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Waking up screaming, breaking my heart and sanity

3 replies

nicesunday · 23/05/2023 19:45

My 12mo have coslept since she was 10 weeks old. We still EBF and I feed to sleep. Recently it doesn't matter whether it's a nap or bedtime, she will suddenly start screaming if I'm not there. She must instinctively sense I'm not there/that she's not touching me because I've watched her on the monitor and one minute she's perfectly still, and this comes out of no where.

Today she refused a second nap and so has gone to bed a lot earlier than normal. 45 minutes in and it's already happened. It also happened 30 minutes into her nap this morning.

It breaks my heart to see her so distressed because I've always responded to her and tried to make sleep feel like a safe place. It's not even like she stirs for a while and then cries, it's 0-100 in a second.

She's not in pain, I can tell from her behaviour it's panic. I have reason to believe she has bad dreams/nightmares too. I just don't know what to do to make her feel more secure.

OP posts:
LGBirmingham · 26/05/2023 13:46

My guess is that she's getting ready to drop to one nap and is sleeping more lightly because she's not as tired any more. So she notices you're not there.

DidyouNO · 26/05/2023 13:54

When you say she's EBF do you mean actually that? She has no other nutrition source at?

nicesunday · 26/05/2023 16:33

@LGBirmingham Unfortunately this isn't it. It happens regardless of how tired she is. She can have fantastic or terrible day sleep, 1 or 2 naps... no difference. It's also been going on for a while, longer than she's been approaching 1 nap.

@DidyouNO No, I was referencing the fact she doesn't/never has taken a bottle and I don't offer milk in a cup, because I anticipated having involvement from her dad/offering her something other than BF were going to be suggested.

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