Can't wake crying baby

[fionaring]

My 6 week old woke for his feed last night then began crying hysterically whilst still seemingly asleep. He would not feed & only stopped crying when held very close almost like a restraining hug. His crying resumed when I let go, I tried to wake him in a number of ways but despite the energetic crying his eyes never opened and somehow he didn't seem present. It went on all night without a single feed (unusual) this morning he was fine & has feed & slept normally all day. I think it maybe a case of night terrors but would love to hear from anyone who has experienced something similar?

That sounds really scary.

DS2 had night terrors for about a year,but when he was about 6years old. I think this is a more typical age???

He'd go to bed as normal and then about an hour later we'd hear a noise. As we became accustomed to it,we'd react more quickly each time. It would start as normal crying and rapidly increase. Hed be bathed in sweat. I couldn't speak to him but hugging him tight for ages would make it subside.

In your case I'd see a doctor.

Don't panic! Everything I read said that children only get night terrors from 18 months upwards, but my son definitely had them when he was a tiny baby, and fortunately my friends son did too, so I had someone to calm me down!

He'd start screaming at night (not unusual - he woke screaming for every feed anyway), but just like you describe, he sometimes wasn't 'present' and nothing calmed him. He'd even open his eyes and stare through us - you could wave your hand in front of his face to no effect.

We eventually discovered that turning the TV on and holding him in front of it brought him out of it. This may not work for you - it was all trial and error.

He continued to have night terrors occasionally (becoming more rare as he got older) until he was about 2, and then they stopped. Much sympathy - they are truly terrifying to deal with.

If he likes being held tight have you tried swaddling him (or use a swaddle pod) th reassurance might help him.
My baby often cries for food while not opening his eyes, I think they know it's night time and want to sleep yet they are hungry. At that age it could also be wind or reflux which would explain why feeding didn't help.
No experience with night terrors I'm afraid

If it is night terrors then just by way of reassurance, they remember nothing in the morning.

DS was having them frequently. Often his eyes were open and he'd be on his feet.

The worst time was when he spoke. He stared at nothing and kept repeating
"Ok, I will do it".

I honestly wondered if it was a ghost that he was looking at!
I couldn't wake him but I kept hold of him the whole night that time.
After that I was really scared. I was wondering if he'd jump out of the window or something equally dangerous.

That was the last time he had a night terror.

If some sort of sensory stimulus soothes them, then try them all. Touch, music, tv pictures, lavender essential oil on the babygro and a little milk.
They are frightening to see but if its any comfort, even older children with language remember nothing.
Good luck.

Thanks so much for your advice it helps to know someone else has experienced something similar. Luckily last night was completely normal. Has your so now grown out of it & how frequent were the night terrors?

Yes, he grew out of them. He's 11 now and he hasn't had one for at least 4 years.

Looking back I wonder if was some kind of trauma that brought them on? We'd recently moved to a completely new area and DS started school for the first time. He seemed to take to it extremely well. There were no tears or problems adapting. He missed his old life and his best friend but we did our best to make him feel that it hadn't just vanished and it was still there for him to visit.
So, it shouldn't have been a problem, but the night terrors did start a few months after we moved. Or maybe it was just coincidence?

Its hard to remember the frequency. it wasn't every night but it was frequent enough that it was common. Maybe 10-20 times per month?

We noticed that they were slightly more likely to come on if his bedroom was too warm or he went to bed a little more tired than usual. They always seemed to be an hour or so after he'd gone to sleep.

OP here's for you, scary isn't it.

dd is like this still and has been from very tiny, it appears to be classic night terrors but at first we thought it was related to strong Moro reflex. Would swasdling help you?

Here It's getting better slowly at 21m (only once or twice a night now) but it's been a long time since we've slept a whole night through.

If you wake her during them she's the happy, smiley baby she is in the day; during them though it's like holding a whirling dervish. She's even worse if DH attends Her during them, ends up in exorcist style vomiting. We can manage them better now, hoping shell grow out of them.

Thanks for starting the post OP, it's good to see some assurance from those a bit further down the line than me.