Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

My 10 mo has spent most of last night, today, and so far tonight screaming

34 replies

MeadowHay · 28/04/2019 21:38

We think it is teething related because she keeps chewing her dummy and refusing it, and chewing her hands, and drooling. Last night Nurofen seemed to help but nothing else and so far tonight that doesn't seem to have made any difference either. What are we meant to do? Just hold her til she exhausts herself from screaming? That's basically what we keep having to do as nothing seems to be helping her, she's totally hysterical on and off.

I am really struggling with this mentally because she was like this most of the time between the ages of 2 weeks and 7 months. I am back at work now and whilst will struggle with the lack of sleep tomorrow assuming tonight is as bad or worse as last night, I am having flashbacks to the many days of my maternity leave spent pacing up and down my living room with a baby screaming over my shoulder for upwards of 2 hours at a time for no discernible reason, napping for 30 minutes, and then waking up and continuing, for days and days in a row. I feel like we have all just regressed back to that even though she'd been doing so much better over the last 3 months. I think it is teething now, but then we thought it was teething sometimes then and she only got her first two teeth coming through over the last few weeks, so it probably wasn't teething when she was like 3 months old. She has a paeds referral as the GP is a bit concerned, she was referred at 7 months old but the waiting list is so long that she will be about to turn 1 by the time of the appointment. I optimistically thought maybe she'd have grown out of this behaviour by then but nope .

What do other people do with unconsolable babies? I know some other people who talk about their babies being like this as newborns but not still being like this at 10 months .

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Nousernameforme · 28/04/2019 21:43

It does sound like teeth have you tried those dental powders. From something and Ashton ill get a link in a sec. But they were magic.

Sunshine1235 · 28/04/2019 21:45

Echo pp, that powder was the only thing that worked for us

Nousernameforme · 28/04/2019 21:46

www.mothercare.com/medicine/ashton-and-parsons-infants-powders-10s/554985.html?cm_mmc=Google--Nursery--MC-UK-G-Shopping-Nursery-High+Priority//Nursery+-+Promotional-_-+-+&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=CPC&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnpXmBRDUARIsAEo71tQvfTU6Cj_lxZq5uVN-Onms2KN0IlKyYJg9OEM4fDR5TlfU0TUNsfUaAvwfEALw_wcB.
Sorry long link you could find out if your 24 hr pharmacy has them.
Another thing we used to do was to pour water on a muslin and freeze them so they could chew on that it helped.
Good luck its awful when they are like this

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

0-3 months old 3-6 months old 9-12 months old Babies & sleep

endofthelinefinally · 28/04/2019 21:47

Get her ears checked.

SeaToSki · 28/04/2019 21:50

Can you afford a private appointment with a paed specialist. You could then go back in the NHS if anything substantial is needed in terms of treatment.
Have you talked her to the GP this time? She might have an ear infection or a UTI. Also a silly one but stupidly common, check that all her fingers and toes have no hairs wound around her knuckles and are digging in.

TokyoSushi · 28/04/2019 21:50

I thought ears too. I had a screamer, but this seems like an unusual episode seeing as the previous crying had settled down, I might be tempted to get her checked out.

Bringbackthestripes · 28/04/2019 21:51

I was thinking ears. DC had a terrible ear infection at 8 months that resulted in constant screaming until the antibiotics kicked in.

itshappened · 28/04/2019 21:53

I was about to say ears too. We've had a number of instances like you've described, that seem to coincide with teething. But every time I've taken her to the doctor it turns out to be ear ache. We think teething somehow triggers it. Anyway I'd book an emergency appointment or if she is still screaming and inconsolable pop down to a&e to check.

Otherwise I use calpol and nurofen and anbesol liquid for bad teething.

LunarPhase · 28/04/2019 21:53

Agree with PP, it sounds like she is in pain. Could well be an ear infection or similar. I would definitely take her to the GP to be checked over.

Geegle · 28/04/2019 21:55

I was going to say ears too. Get her checked out & dosed up with nurofen/calpol. Hope she feels better soon

Drogosnextwife · 28/04/2019 21:56

Yup get the ears checked. Sometimes when there is an ear infection they will chew their hands etc. Try Calpol and Ashton and parsons powders are sometimes good for teething.

shallichangemyname · 28/04/2019 21:57

Anbesol was the best I ever found for teething

Redskyandrainbows67 · 28/04/2019 21:58

I was going to say ears or tonsillitis too - get her checked out by gp

suziQ10 · 28/04/2019 22:13

Calpol / ibuprofen should have given some relief if this were teething. At least for a short time. Continue with the teething gels but Baby needs to be seen by a doctor incase of an infection. Poor thing. Is she taking milk? How's her temperature?

Original poster

MeadowHay · 28/04/2019 22:14

She has had the odd few hours in the daytime when she was ok - she was ok for a couple of hours in the morning when she had her breakfast, then she was ok for a couple of hours when she had her lunch and afterards for a few hours, and then she was ok for about one hour around tea time. But the rest of the day generally bad.

Never thought of ear infection. Possible. She's not had one before but she is a dummy user, went swimming yesterday morning and also goes to nursery so I guess fairly high risk for them. DH is actually a trainee HCP and DF is also a HCP, DH has an otoscope so himself or DF could probably check her ears, but I think she might have done back to sleep now or at least close, he's with her atm.

I don't see the point in Calpol atm as have tried that twice and neither time made any difference. Nurofen seemed to help a bit last night and this morning but tonight it doesn't seem to be . Have tried the powder thing once months and months ago, deffo have some somewhere, will try and find it. Have asked DB to buy me some Anbesol tomorrow from his work. Will text now to remind him.

I have seriously considered taking her to OOH/A&E etc on many occasions but she really doesn't seem unwell enough for any of that, like, not acutely. I agree she seems in pain but then she seemed like this most of the time when she was younger! Plus she would probably fall asleep in the car journey to anywhere and I always think how embarrassing that would be if we were to take her.

Really don't think we could afford a private paeds appointment unfortunately. Plus I'm 99% confident they will tell us there's nothing they can see wrong with her anyway. HV is beyond useless too, her review is in a few weeks, if she even turns up for that . Can never get in touch with her.

OP posts:

Original poster

MeadowHay · 28/04/2019 22:16

Been eating and drinking milk but not as much as usual, but not worryingly less either. Have not taken her temperature, didn't even think about it. I feel awful as people are probably reading this thinking 'why didn't you just call the dr ages ago' but please understand we are so used to her being like this for no discernible reason and seeing umpteen doctors so many times and being sent away that it's difficult to get perspective and know when she needs to be seen and when she doesn't. She has been at the doctors soooo often the last few months. She was last there on Friday for terrible nappy rash that she currently has (she hardly ever gets it and then she's had it awful for the last 2 weeks or so, been prescribed two different creams).

OP posts:

3luckystars · 28/04/2019 22:17

I would get her ears and throat checked.

Does she stop screaming while lying down, if she does then definitely get her ears checked out.

She might not have a temperature with tonsillitis either.

If she is in pain then I would definitley bring her to the doctor.

3luckystars · 28/04/2019 22:19

Also, if she had reflux as a baby, it can come back when teething.

endofthelinefinally · 28/04/2019 22:20

Children with ear infection are comfortable vertical but in agony when horizontal.
Propping or tilting the cot up can help.

DNAwrangler · 28/04/2019 22:21

Similar happened to both of mine. in both cases they developed hand foot and mouth within the next 2-3 days. I think the next sign was high temp...

fullprice · 28/04/2019 22:34

No real advice that hasn’t already been given but just to say: poor baby and poor you. How hard.
It is so frustrating to read that your baby seems to be in real pain and they can’t get you appointment with a paedetrixkan in any reasonable timescale.
And your baby can’t communicate beyond just screaming so you have to advocate for her. I would go back to the GP again. Or a&e - maybe there she can see someone?!

I would just say please do not be afraid of wasting people’s time. Don’t let that even cross your mind.

MustardScreams · 28/04/2019 22:48

Also check all fingers and toes in case a hair has wrapped around them.

Dd once screamed for ages and it wasn’t till I looked at her feet that I noticed her toe was being almost cut off by one of my hairs. Had to take her to A&E for them to cut it off. Felt guilty for bloody months after that.

Original poster

MeadowHay · 28/04/2019 22:58

Never heard of the hair thing! DH actually cut her fingernails before bed this evening and didn't notice owt. If she wakes up bad in the night we will check them all and toes too but if she doesn't then we will check them all in the morning. She seems worse when trying to sleep so when she is flat yes. DF doesn't think it's an ear infection tho just teething (he is a HCP) but he wants me to take her the GP on Tuesday anyway because her chest apparently still sounds bad (had a chest infection weeks ago and had antibiotics but still has a bit of a cough and rattly chest). She's been asleep for about 45 minutes now. DH basically just held her in bed with him still she exhausted herself after 45 mins and fell asleep and then he moved her to her cot bed. Her voice is hoarse and she can't scream that loud now from the screaming. This used to happen to her all the time when she was smaller.

OP posts:

Original poster

MeadowHay · 28/04/2019 22:58

Also will check temp in the night if she wakes up again bad or if she doesn't then will check it in the morning.

OP posts:

Original poster

MeadowHay · 28/04/2019 23:01

Also don't think there's any point in seeing the GP again just about her general cry-yness, her GP is lovely and knows DH in a professional context, but there really isn't any more she can do for us. The only relevant clinic given her only real symptom is excessive crying is the general paeds clinic and she can't do anything to speed up the waiting list. The HV told the GP there was nothing she could do to speed it up either. GP did already trial Gaviscon and ranitidine on her months ago to trial a theory of silent reflux but neither made any difference and she just improved gradually over time, by no means is she a chilled out quiet baby now or anything but much much better than when younger. But feel like ever just suddenly regressed but we think/thought teething related.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2