My 7.5 month old slept very well at night until about 6 weeks ago, she has always been a catnapper. At this stage she started waking once/twice per night, would settle very quickly after a breastfeed each time. A month ago we travelled to stay with my family for 3 weeks while my husband was working in Asia. She was quite unsettled in her travel cot, but would sleep there for a few hours, wake at about 2-3am and settle in bed with me after a feed, wake at about 8am which was also fine. However for the past week or so (we have been home 2 weeks) she will not settle in her cot at all.
Her bedtime routine starts at about 1915-bath, pjs, story and feed in sleeping bag, then into cot by 1945. Previously she would wake after 45minutes, settle quickly after shushing/cuddle and sleep for the night. Now however she's wakes every 20minutes or so until about 1am when I generally give up and bring her to bed with me. Then she wakes every 2 hours or so, to check I'm still beside her. She's gone from no overnight feeds at 5 months to at least 3 now. I've been careful to put her into cot awake for the past month, and sit nearby while she drifts off, but this is making no difference at all to her repeated night wakings. I'm quite happy to co-sleep later in the evening, but I cannot go to bed at 8 o'clock for the foreseeable future! We always get up for the day at 8am.
With regards to day sleep, she has 3 pretty predictable 45minute naps. I've tried all the tricks in the Pantley book to extend them to no avail. She is very happy in between the naps, and will nap anywhere however- even falls asleep on her playmat if we haven't put her into her pram first so I don't mind this especially- I think this is just her pattern. However I'm desperate to just have a few hours in the evening to myself. Is this just separation anxiety? Does anyone have any advice beyond my mothers statement that breastfeeding is a major problem?! She won't drink an expressed bottle or formula so leaving her for a night isn't an option at the moment.