For last 4 nights DD has woken in the night crying, at different times each night ranging from 1am to 5am and staying awake for up to an hour. Previous to this she has slept through from around 7 to 6.30 or so since about 4 months with very few exceptions for illness and such like.
The crying is not a really upset or that hight pitched cry they use when they are ill, it's not a hungry cry either. It will start with her crying loudly for say 5 seconds and then she stops - for up to around 10 mins then will repeat. So we had had occasions where I have heard her cry, got up, waited outside her door for a few minutes and heard no cry, thought she had settled herself and just gone back to bed when it starts again. Don't think it's dreaming or night terrors as she is awake when I go into her room and although crying she is not as upset as I would expect her to be if it had been a bad dream.
First night I really wasn't sure what the problem was as I hadn't seen the tiny edge of tooth that had cut - nappy wasn't dirty, she wasn't too hot or cold, wasn't thirsty and refused offered water. She stopped crying when she heard me come into her room and held out her arms for a cuddle. I picked her up and she snuggled into me and as I was half asleep I stroked her head until she was quite relaxed and went to put her back in the cot - at which point she started crying again. Cuddled her some more and as I was half asleep hadn't noticed she had fallen asleep on me so put her back into cot and this time she didn't wake.
On the 3 subsequent nights she has stopped crying as soon as we pick her up and snuggles into DP or I quite happily, only protesting when we try to put her back into the cot. LAst night she even went back into the cot quite happily but then let out a 5 second cry some minutes later after a little bit of chatting. She then cried again and it sounded like a very cross cry as I hadn't gone into her. Each time we make sure she's not too hot or cold, check nappy (although dirty nappy in night never normally wakes her), offer water which she has refused apart from tiny sip and there is nothing obviously wrong. On previous occasions when something is really wrong (ill/explosive nappy/cold/hot) she just keeps crying and doesn't stop and start like she is now. She sometimes lets out odd cries in the night but if she has woken she has managed to settle herself without needing us as far as we know.
I can see she is cutting an incisor next to her two existing bottom teeth - however we maybe only had 1 or 2 difficult nights when she cut her existing 6 teeth so if it is teething then this is a new one on us. Have given her Calpol when she has woken for past 3 nights but the crying pattern has continued throughout.
I wonder however if she has decided it is much more fun to wait for Mummy or Daddy to come and give her a cuddle when she wakes rather than trying to settle herself and is starting to make a habit of it. She is very clingy at the moment especially with me so may be looking for attention. Spoke to her keyworker at nursery about the situation this evening and she thought it might be the case.
Basically looking for any thoughts and tips - especially if she is playing silly devils. DP and I are both starting to feel pretty shattered and are finding it hard to cope at work as we both wake when she cries and find it v hard to get back to sleep even when she is settled.
Any help much appreciated
PS I totally take my hat off to anyone who has to cope with regular/frequent night wakings - I know how lucky we have been and can only admire your fortitude as I am shattered after only 4 nights!