Sorry if this is long, but at wits end with DD2 who is 4 weeks old and her sleep.... not just a sleep issue but a feeding one too which probably isn't helping.
With DD1 I failed at bfeeding and she was ff fed from a few days old, however she was a brilliant sleeper I.e. she slept and fed regularly and settled happily in her Moses basket (there were some difficulties and not so easy nights of course).
Due to pnd with DD1 I was desperate to bf this time round. DD2 is exclusively bf but I've been having issues with blocked ducts on one side and things have been getting worse rather than better. She's gaining weight well and has plenty of wet and dry nappies, but I'm caught in a constant cycle of blocked ducts on one breast, and I think I've managed to keep 2 bouts of mastitis at bay through feeding/managing through it (got as far as pinky red patches and glands in throat coming up). Her latch is poor on this side (although I've been getting help and have a LC coming to see me tonight as despite help I'm still struggling. Even on the good side my nipple still comes out slightly misshapen) and things are simply terrible at night. She sleeps all day, she's barely ever awake, infact she only wakes to feed then back to sleep, and at night we just cannot settle her to sleep on her own. I've ended up co-Sleeping (hugely reluctantly) and can get her to sleep by feeding her laid down, but this has progressed to her comfort sucking on the breast. I've been shown how to tell when she has truly finished a feed versus having a rest and needing to carry on, but at night she feeds and finishes and yet wakes within 5 or 10 minutes once put down. This goes on all night and I'm simply exhausted. My DH has been stepping in so I can get some sleep, last night he gave her a bottle of ebm and she did finally sleep for maybe 3 hours, but then of course I've missed a feed and with the issue of blocked ducts I then end up having to pump instead of feed.
I'm at my wits end. I love her dearly but feel so so low and exhausted. I find at night that I just want to run away. Half of me wants to give up bfeeding but I'm terrified of feeling like a failure again, yet I just want to get some sleep, I don't mind waking to feed but it's the hours upon hours of trying to keep my eyes open and a painfully sore breast to boot. I know she's probably cluster feeding, but some nights she has awoken at 11pm and not gone back to sleep until 6.30am.... and will then sleep and sleep....
I would love any advice on how to try and get through this, I know it's not supposed to be easy but I'm really not coping and feel so down.