How can I keep from waking baby while cosleeping?

[jrose_lee]

We have a lot of nightwakings around here, but not all of them are ds' idea! He wakes quite often to nurse, but I feel I could deal with these wakings if they were the only ones.

However, ds wakes whenever I move. I nurse him to sleep lying down and then we are asleep belly to belly. Then 30min-1.5 hours later I wake up in complete pain from lying still so long. My legs are aching and even my hips and belly. I try to ease onto my back and then....BAM, ds is up. Every time. And he's mad about being up because he's not hungry and sometimes won't even nurse back to sleep.

What can I do to stop me from waking him up? He's 5 months and likes to sleep on his belly. I've been wondering if I should nurse him, try to stay awake and then flip him onto his belly before lying a few inches away from him. Anyone think that would work?

Any other ideas?

Oh, and it is definitely only the cosleeping that makes me sore. We've been trying ds in the crib a bit to see if that helps (Didn't work much better...) and I am not ever sore when it's just me in the bed.

TIA!

[DangerMom]

I was going through the same thing a few months ago (my son is 9 months). I read somewhere here about rolling up a towel and putting that between you and your baby as you nurse her/him down. I adapted that to bunching up the blankets between us, just as if they were a rolled towel. It really, really helped. I nurse him until he's out, wait five minutes (I do watch the clock, I admit it), then pull out my nipple, count to 30, and roll away and off the bed. Sometimes I have to freeze standing there for a minute if his eyes open, but as long as I don't move or make eye contact, he'll go right back to sleep.

[chirp]

i remember when my ds was like this. He's 18 months now. We still nurse for 5 minutes to sleep, then he sleeps through the night. This just started about 2 weeks ago? And I hear tell of an 18 month old sleep regression, so things may get bad again.

part of me just wants to say to wait it out...he'll become a better sleeper with time.

but the other part of me is acknowledging that some kids take quite a long time to become better sleepers...and i remember that hip pain. oh lord do i remember it!!!! it's truly excruciating!! so i sympathize.

anyway...it was right around 5 months that I began rubbing his back and his belly, while still sitting up, if he woke after I got up from nursing him to sleep. Then I would try to leave again once he was asleep. or almost asleep.

This might be hard, because he's going to get angry, and possibly sad.
The first night I barely got away at all.
The second night I went back about 11 times.
The third night 5-6 times.
The fourth night I only went back once.

Then he started teething and wanted nursing all night again.

In short, I guess what I'm saying is that things will get better, and worse, and better, then worse again. You MUST and WILL find something that works for you, and he will adapt.

Babies are wonderful at adapting.

Has he just started needing you all night? Perhaps you're starting a habit for him that you can't fill?

Another thing you could try is putting a rocking or otherwise comfortable chair in the room...so that you don't have to lay down. You could start getting him used to being placed down to sleep.

I always side-lying nursed my ds...then once when we spent a long weekend out I was convinced that he wouldn't go down to sleep in the play pen my family had provided. But by the third night, (the night all the family was in town) I really didn't want to spend so much time in the room with baby, possibly falling asleep. So I sat in a chair, nursed him to sleep and placed him gently in the bed. IT WORKED!! And I Had never done it before. I was sure he was going to wake up!! I was astonished, and I believe he was about 8 months old.

So try different things. At five months my hips were still hurting from pregnancy, like yours are. Perhaps taking more walks during the day will strengthen them and help them get back *almost* where they were pre-pregnancy. This will help you sleep better at night too.

WOOO that was long winded...But I remember these days and feel your pain!! Hope some of this helps momma!!

[handsandfeet]

I actually do exactly what you suggested. When DS finishes nursing, I gently ease him onto his belly. If I stay right next to him for a few minutes he falls asleep enough that I can change position or get up and leave if it's not my bedtime yet. Even if he stirs a bit, when he's on his belly he's comfortable enough to go back to sleep quickly. I just started doing this about 2 weeks ago and it has made a huge difference -- he used to want to nurse every time he woke up and now we have some 3 hour stints! This is a great improvement for us!!

[mom2e]

you might want to try some white noise, like a fan. although i have the same problem & that didn't work for me. also, i moved a twin mattress to the floor of my room and am going to try laying on the floor next to the mattress as soon as dd falls asleep to see if being just a little further away and not on the same surface will help.

[Louisep]

[paulamc]

We have a white noise machine (rainfall) that helps with any noises that might wake him up. Also, many months ago (he's 12 months old) we switched to a king latex mattress on the floor. It's really comfortable, and moreover, the mattress stays put when I move, so he doesn't wake up just because I shift positions. That mattress is practically worth its weight in gold - mind you, he still wakes a lot, but not usually because I wake him.

[jrose_lee]

Originally Posted by paulamc

We have a white noise machine (rainfall) that helps with any noises that might wake him up. Also, many months ago (he's 12 months old) we switched to a king latex mattress on the floor. It's really comfortable, and moreover, the mattress stays put when I move, so he doesn't wake up just because I shift positions. That mattress is practically worth its weight in gold - mind you, he still wakes a lot, but not usually because I wake him.

We have white noise playing and we also have a natural latex mattress....although it's a Queen. I'm thinking about getting a twin and putting it next to it so he's on his own mattress and I can scoot off. As if we don't have enough room right now...lol..poor dh is on the couch.

[jrose_lee]

Originally Posted by handsandfeet

I actually do exactly what you suggested. When DS finishes nursing, I gently ease him onto his belly. If I stay right next to him for a few minutes he falls asleep enough that I can change position or get up and leave if it's not my bedtime yet. Even if he stirs a bit, when he's on his belly he's comfortable enough to go back to sleep quickly. I just started doing this about 2 weeks ago and it has made a huge difference -- he used to want to nurse every time he woke up and now we have some 3 hour stints! This is a great improvement for us!!

I think I'll definitely be trying this.