Bad Dreams

My daughters have always been good sleepers. I chalk that up to all the time they spent in the NICU. If you're constantly surrounded by crying babies, there's a good chance you'll be able to sleep through anything. Sometimes, though, bad dreams are inevitable.
I still have a baby monitor in my room. Our girls sleep at the opposite end of the hallway, so I want to be sure I hear any and all noises. Most nights I don't hear a thing until Roo wakes up at the crack of dawn and starts singing to everyone. But every now and then I hear whimpering. Usually it's Sue-Sue. She never wakes up from these dreams, but she'll whimper until it's over. Our pediatrician recommended not waking her up (I tried, but she won't stir from these dreams), saying she's likely to be more terrified if she wakes up mid-dream. In the morning, Sue-Sue can tell me she had a bad dream, but rarely says what it's about. I would love to say the bad dreams have a pattern (busy days, stressful days, etc), but they're few and far between, so there really is no rhyme or reason... at least not that I've detected.
I can sympathize with my daughters when they have bad dreams, as I have these spells every now and again, too. When I'm really tired or really stressed out I prepare myself for a rough night. I occaisionally have dreams where I wake up screaming, scaring the pants off Hubby.
For now, whenever any of the girls have bad dreams, I simply rush to their room and rub their back until it's over. If they wake up and need a hug, I'll be there for that, too.