Baby Wakes Up Screeching in the Middle of the Night

luppamom

Sun, Jan 04 2015, 2:42 pm

For the last week, when I put my baby to bed, she often wakes up suddenly and starts screeching. She will often not take her paci, is hard to comfort even while holding her and really wants to nurse and go back to sleep. She will often do this several times in the night before I go to sleep and a few times once I am a sleep. I took her to the doctor when this started and the doctor didn't find anything and decided that the baby is teething.
If I knew that for a fact, I would be happy to nurse her every time. What I am afraid of is that it's a stage. (This is mainly b/c recently she has taken to s/t screeching when I put her to sleep.) If it's a stage, I don't want her to get used to nursing every 2.5 hrs. at night like she's currently doing (she nurses approx. every 2 hrs. during the day!!! as well). She is 6 mos. and large and has shown me in the recent past that she is capable of sleeping at least 4 hrs. straight!

Any advice for me? It's a challenge to wake up so many times and still be a good mother the next morning.

luppamom

Sun, Jan 04 2015, 2:49 pm

Iymnok wrote:

Is she ready for food?

I started a few weeks ago and she was eating it nicely. These days she isn't eating nicely which could be b/c I timed it poorly and fed her when she was a little too hungry. I'm thinking of doing apple sauce next to get food back into her good graces Smile

(We've been doing veges.)

luppamom

Tue, Jan 06 2015, 3:12 am

I'm back. She is still doing it and last night I lost it. Her last nap got messed up and I put her to bed at bedtime. I wanted to go to sleep early cuz I'm so tired, but she got up and seriously wanted to play. It was awhile before I settled her back in. During the night, I was so tired from getting up every 2ish hrs. or maybe even more, was too tired to keep track. I would put her down and couldn't remember if I had just fed her or not and she would scream. This has been going on now for over a week and I wasn't feeling well and was exhausted. DH had to get up and hold the baby who just screamed b/c all she wants to do is EAT. She's been spitting up a lot and she's not a spitter-upper. I think it's b/c she's eating too much. She's also tired and woke up this morning at 9:30 (b"H for me, but not so good for her). Anyway, could use some chizzuk and continues b/c if this continues, I might have to think about bottles which would be really sad as I came this far nursing, but I love her and need to be a good mother.

smss

Tue, Jan 06 2015, 4:44 pm

luppamom, it does sound like teething, especially since it's a new thing and she's already 6 months old. I wouldn't think it's a sleep regression if she's already 6 months. and she would be right on time for teething.

it is SO hard, I am right there with you on that. I have a baby around your baby's age and we've been having our very bad nights too lately. I do not think that bottles would help though, if she is waking up from pain.

btw, the spitting up can be due to the extra drool that teething causes- they swallow it and it causes them to spit up...

the biggest thing that helps me (and I can do this now with #2 much more easily than I could with #1, because now I KNOW it's true) is to just remember that this will pass. you will not be doing this forever. she WILL sleep through the night one day, really really she will. lots of hatzlacha!

luppamom

Wed, Jan 07 2015, 5:23 pm

smss wrote:

Thank you so much for your chizzuk! You're right. Just a yr. and half ago, I would do a/t to be waking up w/ a baby. I need to remember that, but only in a positive way (and not in a I'm-such-a-horrible-mother way) and you're right, in another 20 yrs., I'll probably miss reminisce back to this period of my life.

BTW, last night was much better. It could be that your chizzuk helped me be more awake. (Need to be awake enough to know when she's crying b/c I just put her back in bed or b/c she's hungry.) she also did sleep a little bit more. I'm not sure if it's teething or not. Teething is so hard b/c they're chronically teething. She started to drool at 4 mos., no teeth, now it's gotten a bit more aggressive, but still no teeth. It could be a stomach ache. She is likely sensitive to milk. I'm trying to go back off of it, but it's still in our systems.

emunahmother

Wed, Jan 07 2015, 8:32 pm

I agree with ladybug. I would say if it's out of the norm and has been a week since the doctor last checked, then go get rechecked. The doctor night be able to clue you in a little better now that it's a week later. Maybe he'll find swollen guns (teeth) or maybe an ear infection. Or maybe that dreaded saying "it's just a cold, nothing to do but wait for it to pass"

I've been there many times and like another previous poster mentioned but is hard to see if this is your first - but it WILL PASS no matter how hard it is, it will!

luppamom

Thu, Jan 08 2015, 1:30 am

emunahmother wrote:

Thank you!! I had another very hard night w/ a baby screaming from when I hit the pillow. I didn't want to nurse her b/c she had eaten recently and I really wanted to go to sleep. Finally, after the screaming continued even while DH held her, I did and b"H she slept for a bit. (She's not skipping feedings either, but as pps mentioned, that's probably b/c she's growing.)
She was at the doctor on Monday, but it was a different doctor than she had been to the previous week, since we switched insurances. The new doctor thought she looked great, in perfect health b"H and almost acted like I made up that she wakes at night screeching!

I also asked her about a rash on my baby's face immediately after nursing. She thought it was an allergic reaction possibly to milk.

Now, there is 3 possibilities of things that I think could be bothering her: (A) her corn baby cereal. 2 nights ago was much better (woke up, but not screeching) and during that day, I had just given her apple sauce, but not sure about this b/c I think I started the cereal before the crying spells started, (B) milk. I stopped drinking it (but only very recently), but the dr. said I could still eat cheese, (C) teeth.