Can't see the wood for the trees as I'm so bloody knackered

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My 6-and-a-bit month old DS' sleep could be worse, but then it could be a whole lot better. I am struggling to cope on the little sleep I'm getting and fdeel motivated to Do Something About It, but don't want to wreck the good that we do have.

Last night DS woke at 11.20pm, 2am, 4am and 7am, up for the day. As I have always done, I BF him when he woke up and he usually pretty much goes back to sleep. He's also good about bedtime, usually down fairly painlessly by 6.30pm, and naps well in his cot. So lots of good stuff there, but the nights are killing me. Last night I got 5 1/2 hours sleep in three chunks.

Early nights never ever work as he seems to sense it and will wake about 30 mins after I've gone to sleep and have a worse night than usual, so I don't bother any more. We have a 7 yo DD and my skids live with us so a fair houseful and lots going on. He's in his own room which is where he is staying as I've tried co-sleeping and find it unbearably claustrophobic.

My q really is it worth trying to phase out night feeds or in some other way improve our nights? Today I'm so shattered that I'm feeling immune to DS' considerable charms, I just haven't got the energy or inclination to play with him. I'm fed up with the whole thing.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom? At this rate it will be cc once the summer holidays start - it worked for DD but I've been reluctant with DS as I understand more now about it being their developmental stage that drives night waking.

what does cc stand for?
i know that with my two boys the thing that got both of them sleeping through the night, and fairly quickly, was introducing the dream feed. ie: waking them up at 10.30, giving them a really good feed, then back down going to bed myself. in a matter of less than a week their night wake-ups got later and later til it was about 7am. i know they're all different, but could be worth a go?

Not being funny, but if you're only getting 5.5hrs with that wake up pattern, and he's going to bed easily after a feed, then you must be going to bed quite late.
'Early nights don't work' is just bull - have a whole week of them and you'll feel better for it. Get yourself to bed by 9pm.

Thanks. He often feeds around 10.30, which is one reason early nights don't work - I'd like to wait til DD is in bed, then by the time I'm asleep I'll have had an hour at the most before DS is awake again and then I find it tough to get back to sleep. I'd rather wait til 11pm to go to bed in the first place. I think 'bull' is unkind, tbh, I'm not impressed with that. I don't think I've ever replied to anyone else in that tone.

I talk straight, not unkind, so sorry you read it that way.
If you'd gone to bed at 9 last night then you'd have managed 2hrs and 20mins before he woke - that's not to be sniffed at. That's why I said to have a whole week of early nights, because at this age baby's sleep is rarely predictable, so some nights you'll benefit and some you may not.

Try feeding him before he wakes at 10:30 make it the 'dream feed' then he may actually start to go through a little longer.