Waking up Screaming?

[mamaladd]

Well...I don't even know if 'waking up' is accurate.

My son is about 7.5 months.  For the last few days, he's started screaming in his sleep.  I think he's still asleep.  First it was during a couple naps, so I thought, maybe a bad dream, maybe he's waking up and mad that he's swaddled (at night he sleeps with us not swaddled, and likes to get up on all fours before he's fully awake..and rolls over and makes himself comfy).  But then it happened in the middle of the night as well.  Just goes from sound asleep to screaming.  His eyes don't even open.  Then it's a full five minutes of screaming and real tears ...nothing we can seem to do to settle him.  This was pretty typical behavior in the first 5 months of life, but it's been a while since he's gone into full on crying fits where we can't soothe him.  Some say teething...he has his two bottom teeth about half way in, i suppose he could be working on the next ones, but does teething pain really come on so suddenly and intensely?  Night terrors?  I don' t really even know what this is....some generic term for "we don't know why babies do this"?  Any thoughts?

[SeattleRain]

I've never really experienced this the way you're telling it, but I have experienced some crying in between sleep cycles. So for example, last night DS was asleep and I heard crying on the monitor, went downstairs and made a bottle and then when I looked in the mornitor again (we have a video) he was sound asleep and didn't make a peep for another 5-6 hours when he woke up for a regular feed. So it's possible he's just having a hard time with the sleep cycle transition unfortunately.

[mom2happy]

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This sounds like night terrors. My DD started them at this age. It was terrible to see. I would just rock her or walk around holding her until it was over. She would eventually settle back peacefully, but still have the sobbing spasm in her sleep. It's like a nervous system glitch. They are still sleeping through it and dont even remember it.

DD had them up until she was around 5. She never remembered one. They are very scary to see and as they get older and can walk it is important to make sure they dont get hurt. They actually walk around screaming or saying things but they cant hear you because they are sleeping. It's better not to try to wake them during this.

[HappyMonkey]

When my daughter gets upset at night it's almost always that she has to go to the bathroom.. as soon as she does she calms right down. It's to the point I can hold her over the sink in her sleep and she pees!!

Edit FYI she's almost a year now and we've EC'd since birth.