Does your sweet child turn into a crying and insatiable gremlin in the evenings? If so, you may be experiencing the WITCHING HOURS! This tricky time of day often happens between 5 pm and midnight. This is often when you are most tired, and not at your best.
Many lactation professionals agree that day three can be the hardest for moms. Breastfeeding is a whole new experience and it takes a little getting used to. Perfecting your baby's latch doesn't usually happen right away and it is important to remember that it may take some patience to establish.
It's an intense period of fussiness or crying in the evenings, usually around 5 PM and lasting up to three hours. You'll usually start seeing this when your baby hits 2 weeks of age, but the worst may pass by 12 weeks.
10 practical tips to help during the witching hour
This can help to relieve tummy pain and for wind to be passed. Offer extra feeds, especially if you're breastfeeding. Most babies love to comfort suck when they're unsettled. If you're bottle feeding, check your baby isn't feeding too quickly.
Some babies will refuse to eat while others want to stay attached for both hunger and comfort. Mom's prolactin levels naturally decrease in the late afternoon hours (this doesn't mean you have a low supply). This can make some babies fussy at the breast where they will latch/unlatch/repeat. It is normal!
Baby keeps pulling away while breastfeeding
Once the let-down starts, some breastfed babies struggle to keep up with the fast flow of milk. If they're overwhelmed, this can make them pull away. Your baby could also be suffering reflux, which can also cause symptoms such as pain, fussiness, and unsettling behavior.
For breast-fed babies, feed if more than 1½ hours since the last feeding. Be careful not to feed your baby every time she cries.
#3 Stomach Discomfort: Gas or acid reflux can certainly contribute to the witching hour, and this is especially true for very young babies with immature digestive systems. #4 Cluster Feeding: Newborns tend to cluster feed at night as a way to prepare for a longer stretch of sleep.
Colic is different than the normal witching hour and is defined as a baby who cries for 3 or more hours a day, 3 or more days a week, for 3 or more weeks at a time. Colic can begin in the early weeks and often fades by month 3 or 4.
Get moving. Motion is also a great way to soothe a fussy baby—it reminds them of the feeling of being in the womb. During the witching hour, try going for a walk with the stroller or baby wearing outside or around the house. The movement may be just what your baby needs to settle down.
It can last a few minutes to a couple of hours. For most babies, the witching hour starts to occur around 2-3 weeks and peaks at 6 weeks. It will typically completely resolve by 3-4 months. The witching hour is different from colic.
What Is PURPLE Crying? PURPLE crying is a stage that some babies go through when they seem to cry for long periods of time and resist soothing. Your baby may find it hard to settle or calm down no matter what you do for them. The phrase PURPLE crying was coined by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.
Feeling hungry, having a wet or soiled diaper, or being too hot or too cold are all reasons your baby may cry and act a bit fussy at night. Feedings and Diaper Changes Although parenting is usually unpredictable, there are a couple of things you can count on: feedings and diaper changes!
What are the “3 Golden Hours”? The 3 Golden Hours refer to the immediate hours after a mother gives birth. It's so important that mothers are given the opportunity to be skin to skin with their babies during these 3 hours to breastfeed their baby and form that immediate bond.
Every moment between a mother and her newborn baby is important. For successful breastfeeding, the first hour after birth is arguably the most important.
How Long Does Nursing Take? Newborns may nurse for up to 20 minutes or longer on one or both breasts. As babies get older and more skilled at breastfeeding, they may take about 5–10 minutes on each side.
The most commonly accepted definition of colic, which originated in 1954,4 describes using the “rule of three”: crying for more than three hours per day, for more than three days per week, and for more than three weeks in an infant that is well-fed and otherwise healthy.
Colic babies typically experience the "Rule of 3s" - crying episodes that last at least 3 hours a day, occur more than 3 times a week for more than 3 weeks. In contrast, the crying of a high needs baby starts at birth an increases in intensity throughout their life.
The witching hour is when your baby starts to get fussy and upset for no apparent reason at about the same time every day. This period of increased fussiness usually occurs in the late afternoon and early evening for most babies. The witching hour is also often called the period of purple crying.
What's behind the witching hour? If your baby gets fussy in the late afternoon and won't settle for hours, there may be a few reasons: They're overtired. Your baby's circadian rhythm—their internal clock—is still developing, and they're just beginning to regulate the sleep hormone melatonin.
Lying still at night: When we sleep, typically, there's minimal movement of our bodies. Therefore it's harder for air to move around and work its way through our system. Immature digestive systems: Babies have immature digestive systems and their little bodies are learning too!
Babies have an immature digestion so if they take in excess air as they feed (for various reasons) then it sits in the gut, creating an uncomfortable and bloated feeling. This results in your baby squirming, wriggling and crying as they try and dispel the gas that is in her tummy.
Some reasons why your fed baby cries after feeding can include acid reflux, food sensitivity/allergy, gas, formula, or colic. You should not breastfeed every time your baby cries. Instead, it's best to let the baby tell you when it's had enough flow of milk.
Sometimes a baby may still be hungry because he wasn't attached properly to your breast, so he didn't get a full feed. In that case, your nipples will probably hurt a lot too and may look squashed. If you have any worries about feeding your baby, please don't struggle alone.
A: If nursing is not the blissful bonding you were expecting, don't worry. Some squirming is normal, but if your baby is especially thrashy, she could be frustrated. One possibility is that your milk is coming out like gangbusters, making it hard for her to keep up.