So far, I have been trying to get Dd to sleep for four, yes four friffing hours.

[McPhee]

She's only 5 weeks, and beyond exhausted. First baby and on my own with her care.

I want to crawl in a hole right now.

No Dp here to take the strain either.

She's breastfed, but I'm close to giving her a bottle to get her to sleep

As for the frigging dummy....whose blooming idea was it to introduce that! Everytime it drops out of her mouth, she panics.

I need someone to tell me this is normal, because I'm stressing now that something is wrong!

It's normal. She doesn't keep the same hours as you. Is she crying, or just wide awake?

I know that people will say it's only making a rod for your own back, but have you tried feeding her to sleep? Swaddling her?
DS1 was awful to get to sleep in the early days (and not so early days), but he is fine now - we survived.

Babe.

Firstly, where is she?Go pick her up, put some funnies on the tv, cuddle her up in your arms and ditch the notion of bedtime entirely. If you are alone with her, you don't have to work to anyone else's schedule and it doesn't matter if you take 3 naps a day yourself.

Or go to bed with her. Put the moses basket on the bed so that when she drops off, you can just pop her in and gho to sleep without arsing around.

Try changing her bum because you never know.

and oh yes, feed her to sleep if she will. I fed mine to sleep all the time, they slept ok and never needed me there once they were bigger.

Wise suggestions Colditz - The Young Donki was fed to sleep for ages... it was easy enough to stop it when he was bigger.

She was crying on/off, so I caved and went and made up a 3 oz bottle for her. My boobs are very sore because I've fed her over and over again, plus I've got thrush. Whole other story. She did actually fall asleep, so I laid her down, and no soon as I'd walked away she woke up had a big loud poo and carried on crying. So, she's now been changed, plus her sleepsuit and vest.

She's in her cot now, and I'm trying not to get upset. When I put her down, I felt like I wanted to give her a tap on the nose

Now I'm sat on the bed, trying to ignore her for a minute in the hope that she just might go to sleep.

She's never normally still awake at this time, so I don't really know what's gone wrong. But I'm bloody knackered.

Hi McPhee, it really is normal and you have my 100% sympathy. I am sat here typing on my phone with 4 week old DS 2 feeding. I am lucky and have DH as there have been some truely testing nights. But like others have said its normal at such a young age you just need to stock up on easily accessible food, the remote or kindle and go with it. Before you know it this time will be over. I forget this when I have been swapping boobs for 4 hours solid at 5am but it really is true. I have DS1 who is 3.5 and eats well and sleeps from 7-7 and I did exactly the same. Thinking of you and a big hug xxx

She finally fell asleep at nearly 1am, and I'm whacked.

I was totally unprepared last night. Only water to drink, no snacks, wine, whiskey or gin.

Tonight I'll be one step ahead

Hi McPhee, just thought I'd share...

My DD is a little bit older but after 5 weeks of exactly what you describe in the evening, this is what works for us. We started a bedtime routine, I tank her up with a bf after her bath, then I put her in the moses basket (ha ha). She wakes up. I give it 20 mins or so to see if I can settle her (it's only worked a couple of times in 7 weeks) but then I put her in our karime sling.

It's no easy task getting her in there as she's usually pissed off and prostrate. But the second I get moving she's out for the night and I keep her in there (while I have dinner and then nap upright on the sofa, usually!) until I want her to feed again.

Sometimes then she sleeps in the moses basket and sometimes I have her in bed with me until the next night time feed.

A small disclaimer - this didn't work with DS because I could never get to grips with the sling. I thought he didn't like it, but I think I just gave up at the pissed off/prostrate stage. We never actually got it on properly and got moving.

I think there is a growth spurt around 6 weeks, perhaps it is that?

It always seems much harder at night when you just want to crawl into bed and shut your eyes. I second what colditz says, forget the idea of a full night's sleep (temporarily), if you are on your own then you have nobody else to fit in with and can just nap during the day when DD sleeps.

My DS was an angel then he hit 5 wks and suddenly cried for 2 wks, I thought I'd lose my mind but it's a growth spurt. I'm typing with one hand sorry. Take heart it does pass.

5/6 weeks is when babies go through one of their quite big mental and physical developments and as its all new and scary they just want want what they know I.e. mummy! My DD went thought this and for 2 days I couldn't put her down. I'd feed for 20-30 minutes (long for her) she would fall asleep so very carefully put her in Moses basket. 10 minutes later....WAAAAH. And repeat! It drove me mad! She hardly slept and eventually just crashed through exhaustion at gone midnight.

All I can say is it WILL pass! I know that's not particularly helpful but I promise you, it's normal and most other parents have had the same thing.

I'd really recommend you google "wonder weeks" or even get the book. It really explains it far better then I can!

Good luck and you are doing fab :)