Is this a 4 month sleep regression??

[EmW1987]

Hi all,
My dd is 12 weeks today and for the last few days has been waking every hour and half. We were previously having at least one 5/6hour stretch each night until the past week.
I was swaddling her but it seems as though she no longer wants to be swaddled.
I put her in her cot drowsy and she tends to go to sleep okay (dummy in) however will then continue to wake every hour to hour and half through the night. When she wakes it's often a case of putting the dummy back in, a hand on her chest and pressing Ewan the dream sheep and she'll go back to sleep - albeit a light sleep. The process then continues. She's also started wanting to feed more, I've ended up doing 2 feeds during the night (in addition to the one just before we put her down for sleep) so last night she fed at 9:30, 2, 5 and when she woke at 7:30. She never used to feed that much at night and I'm torn between whether it's just a comfort feed - she does take some but not sure if she actually needs it?
What confuses me is that if I pick her up, like I've ended up doing this morning at 7:30 she'll fall asleep on me in a deep sleep and won't need her dummy at all. She'll have her best sleep on me. Would this happen if it was the sleep regression?
I'd be really interested to hear anyone's suggestions, my husband works long hours in London and I'm not sure how long we can cope with being up every hour or so (we've been taking it in turns to do shifts in the spare room) but I'm a terrible sleeper so it takes me a good half hour after I've got her to sleep for me the fall asleep - by which point I've then got half hour to sleep myself if I'm lucky.

[FATEdestiny]

Have you tried significantly increasing the frequency and volume of daytime feeds?

I'm not talking half-heartedly, but focused concentration on calorie loading during the day. Calorific need significantly increases at this age and can lead to light sleeping and night hunger.

You dont get more calories into baby by just bigger feeds, its ususlly more frequent feeds so that there are more feeds per day. I'd do at least 2 hourly daytime full feeds, more frequently if needed.

Her deeper sleep when on you is because she feels more safe, secure, comforted in your arms. Your rhythmic breathing and heartbeat also lull baby more easily from one sleep cycle into the next. It would be recreated to some degree with a swaddle and white noise, if she allowed it. How about a tightly tucked in sheet if not?

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

Two feeds overnight isn't a lot for a BF baby. They often go through phases of needing more feeds and then less feeds, particularly if they need to build supply for a growth spurt. I'd feed as much as possible during the day, particularly in the evening, and then go with the phase of night feeds for now.

[EmW1987]

Thanks both.
@FATEdestiny we've always had quite regular feeds - probably on average every 2 hours during the day, I've never really been able to make it last longer so I guess I need to up that but still make sure she takes a proper feed each time.
We had Ewan the dream sheep which plays white noise in a 20min cycle before stopping but maybe we need to look at something that plays continuously throughout the night so if she stirs so that she hears it whenever she wakes up.
Does it sound like a sleep regression?

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

It could be but it could just be her next phase (growth spurt, developmental leap, coming out of fourth trimester).

My advice would be just go with it and try not to worry or question it. Easier said than done but I found my DD an awful lot easier when I just went with whatever phase she was in and tried not to 'solve' every issue.