Separation Anxiety or something else?

[LittlebearH]

My dd is 8.5 months old and last night woke up (nothing new here, she does this 4 -6 times a night)about 9.30pm absolutley screaming for about 20 mins. I had to get out of bed to calm her down and settle her because he just couldnt.

Normally when she wakes we just replace the dummy and stroke her head for a minute.

She didnt have a temperature but she is teething and she has never gone through the night.

Could this be separation anxiety?

She also has been difficult than usual to settle for lunch nap. Took an hour and 15 of screaming for her to settle yesterday. Ridiculous. Normally it only takes 5 mins with no crying.

Bumping! Anyone??

I don't know about separation anxiety but the teething could certainly keeping her awake. My ds was very hard to settle and awake alot when he was teething.
His separation anxiety manifests in the day when I cannot leave him or he screams. No one else can pick him up or he screams etc etc. He's fine at night at the mo luckily.
Sorry I can't be more help.

Sounds like teething could be the problem. Is she hungry at all? (could possibly be going through a bit of a growth spurt?) My ds tends to be clingy during the day as Rosedee said with her son, but he did go through a spurt at about 9 months (along with the dreading sleep regression which sometimes happens around that time.)
Why not try elliminating things one at a time? - pain first Perhaps some teething gel / powders / calpol whatever you find best, then hunger (or the other way round).
I think our little ones are all so individual sometimes its just a case of trial and error.

Good luck!

Thanks for replying. Since she was 3 months she has Ashton and Parsons teething powders and teething gel every night as part of her routine. She opens her mouth wide in anicipation bless her. She cut her 1st tooth two weeks ago.

I have ruled out hunger. She is on 25th centile and will only ever take 5oz milk at a time. She is on 3 meals a day which is easy as she eats everything.

The trouble is she has always been a crap sleeper so I struggle to know what is wrong. What is this sleep regression?

A typical night after going to sleep at 7pm, is a wake at half 8 or half 9. Another 11pm/midnight and then again at 3.30/4.30am and then 5.30am and I bring her in my bed so she will sleep another hour..possibly.

Her whole daytime has been a routine for months but no let up at night. (as per a certain person who is frowned upon on MN)

This screaming thing I hope is short lived!!!! She has thrown two tantrums on me leaving the room today.

Yep, sounds just like the 8/9 month regression to me.

It's when babies' brains are buzzing because they're working on a huge developmental spurt - one around 37 weeks, one around 46 weeks.

It doesn't just affect their sleep, it can also affect their mood, behaviour, what they'll eat (although all of that varies from baby to baby). It may affect night and/or daytime sleep.

There is a great book explaining it called The Wonder Weeks by two scientists who researched all the developmental spurts up to 13 months.

There?s useful information about it here, here and here.

Thanks AngelDog.

She is crawling commando style but trying constantly to climb on her knees. She pulls herself up on me a lot and putting her so bed lays on her tummy but now keeps going on her knees with her bum in the air and cries.

Maybe when she gets to 13 months I will start to enjoy being a mum. (I go back to work in Jan when she is 10 months with a 5.30am alarm call)

Do you think it might just be the dummy? We had a problem with our ds waking throughout the night needing the dummy and then waking up so much that he'd be overtired, screaming for a bit. We got him a sleepytot and that helped him to use the dummy himself. So he stopped waking up completely, just sort of found his dummy and went straight back to sleep.

Failing that, AngelDog is probably right about the sleep regression.