15mth old still a poor sleeper - please tell me it will just sort itself out!

[popeye123]

Hi,
DD has never been a great sleeper. Long ago I got into the habit of feeding her back to sleep because it worked. Even now, I don't necessarily mind that I'm up for 10 mins giving her a little milk, normally only once a night, sometimes 2. Although recently its been in the evenings as well as during the night so I'm on edge waiting for her to wake.
I've tried cuddling and offering her water but this only work temporarily where as milk normally guarantees another good stretch. I can't face the alternatives such as CC, calming, pacing, PUPD. I know I'm probably cutting my nose off to spite my face and that if I did something about it I could have a good night sleep eventually but I just don't have the will power, or I'm just plain lazy.
I feel like I keep making excuses for all of this...Oh she's teething, she hasn't been well, she's banging her head at the end of the cot, she's got wind, the clocks have gone forward...there's always something.

I'm starting to doubt myself in general. That I've got this sleep thing really really wrong and there's nothing I can do and I'll never sleep again. I feel that everyones tutting behind my back and can't believe I STILL have this problem. After all, she's not a baby anymore, whats my excuse..?
Other than this she's wonderful and I'm happy, but knackered.

I'm happy to grin and bear it if someone can give me some hope and tell me it will sort itself out!!! I want to get pregnant again but this puts me off.

Sorry for the rant.

you're doing well to cope.
all kids sleep through eventually? maybe you can try sleep trainning in the future when you feel strong, if you want to.

Don't give up hope DS (now 15.5 mths)was an awful sleeper (4-6 times a night) and would only bf to sleep. I couldn't do the CC or PUPD thing either and, like you, used every excuse in the book. We could never put him down awake and it was taking up to 2 hours just to get him to stay asleep in his cot. I was on my knees so in the end I got Dh to give him water at night for a week instead of bf(change of face/smell/rocking style etc) and though he did object (but not in a desparate way - I couldn't ever leave him to cry) he still needed rocking to sleep.

Anyhow, in the past 8 weeks or so he's started walking properly so we're going out more & he's getting more tired. He has a bear to cuddle every sleep time (even if he's in his pram) and for the past 2 weeks I've been able to read him a story & tuck him into his cot awake & he settles himself every time - I'm also 13wks pg so you can imagine my desperation to get him to this stage!

I hope my story gives you a little hope. What made the biggest difference to us was that first step of breaking the cycle of milk at night. Hard at first but definately worth it. If you didn't want to do it straight off have you thought about watering down her milk (gradually more each night) until she's just on water?

thanks tang can't speak for popeye but that def gives me some hope