Hi All!

I started out determined to be a responsive, gentle parent, to help Hannah adjust to the world as gently as possible. I have read so many books and articles (including Pinky's 100 ways to calm the crying) on how best to approach my daughter's first few months of life. I wore her around in my hug a bub for many hours each day when she was really small, she sleeps right beside me in her cot, I breastfeed her on demand, rock/pat/feed her to sleep when she needs it etc. etc.

The thing is, however, that at nearly 5 months of age (on the 21st of this month) Hannah's sleeping is really driving me nuts. She wakes between every 1-2 hours all night long most nights. Occasionally I'll get a 4 hour-in-a-row sleep - but that's not often. When she wakes, I try to figure out what it is that she wants - just in case it's something other than a bf - but more often than not, feeding her seems to be what she's after. So I feed her.

When I explain this to people I am often told "you're making a rod for your own back" - a phrase I hate. Nevertheless, I am left wondering if I'm doing the right thing.

Perhaps Hannah's sleeping isn't a problem for her (though I am not convinced that a baby so young needs so little sleep) - in any event, it is a huge problem for me. To the extent that I don't feel I can be completely responsive to her needs when I'm such a zombie myself. I understand that babies wake in the night, and if it were just 2 or 3 times a night, I wouldn't mind, but I am getting hardly any sleep at all. Sleep deprivation does some pretty nasty things to the mind and body! I have even resorted to trying things like starting solids at 4 months (which I only did for 3 days – she clearly didn’t need it for nutritional reasons and I felt guilty doing it merely in a desperate attempt to get her to sleep). I have, on occasion had to let her cry because I haven’t been in the right state of mind to pick her up. I am booked into Riverton sleep school for the 31st of this month. None of those things I imagined I would ever do – but I have to do something!

I know there aren't any easy answers. But I was wondering what other parents with similar parenting philosophies would do in this situation? How can I maintain some sanity, get some sleep, and be a gentle mum? I have posted about Hannah’s sleeping elsewhere on BB, but I am really ultimately wanting to follow a gentle parenting path, and would prefer a gentle solution (if one exists). I don’t care if she doesn’t sleep through the night – but I do need some sleep iykwim!!!

P.S we have been to a couple of doctors to exclude any physical/medical reasons for her wakefulness.