The Newborn Witching Hour
When most of us think about newborn babies we think of cuddles, sleeping, and diapers. You hear the words ‘newborn bliss’ and it all seems pretty simple right?
Until 7 pm hits and that sweet newborn baby is screaming without any end in sight.
So you think to yourself ‘baby must be uncomfortable’ or ‘baby must be hungry’.
You change their diaper, give them gas relief drops, and feed them non-stop. But the crying continues….
This is something we call the Newborn Witching Hour. And it’s rough. Believe me–I am in the thick of it right now.
Not all babies act this way at that time of night. But, if your newborn is getting uncontrollably fussy around the evening hours and crying without any end in sight….read on.
Let’s talk about
Reasons why the newborn witching hour occurs
How to know it’s the ‘witching hour’ and there isn’t a deeper issue
Ways to soothe your newborn
Ways to keep yourself calm as the caregiver
If you’ve been through the newborn witching hour with ANY of your kids you will know how draining it can be as a parent. Most articles about this topic say ‘reach out to someone for help’, but what does that truly mean?
Not everyone has access to endless amounts of help. Because of this–I want to give you REAL practical tools to keep yourself and your baby safe.
If you want to find more resources & support you can reach out to Postpartum Support International by calling 1-800-944-4773 or texting 800-944-4773. Visit their website postpartum.net for more information. Please know you are not alone and this difficult time won’t last forever.
You can ALWAYS work with me here.
Why does ‘The Newborn Witching Hour’ occur?
The Newborn Witching Hour is when a normally content newborn baby starts crying uncontrollably. This period of crying happens anywhere from 5 pm to 11 pm at night.
This behavior typically begins around 2-3 weeks of age and peaks around 6 weeks of age. Most articles speaking on this topic will try to blame the mother in some way for this behavior. They will tell you the baby is too hungry, the baby is overtired, the baby is under tired, or something the breastfeeding mother is eating is causing gas in their baby. And while some of this may be true….isn’t it time we STOP blaming mothers for everything? Just a thought.
Anyway, there isn’t much true evidence as to ‘why’ this phenomenon occurs. Some say it’s because the newborn baby (born without a circadian rhythm) is starting to establish the difference between day and night).
Others say at this time in the day a newborn baby is overstimulated. Parents are getting home from work, or older siblings are getting home from school. Dinner is being made & lots of excitement is happening in the house. A lot of new sights, sounds, and commotion can cause a newborn baby to become overstimulated.
The best reasoning, in my opinion, is that your newborn baby is going from the environment of the womb to the outside world.
They are used to constantly feeling warm, comfortable, rested, and fully nourished. They now feel hot/cold, uncomfortable from time to time, tired, need help getting to sleep, and hungry. This is hard! I like to remind myself of everything they are going through and all of the new sensations they are experiencing.
Is it the ‘Newborn Witching Hour’ or is something else going on?
This is where learning YOUR particular baby can come in handy. I always like to reiterate that YOU are the expert on YOUR baby and no one else.
A lot of practitioners like to combine the terms colic & witching hour. However, I disagree with this practice.
Colic is defined as three or more hours of crying during the DAY, at least 3 days a week, for more than three weeks. The Witching Hour is defined as crying in the evening hours starting at 2-3 weeks of age peaking at 6 weeks of age. They sound quite similar, don’t they?
If your infant is crying uncontrollably in the morning and night and throughout the day–this could be a sign something else is going on. It could be a milk allergy or severe GI distress. Reach out to a trusted provider and advocate for your little one.
If your newborn baby has uncontrollable crying and ANY projectile spitting up, blood in their stools, or lack of bowel movements–this could mean they aren’t tolerating feedings. If you are breastfeeding your baby PLEASE work with a lactation professional. If you’d like to work with me you can do that HERE!
A lot of mothers feel as if this ‘witching hour’ crying means their baby is hungry. If you EVER question whether or not your baby is hungry LOOK AT THEIR DIAPERS. They will tell you everything you need to know. If your baby is making 6+ wet diapers per day they are more than likely getting enough milk.
And if you are a breastfeeding mother and you would like help with weighted feeds or truly feel like your baby isn’t getting enough, work with an IBCLC on this. Not a pediatrician. One is trained to help breastfeeding mothers, and the other typically has no training at all (not trying to be rude, it’s just the truth).
Overtiredness will mimic colic, hunger, and discomfort. An overtired baby will scream like no other. They will typically have red eyebrows, tight fists, and an inability to want to be touched.
A lot of baby sleep coaches will prey on new mothers telling them ‘follow my guide to help with overtiredness’ blah blah blah. And I am sure they are truly trying to help. But I am here to tell you sometimes this behavior can’t be avoided. And that IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT.
Instead of talking about wake windows and other unhelpful information….let’s talk about how you can soothe your baby during their ‘witching hour’.
Ways to Soothe Your Newborn
Every single baby is different. What may work for one MIGHT NOT work for another. That’s okay! I want to give you a handful of tools to try so you have them all available to you.
Take your infant away from stimuli: this means heading to a dark room and turning the TV off if it is one
Get baby close: swaddle or baby wear–we’re working to mimic the womb and containment can help them calm down
SKIN TO SKIN: literally always but sometimes baby is ‘too far gone’ and this might not help–that’s okay!
White noise: use that expensive sound machine to help soothe them & mimic that environment of the womb
Movement: some babies like to be held in the side-lying position or on their stomach, and others like to be swaddled & worn & bounced (find what your baby likes!)
If all else fails–GET OUTSIDE. For you & for baby. It’s like a hard reset & I swear it’s helped me EVERY TIME.
I think we have to stop operating with the notion that the same things help all babies. Try one or try them all! But DO NOT blame yourself for any of this. Remind your baby that you are here and you know this is hard. You will get through this.
Next, let’s talk about how to keep yourself calm during alllllll of the screaming….
Ways to Keep Yourself Calm
I’m not sure about you, but hearing my baby scream sends me to another dimension. I would walk on water to get to them if I could. It’s truly a visceral reaction.
Therefore, I constantly have to remind myself that I am there supporting them. That they are safe.
When the crying DOES NOT STOP we have to bring in other measures to regulate ourselves. Because an unregulated mother CANNOT regulate her baby. And we are all human. AND we don’t need to be perfect.
Babywearing helps me keep my baby close & safe. He also really enjoys being in the carrier (most of the time). But when the crying is incessant and starting to affect me–I put on headphones. That way I can give myself a break from all of the crying & still be close to him.
Another amazing thing we can do for our babies is place them in a safe space and walk away. Take a lap around the kitchen counter. Or go to the bathroom and do some deep breathing for a second. We don’t want you to snap, or harm your baby–walking away for a second is totally fine.
And lastly, the most obvious one: ask for help. This isn’t always doable or attainable, but it is something you should do if help is there.
You DO NOT have to do this on your own. Join our amazing Instagram community here & please know I am always available to talk.