HELP!

Ok mommies! I need some major help here.... we've got a little situation with MC and I am totally in the dark as to what to do.

MC, like most children, will occassionally wake during the night. She'll ususally whine/cry for a few seconds and then go back to sleep. However a couple of months ago the crying got worse. She would wake up SCREAMING bloody murder. The first few times we were quite alarmed, as you can imagine, and went in to check on her and everything seemed to be fine - not too wet, no poop, not hot, not cold, and we gave her Tylenol just in case her new teeth were bothering her. The only thing we could come up with was teething. Then we noticed that ss soon as we picked her up she would stop crying... When we laid her back down, the screaming began again.

This started happening maybe once every two weeks or so but now it is happening multiple times a week. I dont know what to do! Now, you're probably thinking "well duh you idiots, she's used to you coming in there and picking her up!" Well we still let her whine and put herself back to sleep when its not bad. She'll still do those partial wakings where she'll do the whine a few seconds and we don't go in there and she just puts herself back to sleep without a problem. The problem is that a few times a week now its NOT just a short whine. Its an all out SCREAM that does not stop after a few seconds, or even a few minutes. I will go in there and not pick her up, but just put my hand on her and she immediately stops crying. The moment I take it off she starts back again. Its heart wrenching to listen to your child scream like that and not know what to do!!! I am so confused - and tired!

If ANYONE has any suggestions or advice, PLEASE comment!!! I have been in tears too many nights with my baby crying so hysterically that you would think she was in the worst pain of her life! HELP!!!