mads, you probably will get shot down, just wait for it!
it is really hard to listen to your baby cry, but i am of the belief that if they are never given the chance to settle themselves, then how are they ever going to ever learn to settle themselves...? sure they will learn it eventually, but maybe not for a long long long time, like when they are 2 or something! (or you may get lucky and one night they have miraculously discovered how to do it) if you are patient then there is no problem. i don't believe in leaving your baby to cry so that they feel abandoned, but a bit of grizzling and protesting while they learn that 2-3 hourly feeds in the middle of the night are not on offer anymore isn't going to emotionally ruin them (just what i believe).

that is just my opinion and im not starting a debate on controlled crying as i don't completely advocate it, im just offering my opinion. i think every baby needs to be given the chance to learn to settle themselves if you are expecting them to settle themselves... IYKWIM.

my DD is 4 months and gets her last feed at 10.30pm, if she wakes in the night which she usually does around 3am, then i take her into bed with me until her next feed whenever we wake, usually between 6-8am. its not ideal as we don't sleep as well as we would if we were on our own, but at least she knows that night time is for sleeping not eating....

good luck... at 5 months i'd say it probably isn't a hunger issue (assuming she is getting loads of milk during the day) it may be more of a sleep association issue, ie she thinks the way she needs to go back to sleep is to have booby first... if thats all she has ever known. girls in my mothers group do things like read a story before being put down to bed, so it isn't booby then bed, if that makes sense.... so bubs doesn't associate booby with bed.

they are all so different and really what works for one isn't going to work for another... but if it were me i would definitely try to prolong feeding her in the middle of the night as 2-3 hourly sounds like what you would do for a newborn, not a 5 month old? does she go a long stretch at all without food? usually they will go one long stretch (Maybe 5 hours) and you can sort of help this happen when you want it to, ie in the middle of the night...

okay again will say this is just in my experience what i have learnt and im not saying this is gospel for all babies, just offering up what i have learnt in case there is something in there that works for you. good luck xx