5 month old sleep is a disaster!

[booboolu]

I'm starting to get desperate with dd2's sleep. She is only 5 months, so I know still tiny but her whole sleep routine just seems so messed up and gets better not worse and I have no idea how to fix it.
She is breast fed and will not take a bottle we currently co sleep lately she will not even settle for naps if I am not there. When she naps I have to stay for up to 40 mins to settle her she then usually wakes up minutes after I've left any way.
At night she wakes every three hours still and feeds back to sleep each time. She did used to go for much longer but hasnt for weeks and weeks. This I could just about cope with (although not ideal) but the evenings are killing me. No matter what time I put her down (8 o'clock 10 o'clock whatever) she takes hours to settle often being rocked and cuddled the whole time. I have literally no life. No tiny bit of time to myself. If she happens to drop off earlyish (rarer and rarer these days) I darent move out the bed as I know she will wake when I do.
We do have a cot for her but she wqs supposed to be sharing with dd1 so no idea how to get her in it without being stuck with the two of them awake.
Please help!?

Hello...my son is six months and I feel the same as you!!! I am really hating the co sleeping now as it's making my back/shoulders painful but he won't settle in his cot :o( I can't leave him to cry I think it's cruel on all involved and have a two year old that needs to sleep too!!! So hard I'm hoping someone will offer some advice soon....

At 5 months, you're right, she is tiny, she finds comfort in being close to you. It won't be forever but it is a common age for sleep regression.

Firstly, is she teething? Try calpol 30 min before bedtime. Does she settle better. Suckling could be soothing her gums.

How much is your OH involved? Can he do bath, changed for bed, stories to give you a break? You have to tell him you need 30 minutes, regardless of what happens.

Read No Cry Sleep Solution. Very good suggestions.

Finally. Move furniture our of your room to make way for the cot. This was the best piece of advice I had. I pushed cot up to side of bed and dropped side down, moved bedside cabinet out. We part co slept, so I would transfer her when she was in a deep sleep.

I have to say every 3 hours to feed is normal to me at this age.

I hope you get some sleep soon

Hi op

Not much in the way of advice but just a note to say I could have written your post myself! In EXACTLY the same boat at the moment and going mad. Won't take a bottle, 5 m, hours to settle and won't be away from me! He never used to be like this, so strange. Have a (with dc in your arms of course) take a deep breath and remember that you are not alone and this will not last forever.

Thanks to all who replied. It's nice to know there are others in the same boat, all my friends who have babies seem to have the "slept through from 6 weeks" kind and I waa starting to think maybe it was just me!
I will ask dh to give me 30 mins a day to myself and just keep reminding myself that this too shall pass - and when it does I might even miss the cuddles!