DS 5 months waking every 2 hours should I feed each time? would bottle of formula at night help?

[waterrat]

DS was sleeping v well - going from 8/9pm through to 4 feeding then back down. Then it all went back to newborn type sleep! He goes to bed about 8/830 - wakes at 11.30 (I hve never purposefully done dream feed so this is a new waking time) - 1.30/3.30/ 530 - then awake until 7am before falling asleep for another 2 hours! I am destroyed with tiredness.

I have been co sleeping and feeding back to sleep each time, so I know that option. It is not working for me, some of the feeds are very short, co sleeping doesn't help me sleep - he is in a co sleeper cot anyway so I would rather he was in that.

I know the advice on mumsnet tends to veer towards 'co sleep/ feed on demand' but I would like to hear other ideas - introducing a bottle of formula? getting DP to settle him back for some of the wakings? maybe half of them and see if I could at least get a 4 hour gap?

Have you seen the .....thread? There's loads of us out there! I have the same problem, though my DS was never a great sleeper to start with. I do wonder how hungry he really is when he's being fed every 1/2 hrs during the day and now about every 2 hrs during the night as well. But then I worry if I don't feed him he won't stop crying and definitely won't go back to sleep. I have so far resisted the bottle of formula or baby rice before bed but would also be interested to know if anyone's tried that route with success. Have had about 3 weeks of this now and feel like crap, it can't go on.

My dd did exactly the same as yours. She was sleeping fabulously then hit 4 month sleep regression and at 5 months was waking every 2 hours (if I was lucky). It didn't help that she cut her first tooth at the same time. However, she is now 5.5 months and starting to sleep 3-4 hours between feeds. It's not consistant but it is improving.

I was just about to type that I always fed her but thinking about it in reality I generally tried settling her without feeding first unless I knew it had been a reasonable time since her last feed. I found that often she was looking for reassurance and comfort to help her through the teething and developmental changes so would sometimes just want a cuddle and would settle without eating. If she didn't do so pretty quickly though or started crying I would always feed.

How long since she started waking up like that? Could it have been a growth spurt leading to genuine hunger waking which has now crystallised into habit?

Cydonia - yes reading that thread with interest . Will join you over there ... I just can't face months more of this ... Really want to look at some practical ways to deal with it if I can

I'm worried that as dylis says I've turned a temporary hunger into ingrained habit ... It's so hard with breast feeding because feeding is always there as the quickest option

Thanks hearmyroar it's good to hear it improves without much tinkering - like you I always feed pretty quickly ... I've always done that in the night and from newborn onwards it did improve so I wonder if it will again

I just get nervous when I hear about 8 /10 month olds still waking every 2 hours !

waterrat, one of my 5 months dts is just like yours . Except he's never done a good stretch of sleep... His brother was sleeping through but has regressed. I've started weaning . No difference unsurprisingly

Last night, my just turned 2 yr old was up too, so between my three there were 8 night wakenings. I too can't carry on like this so will watch your thread with interest while sobbing with fatigue

i feel your pain and my DC are past night feeds.
Know its not the done thing but I did give my DC4 a bottle last thing , and BF if he woke up in night, which he did less and less