Hi Katy, I'm sorry that you're having troubles. I had the same struggles when my DD was about that age. I had zero confidence in my abilities as a mother. I loved her so much, but it seemed that all I did was make her cry when it came to sleep time. I discovered months later that I too was battling PPD and her sleep was all that I could think about. How my day was depended on how much slepp DD got. I started doing some breathing exercises when I would get worked up and it seemed to help. It still all kind of a messy blur, but we did get through it and she did learn to fall asleep on her own. Its seems to me that I would do the wind down, then hold her and bounce her in my arms ( I know Tracy says not to do this
)unitl she was nearly asleep, then gently lay her down and pat her and shhh until she fell asleep. Often she would wake up after a jolt and I would start patting and shhhing again. Some days this would go on for an hour or more. Then I would just get her up and try again in a while. On the really bad days, I would just rock her. I figured that her getting some sleep was better than none, regardless of how it was done. . As time went on (I seriously think it took about a month), I could eventually skip the bouncing at the beginning and lay her down more and more awake. I'm sorry I can't remember the exact steps, I'm sure the mods can help you more. I just wanted to let you know that it does get easier once they get the hang of it.
Jessica
