons it started about 5 or 6 weeks old and lasted until they were about 3 months old. They were just unsettled, unhappy... something. I would do and try everything to make them happy and comfortable, but nothing would soothe them other than my arms (not even the breast!). Also, I would say that unless your DD is under weight - never wake a sleeping baby. She will surely let you know when she is hungry. Don't worry, it will pass and if it doesn't - call your doctor.

She probably has colic, a lot of new babies get it. My daughter nursed also and she had it. I know it's very uncomfortable for them, I needed to change to soy or watch the type of foods that I ate.

She is right on cue telling you she is ready to go down at 6:00pm. If that's when she starts getting fussy, I bet it's because she is tired (or it could be hunger). I consulted w/a sleep expert and I sleep trained my babies. They went to bed anywhere from 5:30p-6:00p....same time every night. Maybe try putting her down earlier? I think she might be hungry too at that time. Your milk supply is always at it's lowest in the afternoon/evening. I had to supplement too w/formula. Keep trying w/the bottle!! We had to try SEVERAL bottles before we found the one that she 'liked.' Good luck! :)

I would say try a sling or some other baby-wearing device or try laying down with her. There were short periods in DDs earlier days where she just dd NOT want to nap without me...At that point, she only ever slept for maybe 1-2 hours at a time during the day and sometimes that was in the swing...some babies need motion or closeness when they are that yougn in order to sleep. Can you ask your ped if you can just let her sleep once she falls asleep? I was ok'd to do that once DD regained her birthweight.
Another thing, she might need to just cluster feed at that time. DD did that too for awhile. Just keep nursing and burping, switching back and forth for awhile until she seems comfortable. Good luck!