Tuesday, July 29, 2008

We see Terror in the Night

My baby is having night terrors.

I know they are night terrors because I googled it. Don't you just love an armchair doctor? I had to figure out what was going on in his little mind.

I needed to know why he would go to bed so easily and immediately fall asleep, only to wake up within the hour in full blown panic mode. He will come running into the living room wide open. Sweaty, hysterical, babbling, wringing hands, and scared out of his mind.

This has been going on for about 2-3 weeks now. My research shows that it's predominant in boys, ages 3-5. He falls right in that slot for sure. I also saw that it has been deemed hereditary. Huh. I don't know of any night terrors from my branch. Paige had issues around age 7. I'm still unclear if she had night terrors or night mares or was a sleep walker. I spoke with my Mama last night and she said I didn't have night terrors as a child, that I loved my sleep too much. My brother was terror free also. We still have to ask The Man's Mom about his branches.

The worst part of my research showed there's nothing you can do about it. You literally have to love them through it. Stay calm. Soothe them. The Man has discovered if he lays in bed with our hysterical child and sings "Amazing Grace", that after a while he will calm down and fall right back into deep slumber.

Yesterday we had to take The Boy in to see his favorite doctor. Last weekend when Lu and those were visiting, the twins and Kenna slammed the bedroom door in his face and caught his big toenail. I kid you not, it bent all the way back. *fans self because self can't handle stuff like that* Saturday he informed his Dad that it was hurting. The entire nail was separated from the nail bed except at the cuticle. Oh heck. We gauzed that toe up quick like. I didn't want to be the one to pull it off and then pass out on the floor. Neither did The Man.

Doc says it's badly bruised but not infected. We're not pulling the nail off. A second consult with my doctor (who came in and told me he's leaving for Cuba in October-what????) and it was agreed. The new nail is growing in (thank you milk) underneath. We'll keep a band aid on it so it doesn't catch and the cuticle will push it on out when the time comes. Works for me. When the Doc was looking at it, I told her......"If you pull that nail off in front of my face right now? I promise you both my husband and I will hit the floor. I am a big girl. Please, don't make me hit the floor." She's a good woman.

The Boy was perfect. He loves his Doc. We went to leave and he informed her that she hadn't used "that thing on the wall" to check his ears. Well, sir. She grabbed it as he sat back on the table and proceeded to check his ears. She went on and on about how wonderful they looked and he was as still as could be while she looked. Yeah, she's tops in my book. He was smooth after that.

If any of you have experience night terrors with your child, I sure could use a support group right now. It's a helpless feeling to see your baby so terrified and out of sorts. We spoke with his Doc about it and she agreed with my research. There's nothing really you can do but love them and help them get through the phase. ~sigh~

This boy. I love him so good.

6 comments:

cat said...

That breaks my heart to hear this.....I went thru this with my daughter. She was 7 years old and there was nothing dramatic going on in her life at that time. I couldn't put my finger on it and like yourself I took her to the doc to see what the problem was.

He told me it has alot to do with their hormones and growth spurts and just like your doc, he said there is nothing that can be done to stop them.

It only lasted a few months, but at the time it seemed like years. They do get thru it and most of the time they don't remember anything realted to the night terrors.

My daughter got so bad that she would run out into the family room and have her mouth wide open with no sound coming out and then wet herself. It was hard on us to watch her go thru this, but like you said: "you just have to love them thru it" and that's exactly what we did.

Hang in there and give him alittle more attention then normal and Lots and lots of hugs and kisses.

One more thing I do remember, it had gotten worst right before school started......I don't know if that is your case, but I just remembered that we told or asked the doc if he thought that might have something to do with it and of course he didn't know, they just don't have much information regarding this condition.

I'll say a prayer for the "little man" and hope that he starts getting more peaceful sleep.

Jill AKA busymom said...

Britt went through it when she was 2-3 years old....she would just wake up screaming and crying. We would try to comfort her and it was like she didn't even see or hear us.

We started praying over her and her room before she went to sleep and when she would wake up we would just sit with her and pray and sing.

Hugs and prayers to you:)

Stefany said...

okay - night terrors are the most darn right scariest things for the parents. Night mares are one thing but night terrors are a whole nother ball of wax. I remember one of my children had them and I surely thought the poor soul was possesed. It went on like that just about every night for 2 weeks and then suddenly as quick as they came -- they went. Good luck.

Michelle said...

Don't know anything about them...have heard of them though...

Good luck and hope it will be over soon! Poor little monkey....

Anonymous said...

I hope they pass for him soon, one of the kids I nannied for had them. She ended up having a growth spurt not too long after and they didn't come back.

Mandi

Anonymous said...

For once, I'm able to visit a blog and offer advice instead of snark.
We went through it, the NT, and I did the same thing... I googled it. There IS something you can do (other than loving him through it, of course!) I don't know if it will work for you, but it worked for us.
Night terrors can be caused by being overtired. It all started with our son, who's 3, when he stopped taking a nap. We were told (by Dr. Google) to wake him up about a half hour before the night terror usually starts. Rye's always started about 2 hours after he fell asleep, so about an hour and a half after he fell asleep, we would wake him up. I know, it doesn't make sense, does it? But it worked. We wouldn't wake him up "all the way", just a little, enough that he would open his eyes a bit and wonder what the heck we were doing in his room. I was afraid at first that he would wake up and not be able to fall asleep, but that never happened, he always went back to bed just fine, and he didn't have a NT on the nights we did this. We did this for a week straight,like we were "told" to do, and after one week we stopped. He had a night terror that night, so we did the same thing again for the next week, and stopped after a week. He hasn't had one since!
I know it doesn't make sense, but the website explained it better than I could, and I don't remember where it was I read this. It has something to do with REM sleep, that much I remember.
Like I said, I don't know if it will work for you, but it worked for us. Try googling it again, I remember I found the website right away.
Good luck, I feel for you!!!