On/Off hysterical crying

My LO is 5 weeks and has generally been a good baby, crying only when needing something and I've usually been able to help him quickly. This evening he has just had a few random bouts of very sudden scream crying. Doesn't seem to be any trigger, he's clean, fed, I've checked him over physically. It's like nothing will soothe him when he is wailing, I literally just have to wait it out. Everything else has been normal, passing gas, and good nappies. I'm only posting as this is the worst cry I've ever heard from him and he's just been going from totally chill to absolutely distraught in seconds. Only thing was that I reckon he was getting tired but he's never been this extreme with tiredness in the past. He's just fallen asleep now but I've got mum anxiety!! Not sure if this is normal newborn behaviour or something I should be worried about?

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this can be quite normal for newborns. could be witching time, which not all newborns get but some go - mine did in the evening. or even purple crying.

I was hoping someone would just tell me it was normal newborn behaviour. I've just not experienced it with my boy before and it is horrid! There was some purple crying earlier, I'm just used to being able to comfort him or at least know what the issue is

I had the same up until week 7. It was absolutely awful from 5pm till she went to bed and nothing soothed her and I felt like an awful mother because she just wouldn’t settle But I promise you all of a sudden it will stop. I realise now she still has short spells of it usually when she’s learning a new skill and is fighting sleep she was also diagnosed with silent reflux at her 6 week check not sure if that actually had anything to do with it or as the previous comment says about witching hour (it was never a hour haha) 🖤

@Alice it’s absolutely horrid when you can’t comfort because you don’t know what the issue is or if there even is an issue - i used to absolutely sob when my newborn did it. there was nothing ever wrong, he just absolutely cried for a solid hour every evening around 6-7pm. but after & before, perfectly fine. broke my heart every time. but he grew out of it come 6-7 weeks. it’s completely normal for newborns to go through this phase (and not as not all babies are the same)

@Alice it is normal! Mine cried from 5pm-10pm every night for weeks. I just bounced her a lot on my yoga ball and hoped she'd settle but like clockwork at 10pm she was out like a light. No reason for it either!

Could it be silent reflux?