4.5MO - new NW am I the prop - very confused?!

[Mum2Sam]

OK so thanks to the BW and all of your ideas, help and support on this wonderful site we were doing really well and what seems to me all of a sudden my DS has started waking at night. 

He is 4.5 months old and textbook baby on 4 hour easy - so E-7am, A-7.30 till 9am then sleep 9-11. Then repeat 11-3, then E-3pm, lesser activity (ie not as full on), general has a catnap at about 4:30/5 then another feed 5:30, bath at 6:30 bedtime bottle and in bed between 7-8pm.
Daytime naps now going well - still have to help briefly with hand on back/side to settle after 1st 45mins of sleep then sleeps for full two hours (usually).  He does use dummy but this hasn't been a problem so far - he uses to get to sleep then falls out and that's the end of it.  He has been sleeping through since around 12 weeks or so with no issues and has been going to sleep and re-settling by himself without issue.  At bedtime he needs a quick shh/pat/hand on back to get him to sleep but usually just goes to sleep on his own.

Anyhow he has started waking between 1:30 and 2:30 and I am not really sure why.  He isn;t hungry which was usually the issue if he did wake before.  I thought it may be dummy but last few nights he has gone off to sleep at naps and at night without using it so don't think it is that?
It seems that he needs my "hand" to rest on him to ease him back to sleep.

Don't think it's teeth as he settles back quite quick tho he is drooling and chewing on hands but no teeth yet.  Is it a routine thing - he is textbook and gives me really clear cues when he is ready to end activity time - so should I try to extend even if he is getting upset?  The only slight difference I can think of in routine is now he seems to be a lot more sleepy at his bedtime bottle - often falling asleep while drinking it - tho I am still making sure he is awake before I out him down?  He also sometimes seems to take more settling than usualy in his daytime naps recently.

So my questions are why is this happening (!!!), have I/shhpat become the prop and if so how on earth do I not become the prop.  Do I move his bedtime earlier maybe - is OT the issue?
He is bottle fed by the way and taking required amount of food in the day - he did have reflux but this is under control now.

[Mum2Sam]

Thanks for your reply - I don;t think it's food - like I say in the past when he woke I offered a bottle a few times in desperation and he guzzled it down.  But now I have offered a bottle a few times but he drank barely 10mls but did then go back down to sleep for rest of the night so I guess it's a comfort thing but he never has the bottle to fall asleep with even when he has one at night he is always awake when he goes into his cot   My concern is that I am the comfort (from shs/pat) and I am not sure how to break this when shspat is what we are meant to use to help them to self settle?

[Mum2Sam]

Great thanks will give it a go

[Mum2Sam]

Actually just read your post again and I am still confused as I don;t give him his bottle in his room, its in the lounge room where he has all his bottles and usually what happens is he has his bottle then sits in his chair for 15-30 mins before we go into his room for wind down (but what has been different recently is he is falling asleep in chair rather than staying awake as he used to do for 15-30 mins - thus why I was thinking to move bedtime to earlier tho worrying this will mean he wakes up earlier. He does usually just goes off to sleep by himself without any help from me at bedtime - which is why I am so confused on night waking in middle of night as he goes to sleep and also I have heard him self settle as well throughout the night just not sure why he has started waking again all of a sudden!