5 month old waking more often than a newborn ?!?

[Jokat]

From about a couple of months ago, dd2 (bottlefed by then) had a feed at about 11pm, went to sleep, then woke once or twice for a feed (settled back to sleep quickly) and was up properly by 7 or 8 am, not necessarily hungry straight away. For the last few weeks, she's gone to sleep at around 9:30pm (on a bottle), slept for about three hours(not brilliant but not too bad) before waking up, then woken up 4-6 times before waking up properly at around 6:30 or 7ish. The night just gone, she was asleep by 9:30(had about 2 ounces only), cried at 1am, drank 2 ounces, cried at 3:30ish, drank 3 ounces, cried at 4:40ish, I gave her some water and rocked and cuddled her back to sleep, cried at 5:30, drank about 4 ounces. Didn't go back to to sleep (this was unusually early for her to wake up properly) and is still awake now :(
When she wakes up, I don't put on any lights and don't normally say anything to her at all. I don't change her nappy unless it's brimming or she's done a poo (so only rarely). When she wakes, I'm never sure if she's hungry, has just got wind, her teeth are bugging her or she entered a light sleep phase, woke up and just can't self settle! I can hardly ever get her to bring up wind after a feed during the night, no matter how hard or long I try, even though she brings it up fairly easily during the day So I can't do controlled crying with her, since she does occasionally burp when she cries and I pick her up. I just don't know what to try to change her sleeping pattern, apart from giving her water instead of milk when she's had a feed within the last couple of hours. I wouldn't mind if she still needed two feeds between 10pm and 6ish, but waking up with only half to 2.5hours in between (after her initial 3-4 hour stint) seems rather excessive to me for her age
Can anyone relate to this and give advice? I'm shattered...

Four words: 4 month sleep regression.

It doesn't effect them all, and it can happen slightly early or slightly late, but it definitely happens and you know about it when it does. DD was great until she was 4mo and then all hell broke loose. I was still bf and I ended up co-sleeping because it was the only way I could guarantee a half decent night's sleep.

I'm afraid I have little advice on the bottle front, except to say that it's not necessarily hunger that's causing her to wake.

Unfortunately it's one of those things that happens and can last anything from a month to (in my case) about 6.

Sorry I can't be more helpful. I'm sure there'll be someone along later who is wiser!

It may or may not be hunger that's waking her up but why not use a process of elimination to find out? Start introducing a little supper into her routine and see if it helps. If it doesn't help, you've lost nothing.

I think it may just be one of those things I'm afraid. It's my understanding that sleep training (CC etc) isn't recommended before six months. She might be cold, or is there anything like a boiler that's regularly coming on and waking her up? Have you tried white noise?

Yes ! My newborn slept 9pm-3/4am Until 5/6 Mths. Then bloody hell what a shock! He was up every 3 hrs or so - started waking at 11pm/ midnight too.

I'm sure it is to do with them getting bigger tummies and like all things it will pass . I remember thinking baby rice would be the answer - it wasnt I'm afraid..

If it is any conciliation the said child came tottering through at 7.55am this morning so you will sleep again!!!

Thank you all very much for your advice so far! Leo I hadn't heard of that before, it's good to know that it's part of a normal development and not necessarily the result of me having done something wrong. Cogito it has crossed my mind that she might sleep better once we start weaning her. Dd2 will be six months on 5.1. so might wait another week or so and then get the baby porridge out. Flamegirl I'm not a fan of CC anyway, just wanted to preempt mums who might have suggested it. She's never cold when I check her, so I don't think that's the problem. Haven't tried white noise other than a shhh from me. She still sleeps in her basket right next to me, so any static from a radio etc would probably keep dh awake. I sometimes wonder if she occasionally wakes up from our hubby's snoring or from her arms banging against the basket, she's quite snug in it now. So can't wait til she's reached the six months mark so she can move into her cot! At the same time I'm dreading the thought of having to traipse back and forth umptien times a night, at least at the mo I only have to swing my legs out of bed and I can pick her up...

Raffiiscool What sad news reg. the baby rice! :( Yes I shall hang on to the thought that it'll pass :)

Has anyone ever put their dc on their front if you had the suspicion they have wind related tummy ache and wake up from it? I have been tempted to try it, after all we were all put down on our fronts as it was recommended when we were little, but I don't dare because of the current advice reg. cot death. Anyone done it anyway?

" I sometimes wonder if she occasionally wakes up from our hubby's snoring or from her arms banging against the basket, she's quite snug in it now. So can't wait til she's reached the six months mark so she can move into her cot! "

Why wait? Nothing magical happens when they turn six months. If she's cramped and if the noise in the bedroom is disturbing her, move to a cot in her own room now rather than wait.

Well. We moved dd2 into her cot last night and I slept on a mattrass in her room. She was asleep by 9pm after a decent feed. At 11pm she cried, I gave her some water and she went back to sleep. At midnight, cried again, gave her more water. Minutes after settling she cried again, I rocked her back to sleep. By 12:25 she was crying again so I gave her a bottle. She slept from 1:00 til about 3:20. Cried again, rocked her back to sleep. Cried again soon after 4am so I took her downstairs to make another bottle. By the time we were back in her room she was fast asleep. So I decided to put her down again but on her front. She slept until 7! So she lastet without a feed for just over 6 hours and I was so grateful for that final just under 3 hour stint. She has rolled back to front for about a month (did front to back as well initially but not these days ) so we will put her on her front again tonight once we go to bed and see if it was just a fluke or if she really sleeps better that way. Thank you for your help ladies.