I'm getting desperate now, compounded by the fact that after I had 2 hours sleep last night, MIL has 'helped out' by having DD and allowing her to sleep for an hour, which means another sleepness night ahead. I'm 30 weeks pg.
DD is nearly 2.6 and I can count the times she's slept through on one hand. I can't remember the last time we had a decent night's sleep. Over the summer hols (I'm a teacher) we have been using a step-by-step rewards chart which has begun to solve the more minor issues - she'll go to sleep in her own bed now as long as I'm with her and she hasn't napped in the day. We've replaced the milk with water, but she drinks equally as much and we're having issues with nappy leakage / wanting to use the potty.
I need to get her to stay in her own bed without me. It's not happening. Sleeping through the night seems like a ridiculous dream.
I was supposed to get to the point where we moved on to gradual retreat during the hols, but slow progress and life getting in the way means we're down to one week before I go back to work for 7 weeks, then it's straight into maternity leave which begins just a few days before my due date. I really don't feel I'm able to cope with gradual retreat to deal with night waking as it's likely to take a long time.
She won't have anything to do with DH at bedtime at all any more. They have a great relationship in all other respects but only I will do at night.
So what can I do? Is controlled crying my last option? I really don't want to. The other choice is accepting that when DC2 is here I won't be sleeping for a long while. That scares the crap out of me quite frankly. It also means that I won't be able to take on a self-employed contract in Jan and will therefore have to return to work early 