My one year old has recently started waking up at night, screaming. She will sometime cry for three hours at a time. She is inconsolable. It all started with our recent move to a new townhouse? We are at a loss of what to do for her. At first we thought it may be the transition of formula to whole milk. Because she was very gassy. Well, we put her back on formula for a day and she slept ALL night. We decided to keep her on the formula for at least a week and then gradually reintroduce whole milk. The problem is that she slept perfect the first night in our trying this but then the next night she began waking up screaming again. PLEASE, if anyone has any thoughts on this....we need your help!!
It could be night terrors
http://www.askdrsears.com/content/i-think-my-child-having...
That's right around the age my kids started having them.
I would put her back on the formula.
Put in a call to your pediatrician to be sure.
If I remember correctly, their might be some drops you can buy for infants in order to help w/gassiness.
Be sure to go in and hold her to comfort her during these times at night.
Three hours to cry is too long.
Chances are if she's screaming, she's in pain so it could be gas pains.
It does sound like night terrors. My son, who has always been and still is a great and deep sleeper, was a little older than your daughter when he started having them. It was absolutely horrifying for me. It seemed worse when I woke him up which was really difficult to do anyway. All I could do was hold him, rock him, and talk to him. He was inconsolable while having them but had no memory of them when awake. If I remember, it took a few months for them to stop.
Night terrors are not supposed to last for 3 hours at a time.
My little one would thrash about and moan and sometimes scream and scream. I think some of it was night terrors. Some were "normal" nightmares. And a whole lot of it was other problems. One was digestive. She developed allergies. There'd been antibiotics without probiotics. Her endocrine system got affected... I am not sure if one thing led to another, or what, but I can very much relate to a baby who is awake screaming for hours and hours and hours every night... and it is not normal. And it is exhausting to the parents... and to the baby.
Your child may have reflux. Your child may have an endocrine problem. Your child may have allergies or food sensitivities, maybe congestion, maybe gas, constipation, a headache (my little one started dropping at 2 and it was migraines! WHAT!?! I never even knew a toddler could HAVE migraines!!)
So much of the time when we wonder why why why the baby is doing this... it is because the baby does not FEEL well!
I could almost gaurantee it's night terrors. My son had them and boy are they terrible. Does she seem to be awak but not herself? Does nothing what so ever seem to even remotely help or console her? Are the crys a little different then maybe day time crying inccidents? If so you should definetly look up night terrors. There is not much you can do for them but it could put your mind to rest.
It's OK to keep her on formula. There is no rule that says you have to switch her to whole milk. I'd keep her on formula while I considered other sources of calcium and other nutrition.
It may be that she's allergic to the protein in milk or that she's lactose intolerant. Gassy is a symptom of both. It may be that the formula is processed enough that those things don't bother her. I suggest that you consult with her pediatrician about that possibility.
It may be that her digestive system just isn't mature enough to handle whole milk. Keep her on formula and see if she continues to sleep well.
You could try rice, soy, coconut, or nut milks. They've been fortified and provide just as good nutrition as cow's milk.
What kind of formula are you using? Some, such as Nutrimegen, is formulated to be more easily digested.
Does she wear pajamas with feet? Check to make sure she has plenty of room for her toes. If they are getting too small she may be having muscle cramps in her toes and legs.
I suggest trying simethicone (Mylicon or a non main brand) drops. My babies used to cry for hours, even from formula, if they didn't have simethicone to help them release the gas. I would put it in their formula. If you try it and she still screams, then you can probably rule out gas.
