What's going on? Baby will not stay asleep tonight

[WatermelonsDownByTheBay]

My baby is 5 months. We went through an awful sleep regression from 3 months - just before he turned 5 months. Since then, he's been sleeping okay. Waking maybe twice a night, sometimes self settling back to sleep.
Tonight we put him down at 8pm and since then he has woken around 7 or 8 times crying. He barely cries when he wakes up, so we're really confused as to whats wrong.
He doesnt feel too hot or cold. He's been fed, twice now just in case he needed more. (Bf) We've given him calpol in case he's teething. As soon as we pick him up he falls straight back to sleep.
We dont know what else to do?
Normally he'd sleep at least 3 hours at first. What do we do? Help 😢

My boy was 5 months on the dot, Christmas eve 2023 when it all went to shit with his sleep 😆 for him it was learning to roll, he did it 11 times one night and cried because he couldnt turn back, then it was because be enjoyed being held and would wake when we out him down etc etc. Then teeth, then this then that.

My only advice is to not do what we did which was to essentially cosleep by having our bed up against his big cot bed and now he's two and one of us is still in there with him as if he wakes he cries for someone and its easier to just be there. We should have nipped it in the bud when he was younger but there was always a reason not to or we were hoping he'd just sleep better at 6 months ... then 12 months.... then 18 months and so on. Maybe a pat to sleep instead of picking up can help so your son is still being attended to but not falling asleep held.

Thank you for your reply @Imisscoffee2021 it sounds like you're well and truly traumatised by bad sleep too. 😔 He's awake again, so I'm feeding him again. I honestly have absolutely no idea what's going on tonight and I'm terrified this is going to be our nights from now on. The last sleep regression has given me such anxiety, my mental health was awful.
Unfortunately just trying to settle him in the cot won't work. He's so upset when he wakes up, I'm worried something is bothering him. But I have no idea what.

Can you try Calpol. I found my kids woke with sore ears from teething when lying down but pain eased when up straight. Worth a try

@Beyondbeliefsometimes thank you, I'd given him calpol a bit earlier to your reply. He finally managed a stretch of sleep between midnight and 4am. But it's been up and down since. I've barely had any rest and am so exhausted and emotional 😢 I don't know how I can manage running on so little reserves anymore

It's truly torturous and extra hard for you as you're BF, my son could never latch due to a severe tongue tie even after it was corrected so was on a bottle, which meant my husband and I took turns on doing the nights, still do two years later!

It really is a hard time but hopefully your boy is just in another regression, teeth hurt them so much when they come in, and it does pass.

@Imisscoffee2021 Yes it really is. I've just been sat in the garden crying while dh looks after baby. 😔 I'm struggling so much with the lack of sleep now, I don't know how people do it. My baby doesnt take a bottle, so we cant share any feeds. Doesn't help that he's in the shrieking stage either as when you're tired it's not a very welcome noise!
We were hoping to start trying to settle him in the cot for sleeps as opposed to rocking him first, but we may have to wait it out if sleep has turned a bad corner again?
Sorry, don't mean to complain on here. I'm just having a rough time.

Ah it's just so hard to know what to do for best. And don't worry about venting that's what this is for. With my son he had such bad reflux due to cmpa so we held and rocked him to sleep til 10 months and I just couldn't do it any longer, he was so big and heavy and then when he woke he needed the same routine to put him down so we ended up holding him most of the night. We'd split the night in those early days so we would each get a 4 hour stretch, it was that bad 4 hours felt like luxury.

His sleep became better when we pushed through and lay him to sleep in his cot, lots of tears at first but kept lying him down and saying night night lie down etc , on repeat, and he got it. But with our son he has a congestion issue were having investigated so his blocked nose wakes him up now, which is seperate to the other sleep issues we had.

I ended up following safe cosleeping advice and doing that as it was truly torture to be up all night holding him, made easier when we joined his cot bed to our small double in his room so it was just like a huge next to me style thing where we could reach out and shush rather than having to get up and out of bed and hold him.

I don't know what to suggest to make it easier for you atm as you're BF except that you nap when the baby naps and try and get sleep when your husband is up and around, between the baby needing fed. When he starts weaning it'll be easier to go longer stretches between breastfeeding, that's right around the corner.

It is a bit of thief of time having to nap when they nap etc, maternity leave doesnt look how you imagined as you're so sleep deprived everything seems yo be happening through a sort of veil over your eyes and you sleepwalk through life a little but it passes and the main thing to achieve from these hard months is a healthy you and healthy baby on the other side, and sounds like you're doing an amazing job. My son contact napped for ten months so I got nothing done, sat in a dark room so much on my maternity leave but it's ancient history now I'm having fun with my toddler :)

@Imisscoffee2021 Thank you, it's harder when they get heavy too. My LO is getting too heavy for me to rock now. I'd love to sleep when he sleeps, but I cant switch off. He's gone down for his first nap and woke after 50mins, down again, woke after 3. I dont know what's happening with his sleep at all. I'm so worried this is it for us now until he's older, I'm struggling to cope as it is. 😔 He did 2 hours yesterday morning and now this, it's so all over the place.