My son never sleeps on his own. He's 5 months old and likes me to do the "hele" always. But he's getting bigger and heavier. How can I make him fall asleep without it? (We don't use bottles and sometimes, direct latch doesnt make him fall asleep)

Maybe because your son was used to the "hele" since birth. If so, it will be a hard practice to break. We never did the "hele" to both our boys (2 and 5). At 3 mos old they already slept through the night and rarely woke up at dawn. My sister has the same problem as yours, though. And she's trying different ways to get her baby boy to sleep fast without the hele. So far, situation is getting better. One way is giving him some light exercises at night to tire him to sleep. Another way is to practice nightly routines signaling baby that bedtime is coming soon (leg massage and bedtime stories). A third way is to caress and lightly brush baby's hair and extremities with her fingers.

Look for other ways to soothe your baby without you exerting so much effort. It's also important to find a new soothing routine that you know you can sustain. Kasi if develops as a habit, mahihirapan ka ulit and then you'll find another way again. Try tapping. Some babies like it harder while some like it softer. Some babies love taps in sync with the beat of the heart. My sister discovered it effective for my baby when he was only a newborn, and she said maybe it's because he's used to hearing my heartbeat and it makes him calm.