The following is a visitor-submitted question or story. For more, you can submit your own sleep story here, or browse the collection of experiences and questions other visitors have shared here.

Sleep Terrors Every Night About My Baby--PPD or Anxiety?

by Erin C
(North Dakota, USA)

I had my first child in the end of February and he is now 15 weeks old. About 3 weeks ago I started having a few night terrors a week. What happens is I wake up because I'm frantically groping the blankets searching for my baby that for whatever reason, I think is wrapped in the covers suffocating.


We have never done the co-sleeping thing except for occasionally in the mornings when I was breastfeeding (I stopped at 10 weeks. We have the highest-tech baby monitor that will sound an alarm if the baby stops breathing. I thought that would ease my mind to let me have peaceful nights, but now this has started.

The night terrors have gradually gotten worse and have escalated to multiple times a night. I woke up last night screaming at my dog, because I had this vision that he had my baby's leg ripped off and was chewing it up. I was screaming at my dog, and my husband woke me up by yelling my name and saying that our dog wasn't even on my side of the bed, he was on the floor by him. I woke up disoriented, panicky, and with a huge feeling of despair.

The dream of the baby being wrapped in the covers has now escalated to being that my husband is laying on top of the baby. I have tried desperately in my sleeping state to move him out of the way so that I can save my baby.

I have read that nightmares and night terrors are a sign of postpartum depression. I'm on the fence about whether or not I have it. One day I feel completely back to normal but there are many days where I still don't feel back to my "old self" -- however I blame that on sleep deprivation (baby is still waking once a night) and general anxiety about being a new mother.

Should I see my doctor?

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Stories of Sleep Terrors.



Enjoy this page? Please help us pay it forward to others who would find it valuable by Liking, Sharing, Tweeting, Stumbling, and/or Voting below.

About This Site

Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.

We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.

In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?

A Note On Visitor-Submitted Questions:

Publishing sleep stories and questions from our visitors is meant to create a forum for open and proactive dialogue about an extremely important portion of our lives (one that occupies 1/3 of it and affects the other 2/3) that isn't talked about enough. It is not meant to substitute a trip to the doctor or the advice of a specialist. It's good to talk; it is not good to avoid consulting someone who's profession it is to help you with this kind of stuff.

If you are in any way concerned about your sleep health, don't wait for an answer on here, and don't necessarily rely on them. See a sleep specialist in your area as soon as possible.

More Questions:

Ask | Answer

The Stanford Sleep Book

Stanford Sleep Book Picture

Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.

In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.

Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy

More Sleep Resources

The Zeo

Track Your Own Sleep With Zeo

A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.

Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide

Sleep Paralysis Treatment Book

Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.

Important Disclaimer

Please Note:

The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.

For more info, see our
Terms of Use.