Is this the answer?

So sleeping has been a bit of an issue - yes yes I didn't think I'd get much with a newborn I'm not THAT stupid. Still 4 hours total of broken sleep every night for 4 weeks is enough to drive anyone crazy. Yesterday I was definitely at the end of my tether. Speaking to a health visitor on the phone (I think you have to sound like you might endanger your baby before they actually bother to see you face to face) made everything seem a million times worse. After a long walk in the park involving ERM screaming a lot and me hiding behind my hair and sun glasses pretending I wasn't sobbing I decided to give swaddling a try. The health visitor had mentioned it and although there's conflicting advice about it I was willing to try anything. Past advice suggested that swaddling reduced the chance of SIDS but current advice suggest that it increases the chance of SIDS due to overheating. Anyhew I tried swaddling in a blanket which worked for a wee while but the blanket was too small and she eventually wriggled it off (ERM is super-wriggly). I didn't have any bigger blankets that I was happy to try since everything else is very warm. After much more crying (for both of us) I asked MrT to try to get a swaddling blanket on his way home from work (not finishing shift until 10pm). Well thank God for 24h Tesco!

So far the swaddling works. MrT got home about 10:30 and we popped her in the blanket. He then sent me to bed and I got a full 5 hours uninterrupted sleep!!!!! I got up when I heard her cry for her middle of the night feed and swapped with MrT who went to bed. She slept quite happily with only a couple of interruptions. I slept on the futon next to her Moses basket (in the spare room in an attempt to let each of us get some sleep). She's now on her 2nd nap of the day in her basket all swaddled up. Even when she wakes up she either gets herself back to sleep or just needs a hand on her chest to remind her that she's not been abandoned works.

Previously she couldn't get to sleep and we couldn't convince her either so she was staying awake for up to 6 hours and getting super tired and upset (she shouldn't really be up for more than 2-3 hours at a time at the moment). Now when she starts yawning we can swaddle her up and rock her to sleep.

Having both of my hands back while she's asleep means I've managed to write all of the thank you cards (over 30!) and get them addressed etc. I've also managed to eat both breakfast and lunch and hopefully dinner will happen too today - this is more exciting than you can know. I might even go crazy and jump in the shower!!!

Just to prove how cute she is again here she is in her blanket: