Willow . You don't sound pathetic, believe me! Those 40 minute sleep cycles are a PITA! We have days where the exact same thing you describe happens too. It is hard not to get frustrated, especially when you have a routine (I do). My first DS was a shocker with day sleeps, I ended up putting him in a baby hammock and when 40 minutes was up I would bounce him for ages to get him off to sleep again. It worked, but it was soooo annoying. With Kieran I try my best to resettle him, sometimes I have to walk away for a minute and retry (I can't let him cry for long, I'm too soft ). Sometimes it takes quite a few goes before he finally settles down, sometimes he just won't settle down. When he won't settle I plonk him in his baby swing, switch it on and leave him for a while. He sometimes goes back to sleep, but most of the time will just happily sit there. I have learned not to to stress out anymore, he will get there eventually!

Sorry I'm not a lot of help, but I just wanted to say that you are not alone, there are lots of mums struggling with the same thing! You are doing such a great job with your little one and you will reap the benefits of your hard work, I promise! Try and just relax and accept that this is what is happening right now and you are doing your best. They do change all the time and this won't last forever.

More to you.

Trish