Not coping with broken sleep

I know there are a heap of threads on this topic so apologies before I begin

Katerina has never regularly slept more than 5 hours at a time, ever. Although we do occasionally get 5-hour stretches, it's still not common - usually she doesn't sleep more than 4 hours at a stretch at night.

Until about a week ago, she would go down to bed around 7 - 7:30pm, would wake up sometime between 11pm and midnight (and would feed) and at about 4am (another feed) and up for the day between 6am and 6:30am.

This past week she's waking more frequently tho - around 3 hourly, last night was two hourly. I tried just giving her the dummy, and it would keep her quiet for maybe 20 minutes and then she'd be back up calling for food. She's not "losing" the dummy so much as taking it out and yelling / crying.

She settles really well when we put her down for the night, and after a feed... but I'm really not coping well with the broken sleep, specially as I'm meant to be studying and the broken sleep greatly effects my brain power. My first exam is Wednesday next week, I have 4 novels to read in preparation for it, and I'm seriously freaking out that I'm not going to make it.

I'm not actually sure what to do about it to be honest. She's 7 months, on two meals of solids a day (which she loves), still BF'ing around 4-hourly and that's going well too. Her day sleeps are good, usually about 1.5 hours, and she wakes happy from those so I don't think she's overtired in general.

I know heaps of people have babies older than her that are still waking heaps, but I'm just not coping. Zamara was sleeping through at this age (12 - 13 hours) and although I realise babies are different (my two definitely are!) I still can't help feeling it's something I'm doing / not doing that's causing this.

Broken sleep is one of the hardest things about being a mum (IMO) - it makes everything else 10 times harder.

I second what little Bug said - try adding a third meal. I moved Sophie onto 3 meals a day much quicker than i did with Amy and she seems really happy with it - especially as she is eating at the same time as her big sister which she thinks is cool!

is she perhaps too hot/cold. the temperatures have changed a bit lately... or a growth spurt... or teeth. i know eden has just had a couple of those come out and if they are bothering her it could be it.

so that probably didnt help at all. and other that going to bed as soon as she does at 7.30 and getting in some extra sleep there i really dont have anything.

i can emphasise tho as toby was never a good sleeper and even now at 3 doesnt always sleep thru.