9 month old waking screaming

[Sobloodyexhausted]

I have no idea why - she’s just started this and is absolutely distraught when it happens won’t feed / gulping back sobs, red in the face. It’s completely terrifying for us both and she has to be rocked and shushed for 5 minutes or more to calm her each time it happens.

Big of background: we cosleep ( just me and her) and she usually wakes a few times a night but settles as soon as I put her back on the breast. This waking is different. It’s like she’s been woken up and is desperate to go back to sleep but she’s distraught and screams her head off for a few minutes each time.

I’m wondering if I’m snoring and waking her up? - I do snore a bit but I have a mouth guard I wear which I thought had sorted the problem. Maybe she’s had a nightmare? I’ve checked it’s not wind or a leaky nappy. Could be teeth although it’s quite extreme and normally putting her on the boob is enough to soothe her.

Any ideas - I’m totally exhausted as once I’ve done this a few times a night my own sleep is completely messed up and I’m awake for hours afterwards.

The most likely explanation is total and utter frustration at being very tired and wanting to be back to sleep, but being unable to.

Night terrors? Is she actually awake and responsive or does she seem not fully there?

If so, she'll grow out of them, but in the meantime you can check what time she's doing them at and calculate how long she's been asleep, then wake her up before it gets to that time to break the cycle.

I think it's too young to be night terrors, my 4 year old has these and it's terrifying but they didn't start until he was 2/3.
It is probably just over tired baby rage!

@imalmostthere

I think it's too young to be night terrors, my 4 year old has these and it's terrifying but they didn't start until he was 2/3. It is probably just over tired baby rage!

Mine used to do this around that age and it did look a lot like night terrors to me 🤷. From the research I've done, it seems we don't know very much about babies and dreaming etc. so I think it's possible. IME tired baby rage only happens when they're overtired and haven't yet gotten to sleep, not when they wake mid-sleep, unless you're actively preventing them getting back to sleep, or they're in pain or uncomfortable (dead arm, full nappy etc).

Research states night terrors in infants are extremely rare, if ever, and they occur predominantly in pre schoolers aged 3-4 years. Experts suggest night terrors do not exist in children below 18 months of age.

Other reasons for screaming when waking are separation anxiety, really common around 9 months! And a growth spurt or developmental leap.

There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Generally, separation anxiety is promptly soothed when they wake next to their caregiver (OP is co-sleeping). They certainly don't cry for five minutes with it.

I suggest we agree to disagree.

I suspect the baby rage in the OPs case comes down to the fact that baby is fed to sleep. So feeding to sleep is baby's only way of going back to sleep.

While some babies of this age may just roll over and wiggle about between sleep cycles before going back to a deep sleep without waking. OPs baby has to wake up, make noise to indicate to mum at being awake. Physically move to the breast. Open eyes or feel way to nipple. Then can start to go back to sleep. This wakes baby up more than is actually necessary, hense the Baby Rage.

Yes, there are a million and one other possibilities of what it could be. But the simplest is the most probable reason. And the simplest is just that, at 9 month, baby is wanting longer chunks of sleep without any disruption between them.

That's not nice for the OP, who seems happy feeding to sleep. But at least it offers a simple explanation and hopefully mean she doesn't need to worry or be frightened when it happens.

@MrBond

There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Generally, separation anxiety is promptly soothed when they wake next to their caregiver (OP is co-sleeping). They certainly don't cry for five minutes with it.

I suggest we agree to disagree.

There's not a time limit on how long babies cry for when upset. Yes we shall agree to disagree, but that's ridiculous.