To think it can't be normal for DD to wake up crying at least 6 times at night?

[ArtFine]

DD is 9 months old.

She's always been a very poor sleeper (up hourly) but has recently started screaming and crying when she wakes up.

AIBU to think this cant be normal? What do I do?

I've tried gripe water. She isn't teething. She is quite gassy. Her cows milk allergy has come back clear now (skin prick test completely clear - no rash at all) so I've started having dairy, though re-introducing to her slowly with just baked biscuit. Could this be the culprit? Dietician and peadetrician think it can't be cows milk causing any stomach issues. Please help!

[longjane]

ear infection?

[ArtFine]

Longjane, no, not that, got that checked too at the GPs.

[mrsjay]

My eldest dd slept like that it is exhausting not sure what the answer is I used to just SHUSH her back to sleep she was just a very light sleeper, no advice really sorry, gripe water can be quite harsh though it can really hurt their tummys as they wind is coming up or down

[EverythingsDozy]

Could it be cows milk intolerance? Allergy relates to the immune system so a skin test would come up positive but an intolerance is down to the digestive system so wouldn't come up on a skin test. Have they done a urine / faeces test?

[TruffleOil]

Sounds terrible. Night terrors?

[ArtFine]

Everything, no they have not done a urine/faeces test, I didn't know you could?

They have done a blood test though.

[RandomPants]

Does she stop when she's cuddled? Is she just shouting for a hug?

[RandomPants]

Or waking up and knowing she hasn't had enough sleep but not knowing how to get herself back to sleep.

[OddFodd]

I would stop the dairy and see if that makes a difference. If that's the only thing that's changed then it's surely worth giving that a go.

[GoatBongoAnonymous]

We have exactly the same and it has been diagnosed as cow's milk protein intolerance., with lactose intolerance because of a few bouts of gastroenteritis. Really worth checking for - and yes you have to push the issue on this one if you want it tested for. It took me 11 months for them not to think of me as a hysterical mother! Babygoat is now completely dairy free and much, much better at night.

[EverythingsDozy]

Yeah my DS had an intolerance but not an allergy. He got put on neocate formula and a milk exclusion diet and was a different child! They didn't pick it up until 9 mo!!

[pricklyPea]

Mine has started this. Shouts and crys at random times of the night. Last night it happened and I grumbled some obscenity and left the room (sleeps in my room) and it stopped. I ignored further shouts later on. Do you go to her quickly? Perhaps she's just waking up and shouting angrily and would go to sleep if left?

They say nine months is the time of the night waking.

[NiceOneCenturion]

Just a thought but my son was a poor sleeper and got spectacularly bad between nine and ten months, screaming refusing to be put in cot, wabring to be picked up constantly.

I was tearing my hair out until I found out this was prime time for separation anxiety. I basically gave in, held him as much as he wanted, brought him into bed, whatever and it passed quite quickly after that.

They go through a huge development leap at that age getting ready to walk and talk and it can really unsettle them and they need lots of reassurance.

Obviously you need to rule out possible medical problems first, but worth considering, especially if she settles easily whilst being held.

[ArtFine]

No she doesn't stop once hugged.

Those of you saying cows milk intolerance as a possibility, how was that tested? There is definitely something stomach related that is wrong.

[GoatBongoAnonymous]

For us, the CMPI wasn't tested for - we got told it can't be (not sure I believe that!). But an NHS dietitian diagnosed from the symptoms, suggested a dairy-free diet, and the change was so obvious that even the paediatrician had to agree that BabyGoat had this. It took three weeks of no dairy to see the difference for us. Much longer than the 10 days that we'd been told!
I can't say that nights are bullet-proof great, but most nights he now sleeps until about 4, wakes for a glug of water, then sleeps till 6. He is 20 months old.

[DoJo]

Could it be reflux? My son was waking every 40 minutes or so, beside himself and not comforted with cuddles, milk or anything else. He arched his back a lot and had LOTS of wind, but once we got reflux meds he was fine and now sleeps through the night relatively regularly!

[BuntyCollocks]

Reflux.

[waterrat]

Really sounds like teething - it's not always obvious when a tooth is coming through, I would try baby neurofen - also you could see if bringing her into bed with you works ... When my son is teething he won't settle without us there

[Mrs4561]

We had this with ds when he was around that age. He would wake up multiple times a night screaming and wriggling. He had trapped wind, we tried all sorts, a cup of fennel tea about an hour before bed helped for a while and then he went back to waking in pain again. We went to the gp and he couldn't really help, just said to give him calpol before bed. After trying loads of different things, we cut out yoghurts and that made him lots better. He was fine with all other dairy, just yoghurts. You have my sympathy though, he would wake for hours at a time screaming and wriggling until he farted.
Sorry that wasn't much help! For the record he's 2 now and a fantastic sleeper.

[beingagoodmumishard]

we were told DS had cows milk protein allergy when he was a baby. Initially picked up as he came out in a hideous rash whenever milk touched his skin when I started weaning him at six months, had been ebf before then. Also his nappies were horrendous. We were told to avoid all dairy products and anything with milk in it, and were given nutramigen formula for him.

However, we were told they could not actually test him for this allergy until he was nearly 2 as the skin prick tests were inconclusive if they were too young. DS was tested at 20 months and came back clear, which is quite usual as many children outgrow this allergy before they are 2.

Lactose intolerance is different to milk protein allergy and my understanding is that this is tested for using a baby's stools.

[ArtFine]

reflux: she was on medication for silent reflux but we weaned her off them at 6 months, and it didn't make a different to her night awakenings.

Her poos are normal. No rash. But something is definitely troubling her.

Her 4 teeth have come through, and this doesn't have any signs of a new tooth.

[BuntyCollocks]

Could be that the doseage wasn't right re: silent reflux, or not the right medication. My DD is currently maxed out on ranitidine and domperidone, and we're awaiting tests at Alder Hey to see if she needs an op to correct it, if she has allergies, or if she needs omeprazole.

Having a severely refluxy baby, this sounds like reflux to me, but I am aware that parents going through something like reflux see it in other babies, as they are hyper aware.

[aworkingmummy]

I found infacol good - my DS was (still sometimes is) really windy and would wake up screaming with colic.
Was particularly gassy when just cut new teeth - lots of extra saliva that he was swallowing along with air led to trapped wind. Once he'd worked it out, he'd go back to sleep. Found rubbing tummy & back at same time or bicycle motion with his legs helped him to trump it out. Sometimes it just took time and he got there in the end.