Does he seem in pain? Have you tried to offer any type of pain relief at any stage? Did it change anything?
If he seems in pain I would think teeth or an ear infection would be the things to look at first. What is happening on the teeth front? My DD1 acted very much like you describe for about 2 months before she got her first tooth - it was horrible Fine during the day but waking up screaming several times a night and some times screaming for hours. I wasn't really sure if it was teeth or not but I put some teething gel on and she calmed down soon after so I realised I was on the right track. Some nights all we could do was hold her and try and distract her because that seemed to help a bit. I remember one night in desperation I grabbed an empty envelope with a clear window and some how that distracted her enough to stop her screaming. That damn envelope was all we had for many many night time hours, by the time the tooth arrived it was a tattered shread of paper with a scrap of plastic attached but it was the most important item in our house.
Other than that I would say separation anxiety but that sounds a bit unlikely if he is the same when you are with him.
It's such a guessing game, isn't it? If the GP didn't find anything, then it could be teeth emerging (??) Our DS2 screamed for weeks at nighttime,with EVERY tooth that he cut. Oh my. Panadol and Nurofen together couldn't calm the crying and we'd be up for hours holding him. The tooth or teeth would emerge and we'd have a respite of a few weeks and then back into it again.
Or separation anxiety - I think that happens around 6 months.
Not sure what age night terrors start as DS1 experienced those, but I think that's more toddler age and would happen after the first hour or two of sleep. Watching The Night Garden on DVD seemed to stop the screaming. It's like a drug for kids - as soon as they hear the music they go quiet, but again, probaby more a toddler thing.
Can you try a warm bath to calm them down (probably not what you're wanting to do in the middle of the night).
We found when the teething screaming wouldn't stop after hours that a 5-10 min drive was the only thing that worked. Not fun when we live in the country where it's pitch black some nights and the nearest road is 100km/hr with kangaroos around. Talk about desperate measures!
Hope you get some respite soon. A few weeks of screaming can feel like an eternity and you really start to dread the evenings. Hang in there!
My DS went through a similar thing at around 8mths I think - didn't want to feed, didn't want to be in his cot, but he at least calmed down in my arms. We spent a lot of time in front of the TV - me watching things I'd taped earlier, him dozing. We ended up at sleep school but he got a lot better before then... he just worked something out himself. Like your DS, he seemed quite happy during the day so I never really considered anything medical, just some sort of night thing.
It is so tough. People offer to help but really, when it gets to 1am and you are up with the baby yet again, you know there is not a lot they can do. They can take them during the day and try to give you some rest, but you know its going to happen all over again in 8hrs and it is not a nice feeling.
Thank you all for taking the time to post and suggestion some things. I think the only thing left is seperation anxiety. He has his bowels open daily or second daily and it's soft/liquid. He has been given panadol/nurofen/bonjela. I've been showering with him at all weird times of the night.
Sadly I've got no back up and that makes it that little bit harder knowing that I can't catch up on a nap during the day. I wish I could so I wasn't so grumpy with my older kids - I just hate that I'm grumpy/cranky with them, it's not their fault.
He is just the biggest mystery. If only he could talk and tell me.
Oh hun, gosh my DS has been a terrible teether too, DH works away and I have two older ones, and no back up either...I hate being the cranky / grumpy mum too, I really can empathise with you....
How open are you to co-sleeping? If its seperation anxiety I don't think trying to get him to sleep in his cot by himself is going to help.... ((hugs)) how tough this is for you :-(
Fine during the day but waking up screaming several times a night and some times screaming for hours. I wasn't really sure if it was teeth or not but I put some teething gel on and she calmed down soon after so I realised I was on the right track. Some nights all we could do was hold her and try and distract her because that seemed to help a bit. I remember one night in desperation I grabbed an empty envelope with a clear window and some how that distracted her enough to stop her screaming. That damn envelope was all we had for many many night time hours, by the time the tooth arrived it was a tattered shread of paper with a scrap of plastic attached but it was the most important item in our house.
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