To think someone can help me for an hour

[TenaciousOne]

This may be long so sorry if it is.

We have a nearly 6 month DS who just doesn't sleep. He will possibly nap twice for half an hour and will be up in the night every two hours to feed. He constantly wants to be held won't be played with must be cuddled and carried around.

We live miles away from my parents, a good two hour drive, longer on the train. They come down as often as is practical they still work and have other commitments but about once a month. On the other hand my IL's live about 7 miles away and are retired but have visited us twice since DS was born. We have begged them to come round. They make excuses or say they will and never come or turn it around on us to make the effort, I'm already exhausted I really could do without driving. I just need someone to help me, I'm really at my wits end is it really too much to ask for an hour every once in a while?

I don't want to encourage this to turn into a debate about controlled crying but it didn't help me. I would have had to leave the neighbourhood to get away from the sound of mine crying, it was that bad. I only tried the once, for about 5 minutes, and frankly it made me feel ill.

I took some comfort from the fact that mothers who found it all so easy and couldn't understand my problems went on to have a nightmare with baby No. 2. It helped me realise that it wasn't me, it wasn't my baby, and it wasn't because I hadn't been "old school" or "new school" or CC etc. It's because each baby is as unique as each adult is.

I had health visitors telling me I was making a rod for my own back by co-sleeping, but how else do you get sleep? We had a lovely swinging crib which DD slept in for precisely ONE night, the third I think. I remember how delighted we were that morning, foolishly thinking we'd cracked it. Subsequently she would start crying the minute you walked away from it, leaving her in it.

It won't last forever, I promise you. It just feels that way! I'm in south Hampshire, if that's any good to you, send me a PM.

The mother and baby groups are a good idea as sometimes I find it easier to get out and about instead if being stuck in the house all day.

Is he happy in his pushchair/pram? Maybe you could push him around town an when he is asleep have a sit down in the coffee shop and read for a bit so you are getting a bit of 'me' time.

It's a shame that his GP don't help. Mine only live 5 minutes away, but when they come over they want to be entertained rather than let me have five minutes to myself.