Night wakings, 11 months old - screaming for 1 hour (+)

[Lovejoy]

DD has done a fortnight of waking up, last week it was every other night Sometimes she'd go back to sleep and this week every night really crying hard (different times)
we'll ignore her cries for about 20 mins and then go in ssh her/checks nappy/rub back and sometimes she'll settle but then soon as you leave her she screams.
Sometimes she'll cry even if you're there but then start to "talk". It takes over 1 hr of comforting and leaving her and all 3 of us are shattered.

She has got a small cold and I have been dosing her on the Medised and Karvol but i actually think she's waking up either cos of some disturbance outside or maybe a nightmare and then won't settle back without us. (she normally knows how to go back to sleep)

EASY pattern:

6.45am Wake up Breastfeed
8am Cereal
9.30am Nap
11am Wake up
12 noonLunch
14.30 Nap
15.30 Wake up
17.00 Dinner
18.30 bedtime routine and formula bottle milk
19.00 Fingers crossed sleep

[Katet]

By her age she would probably be in the midst of Separation Anxiety & I think leaving her for 20mins is part of the problem, 20mins is a long time to leave a baby crying & if you are going to go in anyway at that point, it seems a bit pointless to do it & sends a mixed message (if it was me as an adult & I was "calling out" that long, I know I'd feel abandoned, so why shouldn't she, so when you do go in she has that extra emotion to deal with too... I think respond to her as soon as she crys (unless it sounds like a settling cry) & give her the support she is obviously needing & stay with her while she is upset & leave when she is calm, returning when she gets upset... that way she knows that if she does need you you do go to her & she doesn't have to cry for 20mins.

[Lovejoy]

only  twice have we waited 20 mins when she has woken up (incase she would settle herself like last week) because when we have previously gone in after 5 mins of her waking up, going in seems to heighten the cries.

We don't wait 20 mins everytime we settle her - as soon as she calms we leave the room, and immediately she cries, so we go back in, settle leave cry settle etc etc.  She will only sleep if we are sitting next to her, which I don't want to make a habit of.

[Katet]

I am a firm believer that babies wake up & cry for a reason, that reason could be anything from uncomfortable, to having had a stressful day & leaving them to cry doesn't really help the problem.
Although you personally don't want to make a habit of being there until she falls asleep (I personally don't see it as an issue when my children from time to time need that),  once they get to trust you are there for them, then gradually over a few days you try to leave earlier, always responding to their need.
I think if you respond as soon as she crys & leave as she settles she sees the "consistency" & will respond, it may take a while (hour or more isn't unreasonable) in the early days, but if you keep changing then she has no consistent method & it takes longer

[brightside]

I've just posted something similar-I didn't see you post 

We have almost the same problem only it takes DS 1 hour MINIMUM to settle-usually more like 1.5-2 hours. Not sure what the cause of our wakes are because they are quite erratic. One thing that has happened previously though was when DS was waking for a long time every night, it turned out to be an ear infection-has your LO had a cold recently-could it be that?

For us, at the moment, I have no idea what's going on  Good to hear we're not the only ones though.