Thanks girls! The sympathy/empathy is just what I needed I think.

Just to answer a few q's - I don't have a lot of support at home - DH is preoccupied most of the time - though I must admit he is getting better slowly, and can't really afford to hire anyone as DH has recently lost his job...

One of the best things I have done is joining the local mum's group, and I also go for a "parent's with prams" walk every thursday. I also have a wonderful, supportive CHN (she is just fabulous). The Mum's group is great to get out of the house and around friendly faces who understand the trials of early motherhood, but I must admit it is pretty frustrating listening to them all talk about their babies who sleep 12 hours in a row (is that even normal for a bub of this age??)!! They all seem to have amazingly good sleepers!

Hannah and I enjoy getting out and about most days - just because I know she'll sleep in the car (it's a 25min drive to our local town) and she sleeps well in the pram too. Otherwise at home she is lucky to get 2 x 20 min naps a day!

I used to massage Hannah every day after her bath (I bought some beautiful jurlique baby massage oil), but she developed a really bad case of eczema so I was advised to stop for a while. We're only just starting to get on top of it now. I can't wait to get back into massaging her - we both used to love that time together.

re: day and night, Lucy - the room is pretty light (just a lace curtain) during the day, and I've always put her down among the usual household noise, and we have the same peacebaby CD which is part of our night time routine. To be honest - I usually feed her in front of the TV before bed at night, which probably isn't the best - but the couch is so comfy! I will try feeding her in the dim light of our bedroom for a few nights and see if that makes any difference... During the night though, I keep stimulation to a minimum (except for the odd occasion when I can't resist her smiles and giggles!).

I got 4 hours in a row sleep last night - so am feeling better about things today - and I managed to curl up with Hannah in our bed this afternoon for an hour (a very good day nap for her).

Thanks just for listening to me whinge!