8 months - waking at 12am in hysterics

[flyingcloud]

DD has always been a good night time sleeper (not smug at all, as she has always been a horrible day-time sleeper!)

She goes down around 8pm and for about four months has been doing 10-11hr stretchs.

The last three nights she has woken up around 11.30pm-12am in absolute hysterics, proper shuddering, inconsolable crying. She never cries like this - she cries with teething pain, but never this bad. At first I thought the very bad nappy rash she has been suffering from for the last four days was causing her pain, so I have picked her up, cuddled her and changed her nappy, but the nappy rash has cleared up and the night wake-ups have continued.

She usually falls asleep in my arms after about half an hour of rocking and shhing (continuous crying) but can start again when I put her back in her cot. I just have to make sure she is properly asleep before I put her down.

Does anyone have any ideas what this might be and if I should be worrying? I struggle to get back to sleep afterwards as I am so stressed out and so worried about what is causing her this distress and I have been really snappy at DH because I feel so helpless.

Appreciate any help or advice.

Could it be separation anxiety?

Also, overtiredness can cause this sort of thing if her napping isn't all it could be.

One other possibility: the beginning of the 9 month sleep regression (lots of stuff online about this, especially in the Ask Moxie blog)

In the case of 1 and 3, I would just cuddle and comfort her through it.

With 2, well improving naps is damn tricky, but you could give it a try... moving pram? in the car? being rocked? changing the nap times?

PS Come back to the PN thread, sometime!!!

Hi IC - thank you for your reply! Would love to come back to the thread when I have more time!

Naps have been a problem since the beginning, and you may have hit on something there, as she is much more mobile now so possibly needs more sleep, which she is not getting. However the last few days she has been out and about and getting lots of pram/car naps.

I think it may be separation anxiety though, or some kind of fear/anxiety - as it is such a mournful cry and she really grabs hold of me and buries her head into my shoulder. I just wish there was something I could do...

Hope you are well, big cuddles to all the other 8 month old babies.

Hi FC, my 8mo dd doing the same thing. She used to do 10-11 hrs now wakes at 2am on the dot screaming. Hope you get some good advice here so I can read it too!