Help, I'm desperate.

[Whathashappenedtomyboobs]

Please help and offer any suggestions you may have as I'm slowly loosing my marbles.

DS is 8.5 months old and although has never really slept through, he is now waking up screaming all night every night for the last week. Normally he would just call out and I would tend to him. The screams now seem like utter rage. He is also screaming in the day time.

He's a bit more mobile now, so rolling over and getting stuck on his front in his cot, so I can understand he needs my help. I have tried putting him to bed in a thicker sleepsuit instead of a sleep bag as he looked like he was poss getting tangled up- this hasn't helped. On many occasions he is just plain screaming whilst on his back. He has 8 teeth already so am wondering if it's pain- but pain relief hasn't made any difference. When I pick him up he is sucking my tshirt like a dummy (he refused a dummy so I've never given him one). I've even noticed wet patches on his bed sheets where he's pulled them up and sucking on them- he's never done this before.

He is getting plenty of milk/food in the day so I don't think hunger.

Co sleeping helps for a bit but he still wakes screaming.

Im totally broken and had enough.

If he won't take a dummy - but wants to suck on your T-shirt, can you offer some kind of comforter like a blanket with a satin edge or a toy?

Yes we have been offering a comfort blanket/teddy but because they don't stay in his mouth he gets very upset.

I've just been looking online..suggestions are night terrors or separation anxiety.

My ds kept doing this at around 9 months, we put it down to night terrors, he wasnt really awake so we used to lie him back down give him his comforter and most of the time he went back to sleep, it did eventually stop. Another thing that made it much worse was overtiredness, is he getting enough day time sleep?

Re comforters, my ds hated a dummy too but from very early on i gave him a comforter, and it was the best thing i ever did sucks on it most of the night. They have good ones in primark (blanket with an elephants head) for around £3, buy loads so you can rotate them as they get grubby very quickly. For my ds they must have good ears or noses to properly suck on, the corner of a blanket just isnt the same!

Night terrors, goodness me. Can you speak with a professional about it?

Can you try a dummy now? He might be more willing now. You said you tried pain relief - what happened?

Also get the doc to check his teeth, gums and throat in case something's sore in there.

Have you tried offering water? Milk?

Sounds like something is up with his mouth!

9 months is a bugger. DS went through a difficult stage then. We just sleepwalked through it, think we stayed with him in his room but tried not to take him out of his cot because I can't sleep at all co-sleeping and didn't want to get into that. (Also he didn't sleep with us in our bed - just crawled all over us!)

Get his ears checked at the docs too. Often ear infection pain refers down to their jaw and it's very painful. Ear infections can re-occur quickly one after another too. GP will give antibiotics to help if it's this - it does sound like he's in pain if he's screaming in the daytime too - that would suggest it's not just a sleep problem?

Yes I forgot ears. DS had an ear infection and I had no clue until his ear drum burst! He had a cold but that was it. They range from mild discomfort through to nasty pain.

Hi everyone, thanks for coming back to me, I really appreciate it.

I think I may know what's causing some of the screaming in the night. Today I put him down for his nap and he rolled straight away and hit his head on the cot bars (I don't use a bumper for safety reasons). I went to mothercare to see if they had anything I could use that was safe but nothing.

Also, I can feel some more teeth below the surface of his gums- that was the reason for the pain relief. His teeth have come out so fast and furious!

I have however gone out and brought a small night time blanket for comfort, incase I'm completely wrong and it is terrors, as I tried him with a dummy again and he spat it out and looked at me in disgust!!

If things don't improve by Monday I will book an appointment with the doctor to get him checked over as the though that it could poss be a ear or throat problem concerns me.

Oh and I have been offering milk but he's not really that bothered by it and just plays with the teat.

thanks again x

Poor you..and your poor LO. It definetely sounds like teething if he is trying to suck on everything. Hopefully it won't last too long. Also you can get a cot wrap to protect against bumps on the bars, they are not as padded as a bumper but they are safe and LOs can breathe right through them so no suffocation risk etc., you can get them off Amazon and here is the website www.safedreams.co.uk.