Breastfeeding and sleeping..how do you do it?

[shinaabikwe]

I'm a first time mama and my LO is 6 weeks old and I still haven't figured out how to stay laying down and feed her successfully and comfortably!

Usually she eats while I am sitting up using a MyBrestFriend pillow.
I have tried a couple of times to feed her laying down but we struggle with maintaining a good latch and it frustrates her and hurts my nipple so I end up sitting up and throwing on the pillow.

I know I need to figure this out soon because I will be returning to work and will need all the rest (and she will need all the night nursing) that I can get.

Any suggestions? TIA

[JayJay]

Okay - I do it two ways - and I am a D cup (I think boob size does matter when you're thinking of a new nursing position, so this is to help you compare

I either prop her on her side in a sleep positioner, and I lay on my side, facing her, and then I put the boob out and line us both up so that she's at the right place. Then Imove the nipple into her mouth, she latches on, and hey presto. Just have to make sure that neither of you are pulling away from the other, otherwise she won't get a proper, comfortable mouthful and you'll get that latch problem. I do this, one sided, all night long actually - I work at home in the daytime and also cannot be a zombie!

Then in the morning, about 8.30am or so, I lift her out of the sleep positioner and we have a go at "other booby" - this time, I let her rest her head on the inside of my right elbow, she lays on her side, I lay on mine and similarly, that way, the right boob goes in the mouth nice and easily and we have a lovely morning feeding laying comfortably in each other's arms (awwwww! ) and then she'll go back to sleep for a couple of hours at least.

Depending on your boob size, and your body shape, this might vary for you, but this is how we've managed to do it. Really I've been doing this since she was first born, even in the hospital. I do remember at first we kind of had to figure the position out, but soon enough we got things straight and it's been going well ever since!

Good luck - you can do it! XXX

[hildare]

It took us a while.. my dd couldn't get the hang of side lying nursing until she was 3 months or so. We practiced lots during the day for a while until it began working. (we used the breast friend pillow too, and a rocking chair, when she'd wake up during the night). It's so nice not to have to get up now

[isabchi]

First get yourself confortable. Set the pillows for yourself, then you move the baby close to you.When the babay lactch at the breast and both of you are relax, you may try, if you like to set a small pillow behind your little one back, so the baby still in position.
Be aware, that when do you carry the baby close to you, you may try not push her from the back of the head. Try to support her back and neck, with you palm over the herneck and you under arm in paralell with her spine. The you can set a pillows instead of you arm for support her. So,her chin don't felt on her chest, her neck need to be free,so she can swallow with easy. You can watch her position looking at her head, neck and spine must be aligned.
B

[marcib28]

Originally Posted by isabchi

The you can set a pillows instead of you arm for support her. So,her chin don't felt on her chest, her neck need to be free,so she can swallow with easy. You can watch her position looking at her head, neck and spine must be aligned.
B

If the babe's head, neck, and spine are aligned, how do you get a good latch? Doesn't her head need to be tilted a little so her nose isn't touching the breast?
Also, do you mamas keep babe on one side all night? I'm finding it very frustrating just trying to get re-situated when switching babe from one side to the other.
Sorry-trying to figure this out too

[zinemama]

I lay with him in the crook of my arm, his neck resting on my arm.

[GoGoGirl]

The photos on this website really helped me figure it out.

[Mirrormonkey]

I am a DD cup and find it is easiest to offer the top boob for laying down nursing, it falls to the perfect spot for me to latch him on and fall back to sleep without any worry.

[MiaMama]

If my daughter's head was not tilted back enough to allow her room to breathe through her nose, I pulled her feet down towards my feet, and scooted her butt closer in to my belly. This usually got her to tilt her head back enough to help her latch on better.

[buttercups.nest]

Just keep trying....when my babe was little he didn't like nursing lying down either...just kept trying and eventually he got it. I'm not sure if it was just figuring it out, or the spray (I had oversupply) but whatever was buggin him isn't anymore

[Lineymom]

I keep my bottom arm under my pillow under my head. She lays on her side facing me. Sometimes she will have to be pushed up a little so her nose isn't covered. The "bottom" boob gets nursed (I am like a C/D while nursing). She nurses and unlatches at some point. When I feel her fidgeting again at whatever point in the night, I roll her onto my belly and we roll to the other side together. Sometimes I do this without even waking up, because I don't remember doing it. I like to roll over at some point in the night anyway, and I hate for one side to be drained and the other engorged!

Oh, sometimes I like to have a pillow supporting my back to keep me comfy.

Practice in the daylight or in front of the tv on the couch.

It will be instinctive with time!

[BetsyS]

It took me a while, too, to figure out side lying nursing. I think my first baby was 9 months old when I figured it out. I do think size has something to do with it--I'm like a K cup when nursing.

I have always nursed in a chair during the night. To me, it's much more comfortable than side lying or sitting up in bed. I think that's a bit odd, though. I can sleep pretty good sitting straight up and holding a baby, too.

[Xavismom]

I think everyone has given such great advice already, I just wanted to add keep trying! It took DS and I about a month to really figure out the side-lying nursing. I remember feeling frustrated, and my easiest nursing position right at first involved sitting up, and about 5 pillows!! It gets way easier, now at 3 months, laying down is our favorite and easiest way to nurse, but I can nurse him anywhere, anytime, any position now with no fuss. You can do it Mama

[zensven42]

The one good piece of advice I can give you is to lie on your side, wedge a pillow behind your back, get latched, and then lean back a little until you are propped up against the pillow. This really helps keep you from getting a sore back, and you can sleep while nursing. As for switching sides, with all my children I had to switch sides repeatedly through the night, at least 10-15 times or so in the early weeks. It was pretty simple. The baby would wake, I would put the pillow on the other side of the baby, then hug the baby to my chest and roll myself to put the baby on the other side. Then reach back, grab the pillow, and repeat the propping process, then go back to sleep. It became such as easy habit that sometimes I didn't even remember waking up to do it.

[lalemma]

My nursing boobs are an E/F cup, and I found side-lying nursing complicated to figure out. We've just mastered it at 3 months. (But oh boy, it makes such a difference!)

Everyone else has touched on the mechanics of it, so I'd just say:

Practice when it's not nighttime and your baby isn't starving. It's easier to be relaxed about the outcome that way, for me.

And also, this is how I solved my nighttime-feeding dilemma: I put a backrest pillow at the very head of my side of the bed, with a regular pillow beneath that. My Boppy goes by the side of the bed. For sleeping, I just scoot down 'below' the backrest pillow. When it's time for my guy to eat, I just sit up in bed, grab the Boppy, and nurse.

Not as easy as side-lying nursing, but easier (for us at least) than rearranging pillows at 3 AM.

[dachshund mom]

It took us a couple months too. Just keep trying and one day it will click. You might just need a little toughening up. I heard it described as making a V shape, connected at the hips, with baby's legs all tucked in. The switching sides will become second nature. I would put a receiving blanket under DD, then get on hands and knees and pull dd across the bed.

DD was an all night sleep nurser early on. Until we got it, I slept with the bed in the corner and had a lot of pillows behind me, and DD on the boppy.

[shibababy]

I think side-lying is what saved our bf relationship. I rarely ever nurse sitting up unless we are out and about. I am a DDD and find it sooo much easier to nurse lying down. I do have to be mindful of depressing my breast slightly with my fingers so that her nostrils aren't covered. I would practice alot during the day when we are not so tired and it not so dark. It definitely works better or one side than the other for us.

She's 13 weeks and we are pros at it. I would say we have been doing this well since about 7wks or so. It's better now that she has more head/neck control, but prior to that, I would use a blanket on her back (sometimes tucked a little under her head when she was younger) to keep her propped up against me.

Sometimes I put her on my chest and roll over to the other breast and sometimes I move and just turn her over to her other side. I was able to fall asleep while she nursed. I only nursed one side per feeding mostly. Sometimes I did need to switch at a session. I do not prop her on my arm, but I'm sure whether or not you do this depends on your size and baby's head control.

I work ft and I have very restful nights since figuring it out. I also believe dreamfeedings help also.

[lifeguard]

It took us until ds was almost 3 months before we mastered side-lying bfing. As for sleeping through it - I still can't. It's just too stimulating for me to sleep through.

[SamiPolizzi]

Originally Posted by marcib28

Also, do you mamas keep babe on one side all night? I'm finding it very frustrating just trying to get re-situated when switching babe from one side to the other.
Sorry-trying to figure this out too

I put my DS in the middle of the bed and then I just switch sides once or twice during the night. It's much easier than moving the baby, but I guess it wouldn't really work if you have a husband in your bed too.

Originally Posted by Mirrormonkey

I am a DD cup and find it is easiest to offer the top boob for laying down nursing, it falls to the perfect spot for me to latch him on and fall back to sleep without any worry.

This is what I do too, but I have one A and one C (yay for lopsided boobs) and it's pretty hard to do with the A, but vey comfortable with the C.

[mamadelbosque]

Keep trying, as others have said it is largely practice: With DS1 it took us a good month or two to figure side-lying nursing out. With DS2 though, we were nursing in bed the first night Practice really does make perfect!!

With DS1 I almost always just nursed off the bottom boob and rolled over to face the other way in order to switch sides. This time around mind you I almost never roll the other way and he latches on to either the top or bottom with equal ease. Good luck!!