S.M.
Hi, D.. Sometimes after a big illness, which is a very, very distressing experience for a small child, that child will continue to have sleep disturbances. She was sick for almost 2 weeks; that's a big chunk of a baby's lifetime to feel miserable, so she may have some lasting effects. She might not be entirely well; maybe she is congested at night, and it wakes her up with the memory of having a hard time breathing and being generally miserable. It may take her a long time to get over it.
It sounds like what she has, though, are sleep terrors, which can start occurring at around 1 year of age. My son had them, too. Most toddlers get them at one time or another. This is the age when toddlers start on a new phase of understanding the world; they have lots more independence than they had before, and even though it feels delicious to them, it is also scary. They start having fears of getting lost, especially if they have had an episode of getting lost or separated from Mom or Dad. It's part of working through separation anxiety. I think her illness triggered this phase for her; she may have some anxiety about needing you and not being able to get help. It's hard to know what a toddler is thinking because they can't tell you.
Just understand that it's all about anxiety, and be patient with her. Her brain is trying to process an incredible amount of new information all the time, and she's also entering the stage of testing cause and effect, which will get more intense as she nears 18-24 months. This is a time when the child enters a new time of independence and skill mastery; again, delicious but scary for her. She may be a little over-stimulated during the day at this time, and that might force her to over-process the day's events in her dreams.
You can try various things to make sure her sleep environment is the most peaceful one possible. Either make sure the room is very dark and silent, or if that doesn't work, try soothing music and a very soft nightlight as she's falling asleep. Make sure she goes to sleep with a soothing object, and make sure she's not having night time colic. She could have teething issues, too, and you may not be aware of it. If she's close to 1 year, she may be about to sprout molars, and these are the toughest teeth ever. I think I would rather have root canal with no anesthetic than be a toddler sprouting molars; the poor dears are in such torment until it's over! Keep checking her temperature, as this is sometimes the only indication that she may be teething until her gums turn red from the pressure underneath. Remember that the molars start out under the jaw bone, and if they're having trouble getting through that, she'll have pain long before you see anything happenning to the gums.
No child will sleep through the night forever. As you probably already know, they all go through times when they do and don't. If this keeps up, though, and nothing at all seems to ease the problem somewhat, I would take her to the doctor regardless of when her well-baby visit is. Nothing is more important than each child's health.
I hope everything works out fine, and everyone sleeps peacefully.
Blessings,
Syl