Hmmm. I know what you mean about the staying upset if you're there. But maybe he's feeling something - pain, tiredness, general overwhelmingness of life (which i still get now after 27 years out of the womb!) whatever it is, when you come to him, he's comforted (not screaming any more) but wants to tell you about his woes (as you would if there was something wrong and a friend came to comfort you). If you don't go he screams himself to sleep quite quickly because he becomes so embroiled in his distress, if you do go he is less distressed but still needs to "tell" you about it. I don't know when we learn how to tell people our problems or share emotions but surely babies are learning from the moment they can hear inside the womb?

Somehow, this is only my opinion, it seems better to me to be tired because i was up talking something out and being listened to by someone who loves me than being well-slept but bottling my feelings up because there's no-one to tell. It could well be that i over-empathise with babies! LOL. They just seem so helpless on every level to me.

I said a lot of "i know, i KNOW, baby" and "You tell me, tell mummy" while DD was grizzling and it really seemed to help her. I still do it now when she's upset or chatty, i never felt listened to as a kid...

Hana