We had a foster child that also was born addicted to cocaine. The first few weeks were hell!! I slept with her on my chest, as she would shake and scream all night. I would kangaroo her as the hospital told me this would be very good for her. Things got better, but every time she went through a growth spurt we would go through it all over again. I would continue to do what you are doing and hope that it is just that, a growth spurt and she will eventually go back to sleeping through the night. It sounds like she is very bounded to you, and I wouldn’t let her cry through the night as you are her only safe person to go to and she trusts you. letting her cry it out will make her feel all alone. (that’s my two cents on it)
We eventually adopted our daughter, she is now 3. One thing she uses to help her to stay asleep is a weighted blanket. As long as she has that on she will sleep through the night,  but if she gets it off, she usually wakes up and crawls into bed with me. I don’t know how old they have to be to start using a weighted blanket or vest, but it may be something to look into. My daughter was in physical and occupational therapy, they are the ones that suggested we try it. Best thing ever for her. She loves it! Good luck, It is so hard to watch these kids go through these awful things, but they are resilient and end up doing quite well with the proper care and love.

I don’t have personal experience to that extreme. my 2 year old is kind of doing the same thing right now, she is hard to get to bed… takes hours she will cry and throw up…. but not the shaking part.

if the baby cried and was shaking for 4 hours I don’t think crying it out is the solution.  clearly the baby will not settle on her own… it is rough for you but I think she needs the security right now.

can you work toward adding another security person to her “pool”.... so you are not the only one who is comforting to her.  have a babysitter over when your not going out so she gets really comfortable with that person before you ever leave the baby.

just a thought!  hang in there!

Similar with us. Cocaine exposed babies are very clingy as their neurons are jumping and over-active receiving pain signals needing comfort. If you manage to bond with your quaking screaming baby, then bonding is the best tool for relating to and teaching your child. Encourage close bonding and STAY available to the child for the next ten plus years. It is plain and very simple. A twin bed in baby’s room for the bonded person (to give a full night’s sleep to the spouse sometimes and he supports you with naps etc). Life won’t be that normal, so try to adjust quickly with whatever works for HER. Every moment of intense attention you give is repaid with her Abilities trumping her Disabilities in her life. I hope that makes sense. Look way down the road. This is an important time to get all the early intervention from resources like Doctor specialists, OT, PT, Speech therapies, ECI.

I second the recommendations for early intervention. It is usually available free for many years. Have the child seen for sensory issues. There may also be some attachment issues… sounds like security is an issue. You might try having something that smells like you (a tee shirt you wore) and leave it with the child and leave her for a minute or two…then three minutes etc and see if she can adapt. This might help when you have to leave her. For court you might take her and the babysitter to court and be with her while you wait.
I would not have her scream for hours to sleep train. That method is not indicated for her.

I agree with the other responses that letting her cry it out isn’t good for this little girl.  Personally, I don’t believe in crying it out anyway.  Babies cry to let you know that they need something, even if what they need is you so ignoring their crying could set them up for other issues.  In your case, I would suggest keeping her as close to you as much as possible.  Some studies indicate that the more a baby is held and comforted in general, the more secure they are later on and they aren’t so afraid to venture out on their own.  To keep her as close to you as much as possible while still keeping your hands free, I would suggest wearing her in a sling or baby carrier.  You can find them at Walmart of Babies R Us.

Baby Bjorn is an excellent and easy to use carrier.  http://www.babybjorn.com/us/products/baby-carriers/baby-carrier-original/classic/

You can find baby slings at Walmart such as this example.  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sling-EZee-Baby-Sling-in-Azure/14066110 

Being worn really comforts a baby and facilitates bonding.  It may also help her adjust to other people such as your baby sitter if your baby sitter also wears her in a sling or carrier. 

Another thought is having her sleep by your bed using a co-sleeper or bassinet.  That way she’s close by you and you can comfort her as soon as she starts crying during the night.  It may be that if you can just reach out to her and stroke her quite quickly after she starts to fuss at night, she may be comforted enough to go back to sleep fairly quickly.  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Arm-s-Reach-Clearvue-Co-sleeper-Natural/10898576.

You can save a lot of money by trying to find some of these items at a children’s consignment store or perhaps by contacting other foster parents. 

One last thought is to be meticulous about following the same schedule at the same time every day.  If she becomes familiar with a set schedule, then surprises are limited and she will know what is going to happen next.  Even though she is only eight months old, it might help to tell her what is about to happen. (Time for your bottle, time to have a bath in your bathtub, time for a nap). 

Essentially, by giving her as much comfort as possible, you are helping to develop her brain in a positive way and to overcome those negative brain connections created by being exposed to cocaine that are resulting in her difficult behavior.  You might find some helpful hints in this article.  It’s about a child with severe attachment issues but it has some excellent concrete suggestions that may help you with your foster daughter.  The site, zerotothree.org is also an excellent resource for issues related to children ages 0 - 3 years including in foster care.

http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/vol26-5b.pdf?docID=2461

Good luck.  I know how trying it is night after night with a crying baby.

I would ask your doctor if there is a safe sleep aid/sleeping pill available for infants for her sake and yours. Sleep is very important to overall health. Best of luck.

A couple months later, I did end up sleep training much less traumaticallywhen she was more ready for it and understood more what we were saying.  I got the baby sleep book by Jodi Mindell and followed it exactly adn by a week she was going down without crying and was a much happier baby getting teh sleep she needed.  She is also much less clingy now and can be left with relatives for an hour.

I would recommend a Moby. I used mine with our son. He was very happy laying on me and I was able to get things done