All about the Witching hour and Colic

Does your happy newborn seem to get fussy or suddenly inconsolable around 5pm?

You may see terms on the internet to describe this period such as the witching hour, colic or purple crying and think that maybe something is wrong with your baby. The truth is that it is normal for your baby to go through this stage of crying. They can have all of their needs met and still cry. Babies cry a lot and some babies cry more than others!

The good news is that this will likely pass by the time they are 3-4 months old. I know this seems like a long stage, so let me give you some tools to help you through this tough time! 

I am a mom of three and all my babies were a bit different. Two of them definitely had intense witching hours and were colicky, which was a hard period to go through. Sometimes babies can’t be soothed but there are ways to help them and YOU through this very hard time.

First of all, let’s go over what these terms all mean. 

What is the witching hour?

Contrary to it’s name, this does not mean it only lasts one hour. It can be shorter or last a few hours longer. This is a period, usually between 5pm and midnight, when a normally content baby becomes extremely fussy and harder to settle. This usually starts around 2-3 weeks of age, peaks when they are 6 weeks old and usually ends when they are 3-4 months old.

What is Purple Crying?

Purple Crying (also known as Peak of Crying) is a stage when babies cry for long periods of time and you may find it hard to soothe them no matter what you do. This is seen in healthy babies crying unexpectedly, struggling to soothe, and showing a pain-like face. There is no known medical reason for this stage. This period also starts at 2 weeks, peaks at 8 weeks and ends by the time they are 12 weeks old. Purple crying is also a period of crying when your baby could have colic.

What is Colic?

Colic is like an amplified version of the ‘witching hour’, when your baby is crying for at least 3 hours a day, for more than 3 days a week, for 3 weeks or more. This is after other medical conditions have been ruled out. The causes of colic are unknown. 

The difference between the witching hour and colic is that with a colicky baby, their crying is more intense (purple crying) and they really struggle to be soothed or they can’t be soothed at all. Babies will tend to look like they are in pain during this phase. Colic usually lasts longer than the witching hour, and can intensify or get worse each week until about 8 weeks after which it begins to settle. 

Why might this happen?

Overstimulated: Babies tend to get more stimulated in the evenings after a long day. Children, including newborns, often experience new events in their early development including seeing things for the first time, seeing new faces, new toys, etc. These events are stimulating but also tiring for children. As a result, they can easily make them overstimulated and make it harder for them to be soothed. 

Overtired: Newborns can get overtired VERY easily. This can happen from being overstimulated or staying awake too long. When babies are overtired, their bodies release cortisol and adrenaline which makes it hard for babies to relax and sleep. This puts the baby into a fight or flight response, making them stay awake. Your baby will become fussy if this happens.

Immature digestive system: During the newborn stage, they are just getting used to drinking milk, digesting and having bowel movements. If your baby is born prematurely, their early development can be more affected. A baby’s system often struggles to pass gas and trapped air in their intestines can cause them a lot of pain. 

Growth Spurts: Babies go through many growth spurts in the newborn stages. This happens usually around 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks and 12 weeks of age. This can cause them to be fussier in the evening time because your milk supply may be lower. This can also cause cluster feeding (feeding more frequently) in order to help you build up your supply to meet their needs as they get older and need more food. Some babies also find comfort in suckling in the evening during their fussy period, especially if they don’t take a pacifier. 

How to prevent or manage these hard times: 

It is important to prevent your baby from getting overtired. This means watching how long your baby is awake. A wake window is from the time your baby is awake until the time that you begin a nap time/bedtime routine, prior to their next nap. This DOES include the pre-nap feeding time and rocking them, even if their eyes are closed while they are eating. 

Wake windows:

0-4 weeks: 30-45 minutes 

4-8 weeks: 45-60 minutes

8-12 weeks: 60- 75 minutes 

If your baby was awake for too long between naps or had a short nap then we suggest putting them down 5-15 minutes earlier for their next nap based on tired cues. 

1. Watch for their tired cues: The early cues your baby shows when they are tired which can include red eyes/eyebrows, looking away from you or not making eye contact. Cues that mean your baby needs to sleep immediately include yawning and rubbing their eyes. Finally, when babies are overtired, they cry and arch their backs and tense their muscles, causing them to struggle more even when being rocked. 

It is important to follow wake windows and identify your baby's tired cues to figure out when to put them down for a nap. If your baby is staying awake too long or having short naps, this will lead to overstimulation and overtiredness by the evening, making the witching hour or colic period worse. It can also affect their feeds, making it hard for them to eat or sleep.

2. Sleep: As you might note from the previous comments, sleep is one of the most important things for your baby. You should eventually be able to identify the time at which your baby is normally having this fussy period and try to have them napping prior to this time. Sometimes getting them to sleep can seem impossible during this fussy period, so getting them to sleep prior to it can help them to feel more rested and possibly have less of a fussy evening. 

3. Feedings: Feedings are also important. Make sure they are feeding every 2-3 hours in the day during the newborn stage. Make sure they get full feedings to prevent them from being hungry in the evening. If they are overtired they may struggle to eat. So offer a feeding early, before they have their fussy time, if they are struggling to eat during a long colic period.

4. Cluster Feeding: Cluster Feeding is a natural tendency on the part of babies and it can help some babies if this is how they soothe themselves or are not using a pacifier. This can help your milk supply if your baby is having a growth spurt. If you have an oversupply, this usually won't work for your baby and could make them more upset. 

5. Skin-to-Skin: Offering skin-to-skin contact also helps to calm fussy babies and helps to release happy hormones for both mom and baby. If you are calm your baby will also be calm. This can also help your milk supply, to help your milk come in and help your baby feed better in the evening.

6. Bathing: Taking a gentle shower or bath together is another way to do skin-to-skin. It has also been shown that running water can help to calm babies as it mimics the sounds babies would hear in the womb. 

7. Releasing Gas: As previously noted, gas is a big issue with babies experiencing discomfort during these colic like periods. You can help your baby by giving them a stomach massage to release the tension on the ligament surrounding the intestines and help gas pass. You can also pull their knees up to their chest, tilting the pelvis to help release gas and help them have a bowel movement as well. You can also hold your baby in an upright position, on your legs with their feet on your tummy and their knees to their chest. If a baby has gas they will struggle to eat or sleep. 

8. The 5 S’s: The “5 S’s” are also a way of consoling your baby. The 5 S’s stand for Swaddle, Sway/Swing, Side/Stomach Position, Soother, and Shushing. Doing all of these things at once can really help to mimic the behavior and atmosphere of being in the womb. 

9. Lighting: Dim the lights and eliminate excess noise to reduce stimulation so that your baby stops producing cortisol and is able to relax and sleep.

10. Baby wearing with a carrier: this helps to mimic being in the womb, allowing your babyto feel safe and secure. This snug contact pressure  can help your baby relax and feel your breathing patterns. 

11. Getting outside: The change of sensory experience can help you and your baby feel more relaxed. There is something about being outside that helps you feel grounded, and releases anxiety. Sunshine (vitamin D) is also linked to helping with anxiety and lower cortisol levels. The best combination is baby wearing and going for a walk outside. 

12. Singing/listening to music: this has been shown to release happy hormones. Singing helps to activate the vagus nerve which helps your body to relax, and lower anxiety. You can even try playing music your baby may recognise from in utero.  

13. Give your baby to someone else to lower your anxiety: Your baby will feed off of your energy, so if you are feeling anxious this can cause them to cry more. It is normal to feel a rush of hormones and feel angry or want to cry when your baby is crying constantly 

It is okay to ask for help! Find a way to calm yourself so you can think, collect and ground yourself, so you can continue to try and calm your baby or ride out this wave. If you don’t have anyone to help, it is okay to put your baby down (somewhere they are safe) and take a few minutes to collect yourself. Step into another room or outside, momentarily, where you can’t hear them crying so you can calm yourself. 

From a mom that has been there, things do get better and easier! Listen to your intuition and seek medical advice from your doctor, chiropractor or dentist (for tongue/lip ties) if you are concerned there is something else going on that can be causing their upset. 

Check out my FREE Newborn Guide for more information on how to survive the witching hour and find joy during the newborn stage. This guide is packed full of everything you need to know in this newborn stage and how to get some sleep as well.