I'm broken....

[Bananice]

DS is six months old. He has never slept through the night but has self settled and gone down awake in the cot very easily with no tears since he was about 10 weeks old. His sleep got disrupted at 4 months but he has settled back into a pattern of down at 6:30/7, one quick feed at some point in the night (any time between 1 and 5) then up for the day at 7. Until now!!! He was teething last week so woke up a few more times, which was understandable. But now he seems to be waking up screaming at least four times a night and the only thing that will settle him is a feed (bf). We are comfortable with him grizzling it out and have done this in the past and he has settled again v quickly and easily. However this is full blown screaming and leaving him is not an option. Help - how do we get him back to one wake up a night? If I feed him each time he wakes at the moment, am I undoing all his self settling skills??

Is he teething?
Have you ruled out things like a virus, growth spurt, too hot/cold.

He is only tiny still, bf back to sleep and ride out the next few nights. I co-slept with my babies off and in for the 1st year, might you get more sleep that way?

He isn't teething anymore and he definitely isn't ill: I have taken him to the doctor and there isn't anything wrong (apart from a lack of desire to sleep!). To be honest, I think I am too exhausted to co-sleep: I'm worried I would sleep too deeply as I am so tired....

Safe, planned co sleeping is safer than being so tired you fall asleep sat on the sofa or feeding etc. I know it is not for everyone but sometimes it is the only way. I say this with 5 month old DD tucked under my arm with my boob in her mouth. Since about 4 months old this is the only way we get any sleep at all.

Otherwise try to catch up in the daytime and try not to worry about bad habits forming, just ride it out.

Honestly sounds like teeth to me - even if you can't 'see' anything they can be shifting around under the surface. Co sleeping has been my saviour over the last 6 years - 3 children none of whom even remotely slept through til they were 2 and are still not big on sleep. Pre kids I was a 12 hours a night girl where possible so it's amazing how your body does adapt. Hope this phase passes quickly for you though.