Scrappy,

I'm soooooooo hearing you right now! I was exactly the same with Jessica for the first 6 months of her life. I was even prescribed PND medication because I was soooo bone tired that the mere mention of the word 'sleep' welled tears in my eyes.

You are definitely NOT alone and the thing you really have to focus on is that there IS light at the end of the tunnel & she WILL learn to sleep and STAY asleep, but all in her own good time.

Jessica was a screamer too and I actually lost a few friends because I wouldn't accept dinner invitations and never invited people over because once she started screaming, she didn't stop, sometime for hours on end. I saw that as a reflection of my parenting skills and thought people would be saying things behind my back about her constant crying.

In saying all that, Jessica is now 19 months old and PERFECT at bedtimes and sleeping through the night. Do whatever you can to get her to sleep and if you have to hold her to keep her asleep, then do it. I sought some advice for Jessica and I was told that you can't mould sleeping patterns properly until they are 6 months old and have some form of memory and comprehension.

Hang in there Matey.

Jayne