I have an 8 1/2 month old son who had been sleeping through the night since he was about 3 or 4 months old (considered myself VERY lucky!!) Anyway, for the last couple weeks he has been waking up about 12-2AM absolutely screaming, arching his back and inconsolable- If I pick him up, it doesn't seem to help- I am pretty confident he is not physically hurting, teething, hungery, nighmares, etc. I think it is an emotional or fear thing because his actions are similar to when we travel with him (wakes up crying when he is not at home)- The wakings also started after I was gone for 3 days at a medical conference---
Anyone else have experienced something similar????
Appreciate any input-

I'm so sorry, it is so hard when something is wrong with your baby. Try this, maybe it will help. I found that if I slept for a night or two with one of their baby blankets(not a heavy one.) Then let them sleep with it. The blanket then has your "smell" on it, this tends to really comfort them, especially when they wake up in the middle of the night. They smell you (on their blanket) sense that everything is ok, and then settle down. It helped when my babies had colic, and when I switched them from the bassinet to the crib. Hope it helps!

If it really doesn't help when you pick him up, he may be having a night terror, and not even be really awake. Night terrors are not nightmares, but they are really awful if you are the parent. (My son had one and I knew what it was but it was still awful even the one time.) They are a unique thing. :p

The thing I would be thinking of is ear infection, or maybe constipation. Little ones that young are hard to tell, not always do they tug on their ears, or have typical signs...contrary to what you maybe thinking it is. Little ones can through you off for sure. A lot of the times my kids have woken up like that was ear infections, or something of that sort. Pain and discomfort usually peaks at night and there is a medical/biology reason for this, but since I dont want to give you medical advice, I wont ellaborate, just wanted to let you in on some of my experiences with my kids.

There are so many sleep issues with young children (my kids still have middle-of-the-night issues at age 5yrs+) - if it's not teething or the other possibilities mentioned, it is probably, as you say, related to your trip away. Maybe some extended one-on-one time during the day would help. I bring the kids into my own bed at nighttimes like this. I like the blanket suggestion and may try that myself.

Mine did that last month after we came back from a trip 2-3 times per night for about ten days. Nursing him would eventually calm him down but it was a struggle; plus I didn't want to keep nursing him during the night in the fear that he would get used to it somehow and keep waking up, expecting it. My mom gave me a bit of rational advice, though: said if baby has been sleeping through the night then baby wants to be sleeping through the night and he will get back to it in his own time. Anyway, good luck.