Night Terrors - HELP please!!

[xtara2003x]

Hey Mamas!!

I really really need some help/advice/suggestions!!!

My DD will be 3 April 5th. She starts the night off sleeping in her bedroom (it's a twin bed). We do bath, brush teeth, books, prayers, sleep. She has a cup of water to drink by her bed too.

Lately....starting a few months ago, she's started to wake up and SCREAM hysterically for 10-20 minutes. It's like she doesn't know we're there trying to comfort her. It's like she doesn't see us....doesn't know who we are, and she just babbles and tries to talk but her words don't make any sense at all.

Lately it's started happening more than 1x per night. It used to just be once a night, but tonight, it's happened 3 times so far and it's only 12:25am.

I really don't know what else to do.

I bought these homeopathic night terror things, and started giving her those, but the dosage says 3 30 minutes prior to bed, then 3 right before bed. Well we've just done 3 period, a couple times, and tonight it obviously didn't work so I guess I'll have to try the actual dosage.

I have not noticed any "food" patterns that I am aware of. She has eaten perfectly today, and no sweets or junk food at all.

She ate part of her egg for breakfast, then a big bowl of chicken noodle soup, an avocado/almond milk smoothie I made her, a homemade pizza on spinach wraps, etc. No snacks even today. So I am not seeing any food connections.

I really don't know what else to do but it's really starting to wear on us. We even bring her into our room and it doesn't help. I nurse her and that helps but I can't nurse as long as I used to anymore because it hurts so bad. I don't know what else to do!!

Any suggestions or thoughts!? Or BTDT's?

Thanks so much mama!

Warmly,
One tired mama....:yawning

[Hopefulmama]

I couldn't read this and not respond. First of all, BIG HUGS to you. Night terrors are the most frustrating thing I've dealt with with our DD. She started around 18 months and is now 4.5. She rarely has them now. It used to be a couple of times a night. It is awful and noone can understand unless they have been through it. It is so frustrating trying to find answers. There are so many schools of thought. For our DD it seems to be a combination of things. When she eats a lot of wheat, she has more night terrors. The other thing is when she has a growth spurt-she complains of growing pains and she has more night terrors. We stretch her legs before bed and I give her a hot water bottle to put on her legs before bed and that seems to ease it. She also gets them when she is coming down with an illness. I know that isn't much help. I am sorry you are going through this. I know it is no fun. From everything I've read and all the research I've done, it seems like there are different triggers for different people. Our DD has grown out of them for the most part. Hang in there, mama. I know they take their toll on the entire family.

[xtara2003x]

Thank you so much for responding.

I am going to keep a Night Terror journal and write down when she went to bed, when she woke up for her first terror, etc. I'm also going to try to write down everything she ate that day too. *sigh*

I just put her to bed at 7:30pm, and it's 8:05 and nothing so far. *knock on wood*

It's really hard in the middle of the night, and it's hard not to be frustrated with her as well. I hate not being able to soothe her. She is still nursing, so I might just have to go back to nursing her through her terror to calm her down. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't though.

I really appreciate your response. It's good to know that while I don't wish this on anyone, that there are others who have gone through the same thing.

Hopefully she will grow out of it.

Thanks again!

[LemonPie]

I have zero personal experience with night terrors, but Dr Sears has a FAQ with an exercise that's supposed to help stop them:
http://askdrsears.com/faq/ci8.asp

HTH!

[sweetcheeks]

My older 2 still have the occassional night terrors (DD moreso than DS1) and I've noticed their trigger is if they're too hot. Everytime they've had a night terror, they're soaking in sweat. So I make sure to check them after they fall asleep and if they're starting to feel sweaty, I usually pull off their covers.

It's so hard to watch them when they're having a night terror. I remember the first one DS1 had, I thought he had been possessed! He was "seeing" something at the foot of his bed, talking in complete jibberish and completely unaware of the fact I was there, trying to console him. It was terrifying for me to watch!

[WinterPearl]

My little one gets them every once in a while, he's 2, almost 3. I've about got it down to what causes them, if his bed time routine was different previously in the week, if he might have went to bed hungry (he has a communication delay so we don't always know if he was full or just didn't like dinner) or if he doesn't like something he's wearing to bed (mainly hates sleeping with socks on).

I feel for you, it's so hard to see them go through those.

[taymakcoop]

Like the other posters, I had to jump in here-- I have had 2 of my children go through these nasty buggers. My son has more violent night terrors-- his shrieks are heartbreaking. I have noticed that the more tired he is (and the same rang true for my daughter) the most likely they were to have their night terror. I could never link it to what they ate. I did scour Dr. Sears website-- he has lots of good info.
When my son has them we do not wake him-- it only makes it worse. We turn on the lights and talk to him quietly telling him where he is and that we are right next to him and one of snuggle him up(if we can--unless he fight us.) We don't wake him like Dr Sears states to do(15 minutes prior)-- we are never sure if this will be the night he has one.
I am so sorry you are going through this. It is a scary thing to watch. I hate thinking my baby is being terrorize in his sleep.

[frogautumn]

Just chiming in that my DS experiences occasional night terrors and I know how terrible it is to see your little one in distress.

Interesting that the Sears website says that it's an inherited thing. Both me and my father have been sleepwalkers/talkers.

I've noticed that my DS's trigger is being overtired/overstimulated. We try to keep the evening routine very mellow and if I think it's going to be one of those nights, I give him some Aspen bach remedy before bed. Seems to work.

[taymakcoop]

I think maybe there might be a relationshp between sleepwalking/talking and night terrors. My oldest is now 13 --no longer has night terrors-- but when she is crazy tired she sleepwalks or she talks in her sleep.

[jecombs]

My DD has these too. She is 2.5. We haven't really found anything that works to prevent them. Her's seem to get worse when she trying something new or her routine is disrupted. Recently, they got worse when her preschool teacher was absent for a week due to illness. Currently, she is on the cusp of being daytime potty-trained and in big-girl panties, so again the NTs have gotten worse.

One of the things that bothers me the most is that everytime she wakes-up, she cries, even when she's not having NTs. She never wakes-up smiling and happy. It's like sleep is something she does because she can't fight it anymore. It's not a pleasant, restorative experience for her.

[xtara2003x]

Originally Posted by jecombs

One of the things that bothers me the most is that everytime she wakes-up, she cries, even when she's not having NTs. She never wakes-up smiling and happy. It's like sleep is something she does because she can't fight it anymore. It's not a pleasant, restorative experience for her.

This is EXACTLY what happens with us. EVERY time she wakes up in the middle of the night...night terror or not...she cries.... I feel AWFUL because we have co slept since BIRTH...and I always wanted to make sure she felt safe and secure sleeping!! Now it doesn't feel that way even though she's "sleeping" while having the NT's. *sigh* She even has them in our bed....so it really doesn't matter where she sleeps. She has not, however, had any at my grandmas house or my moms house when she's spent the night. She ALWAYS sleeps right through the night at their houses, and occiasionally she stays in her bed util 6 or 7am, but most of the time she wakes frequently lately, and cries out, and then we bring her in our bedroom where she still wakes up but at least I'm right next to her.