Thanks for all your replies and support. It is really nice of you all. I do feel very alone sometimes, having such a struggle with my feelings and the sleep deprivation. There's much to try and reply to, so I'll try my best.
(Just to clarify, when she wakes up 2/3 times, I'm not feeding her to get her back to sleep. I just wondered if some of you think I am feeding her, going by your posts.)
With offering a feed if the third waking it is quite a few hours after the bedtime feed, then, yes, I'll consider feeding her. But I only haven't done that for a while because she can go a good 9 hours without a feed overnight generally so I am loathed to go backwards if you know what I mean?
I have been to the GP re how I feel as I have a history of depression. I have begun counselling (only allowed 8 sessions through the GP which is free - I can't afford private) to combat my anxiety issues re parenthood, and have also got some antidepressants (Sertraline) which I have to admit, I haven't started taking yet as it has been something I have tried to avoid as I'm breastfeeding. I've got a step closer to using them though by actually getting the prescription. But I am fighting the urge to give in to them as I have come this far without giving in...I won't do anything silly but I do struggle with low mood/anxiety/depression. Thanks for the pointer to the post natal depression board, I'll try and find that.
Tonight, I tried to do the bedtime 15 minutes earlier. So, I took her up at 7.30pm and was feeding at 7.45pm. Totally down by 8.15pm although asleep really on my shoulder before that.
Mainly I do get longer activity times out of her, 2.5/2.75 hours usually but I'll try and get her to 3 hours and see if that helps. Yes, I will try and keep on working on that as I get what you are saying about her maybe getting tired enough to sleep longer than a sleep cycle. Should I be concerned about trying to strike the right balance and not make her OT though in A time?
With regards to the paci, I only use it if I can't get her to go back to sleep on her own in the middle of the night. For instance, she falls asleep on the bottle at bedtime, so no need for the paci. However, after those odd wake ups in the night, I sometimes have to use the paci but it is hard to tell if I'm have to replug it. If she wakes and I use the paci one time, when she next wakes, she often doesn't have the paci in her mouth so either it has fallen out and that's woken her, or it popped out ages ago and she's woken for another reason.
I've given her Teether gel tonight as I notice on it that it says apply every 6 hours, so that seems to imply that it has a longer lasting effect than granules which they suggest can be applied every 2 hours, so see if that helps as well.
I have tried the earlier bedtime tonight as I say too so I'm trying to get there on ruling out the OT.
I'll see how it goes tonight.