arching back and screaming

olga1311

So I have been putting DD to sleep by rocking her to sleep for naps and nighttime sleep for past 2.5 months.

However, recently whenever I pick her up and put her horizontally across me like I usually do and try to rock her to sleep, she starts screaming bloody murder, arching her back and trying to tilt her head as far back as possible. Has anyone's LO been doing this? I worry that arching back means she is in pain (however she usually content right before I start rocking her and then its like a switch goes off). I just don't know how to get her to sleep anymore. Rocking was my go to solution that always worked. Now it takes 5 minutes of her screaming for her to calm down and fall asleep. I hate hear her cry like that!

Any advice? 

JLMcWeeney

Mine does that when his reflux is acting up. Does your LO burp for a long time after feedings or can you tell stuff is coming back up? My sons reflux is very obvious. You can always ask the pedi. When my DS is doing this I still sit in the rocker with him, but I lay him chest to chest with me so he is more upright. He seems to have less reflux that way and is more comfortable.

Bamgal25

My guess is maybe she knows you are trying to put her to sleep and she is fighting sleep?

hilalk

My LO does this too. Especially if I put her to sleep little later than I was supposed to. I always thought that she is fighting to sleep. I change the position, my rocking style, put some lullabies on Pandora or white noise. She calmes down in couple of minutes. I think it is a phase.

ssublett09

Mine does this sometimes she used to do it all the time. She was just fighting me on going to sleep. I figured this out because I would keep rocking her with her arching her back and screaming and after a few minutes she would go to sleep. Hang in there it will pass soon.

smlowe9311

For us it usually means one of two things.
1) like pp have said she's fighting sleep or
2) she doesn't want to be rocked to sleep but to put herself to sleep

sugarkissed

LO does this every time that I try to put her in the carseat. She's fine once she's buckled and we are moving, she just tries to fight being restrained.

redfallon

Emily does this when I hold her "like a baby" meaning cradled with her head in my elbow and laid back. If DH holds her this way, she's fine. If I hold her like that, she knows it's nap time and goes BSC. Doesn't matter if I'm standing or sitting.

olga1311

Thanks all!! Hope it's just a phase I took to rocking her to sleep in her stroller and it seems to work but my mom is on my case that I create bad habits . But then my mom thinks I should CIO too so I am not too worried about that opinion. We

VitaLuna

Yep... LO started doing this randomly and did it every night for a few weeks. She's better now, but man it was awful (and frustrating!) It seems like babies start to do it when they get more alert/aware of their surroundings and know that you're trying to get them to sleep.