Advise Please! 7Y/O with sudden sleep problems

[Drsamyjohn]

My 7 year old has always been a good sleeper, recently (the last 4 weeks) she has taken to throwing a huge fit every night. She cries and screams and gets so worked up she make herself throw up. Her complaints run from she has an itchy throat, an upset stomach to she's scared.

I am 7 weeks pregnant and exhausted. I find myself losing my temper and screaming at her, because of which I feel horribly guilty the next day...

I have tried laying with her, as I know she really wants me to sleep with her, but as soon as I get up to leave she wakes herself up and asks me the same questions over and over again. "Will you come check on me?", "How many more hours until morning?"...

I have tried ignoring her questions as I walk out the door, but that just prompts hysterical crying.

Her nighttime routine has not changed...book, song, prayer, sleep...I am at my wits end. I don't know what else to do, but I do know me screaming like a mad woman CANNOT be good for her. I am just so tired.

Any advise is greatly appreciated.

 

[BlueHadeda]

Something must've happened/changed for her. Maybe take her to a psychologyst or play therapyst for an evaluation?

This didn't start after you told her about the pregnancy, maybe?

Poor little girl, she seems like she's really upset or scared of something. Could something have happened at school?

Hope you get to the root of this!

 

[seoj]

It sounds like anxiety- to me at least... I have some experience with it (personally, and with my SD)-- but sometimes these things can be triggered by a life event or just in general as kids grow and understand/see things in a different way- they can react differently to it or get anxiety. Most likely a stage... but obviously not a fun one.

Possible she is feeling a bit lost with a new baby coming? or maybe something is bothering her at school? I would try sitting and talking to her well before bedtime- just ask, is there something going on? Is she upset or scared over something? She's old enough to at least try to explain her feelings- then maybe you can narrow it down from there or help her express what she is feeling? With my SD- she used to complain of all sorts of aches or pains right at bedtime- even if she was perfectly fine 5mins before... and we finally found that if we allowed her to express her feelings before going off to bed (but put a time limit in place- else she'd talk forEVER)-- it helped. We validated her feelings- then encouraged her to think things through logically-- but I think just feeling heard and validated really helped. It took time-- but she got past it. Her situation was much different though as she had anxiety from a very young age (due to things her bio mom did) and was actually diagnosed-- but, the general "idea" of how to help is the same. So you might try that... can't hurt.

I absolutely understand how frustrating it is hun... but your daughter is trying to reach out to you and just having a hard time expressing it. Hope it's sorted out soon! to you both!