Before I had my first child i took parenting classes and one of the points they pushed was it is better for the baby to cry in a crib for a few minutes to even half an hour for you to catch your breath then for you to lose your cool and shake the baby. It was a huge point and I have always made sure to listen. So with both my kids when they would have a crying marathon and I would feel like I was getting to my breaking point I would put them in their room, safely in their crib and walk away to catch my breath. Sometimes I would sit and read to calm my racing thoughts or have a quick shower, even some cooking or cleaning helped to calm frazzled nerves. And by teh end of 10-20 minutes I could go get teh baby(whom I could hear though a monitor so always knew they were safe) refreshed. And even if they were still crying I knew i was better able ot then deal with it. Knowing that I could do this was a relief for me since I always knew I had a safe recourse when things got bad.
Nicole