My son who is almost 20 months has started to wake up crying non stop and he doesn't like to be held…

My son who is almost 20 months has started to wake up crying non stop and he doesn't like to be held while crying but doesn't like to be put down, so he continues to cry. It frustrates me so much and I don't know what's wrong or how to console him. I also don't see any signs of teething...what does this mean?