Can your baby breastfeed while you are lying in bed?

[DrBrockBaca]

Just wondering if any of you have learned to breastfeed your baby while you are lying in bed? If so, how old was your baby when you were able to do this? And more importantly, how did you get started doing it? Anybody with fairly large breasts successful at this? I have a 3-week old, and we can't nurse without me sitting up completely straight with a nursing pillow in my lap and me holding my breast in a C-hold. 

[Adaline'sMama]

I think it was probably about 5-6 weeks when we got the hang of side lying nursing. We started on the couch, with a latch in place from a football hold, and then I would just kind shift around until she was lying next to me and still latched on. Within a week she was nursing at night in the bed with me. It makes sleeping soooo much easier.

[APToddlerMama]

I don't really know how to explain how to nurse in bed other than to lay down on your side and give it a try.   My son was a couple of weeks old when we started doing this.  Just wanted to point out though that it can be harder to get the latch right in this position, so you might want to wait just a little bit before trying.  Also, the position can be a little bit hard on some babies ears (more likely to get ear infections in this position) and for babies with reflux (which is why we had to stop doing it).  That said, I would have killed to be able to nurse laying down during those exhausting first months.  I hope some other mamas can give you some more practical "how to" advice.  I have relatively small breasts and not sure if this made it easier. 

[PatioGardener]

I nursed my DS side-lying from day 1. I have large breasts, but for a variety of reasons it needed to happen - and we got pretty good at it by day 3.

[dogretro]

I have large breasts & I was (am) able to successfully bf while lying down in bed.  I do not remember exactly when it was for either child, but I can certainly tell you that it was not by three weeks!  It was a couple/few months with dd1 and quicker than that with dd2.  Until then, I did have to sit up & use a Boppy to nurse, even during the night.  IME, baby needs more experience at the breast to master this technique.  Once you do, though, it's splendid :)

[pammysue]

DS1 was 2-3 months old. DS2 did in the hospital as a newborn.

Just keep trying, as PP said, your baby needs to be pretty good at latching and you need to be comfy for it to work.

[DrBrockBaca]

Thanks. My baby is unfortunately having lots of trouble nursing. One of the problems is that she is not a very efficient eater, so when she does want to eat, it can take an hour, and sometimes she's still hungry at the end. So I'm getting really exhausted. We have been to a lactation consultant several times and are trying to work on all the issues, but we are still struggling. I'm just trying to find a way to get some rest.

[annaconda]

Her lower body will be closer to you than her head. I find that side lying is easier with larger breasts - you don't have to prop the babe up to the height of the nipple.get a good latch while you are lying facing eachother and pull her butt in towards you. That's what we do. We had some bfing issues and didn't get this till week 3 I think.

[katelove]

Definitely not by 3 weeks. I am a 10H and I can do it comfortably now but it was probably about 6 weeks before I even tried.

For me, good back support is very important so I almost always have a pillow behind my back. My best tip is get yourself really comfortable before you even think about trying to attach your babe. Nothing worse than finally getting them all settled and feeding and then having to move!

[medmom7]

I have been able to nurse my little one lying down from about 2 weeks. However I do have to use my hands for support. With both of us lying on our side facing each other I use one hand under the baby's head to support her head and one under the breast to help her latch. IIt works most of the time but occasionally I still have to get up to nurse her upright. Good luck!

[CallMeMommy]

Oh I wouldn't be alive if I couldn't side-lie nurse.  It's the only way I get any sleep!  Just keep trying until you both figure it out.

[greenmulberry]

Yep, in fact nursing lying down is about the only way we nurse these days. I have to remember to mix it up every now and then so she stays used to other positions in case I cannot lie down, such as when we are out.

I think it is easier for me because I have F cup boobs. I just lay on my side and my nips are in the perfect position for latching.

Keep trying. I think at first I had to grab my boob and point the nipple at her mouth, but now she knows to root and grab it herself.

[Lauren31]

Nusing lying down is awesome--- I remember turning on the lights at 2 am and needing to be propped up by pillows to get a good latch. Eventually the baby just latched well no matter what position I was in! Side lying was awesome.  Just keep trying, it'll work out eventually.

[cromulent]

Nursing side-lying was a little difficult for us to figure out at first, as I have ginormous boobs. However, I'm pretty sure she nurses all night long now, which is fine, except that she can only get to one side unless I physically move her to the middle of the bed. Then no one can get any sleep. She's only three months old though, so we still have time to learn a better way!

[mamaecho]

Ah thank you for posting this question, all the moms I've ever asked said "Oh of course you can breastfeed lying down" but no one mentioned that most likely I wouldn't be able to do it until later, or it may be hard to get 'right'..Now I know for the next time around that it's harder to do than I thought.

[Marissamom]

with my first, she was about 2-2.5 month old when we figured it out, with my second we did when he was hours old. I have yet to talk to mom who could early on with her first. 

[BK Mommy]

Originally Posted by katelove 

Definitely not by 3 weeks. I am a 10H and I can do it comfortably now but it was probably about 6 weeks before I even tried.

For me, good back support is very important so I almost always have a pillow behind my back. My best tip is get yourself really comfortable before you even think about trying to attach your babe. Nothing worse than finally getting them all settled and feeding and then having to move!

I agree. I wouldn't let the midwife and doula leave until they taught this new mom how to nurse while lying down. It is possible to nurse lying from the baby's first night. The pills tucked under my back really propped me at the right angle. Dd just curls up into me. The weird thing is now that we are slowly transitioning her to a crib, I forgot how to get comfortable on my own! Ha ha!

[musingmama]

I have nursed my sons from day 1 while lying down.  The first couple of months I would use a pillow to prop against their backs to keep them positioned properly(so their ear, shoulder, and hip were all aligned).  Then by 3 months or so, they could lay on their sides without the pillow against their backs.  Sometimes it takes a few minutes to get the right distance away so you can stretch out your breast enough so it isn't covering their nose(I have large breasts)...and I would position their feet and bottom closer than their head so their knees were at my belly. 

Keep trying, and change sides so that the breast the baby is nursing from is always the one on the bed.

[greenmulberry]

Well I couldn't lay on my side anyway until about a week post partum because it felt like my guts were falling out, not sure if that was because of C section or just my muscles all stretched out. It was a while before I had the nerve to even try side laying.

[mistymoral]

I had a c-section so I started off with the 'football hold' which in the end made it so easy to nurse lying on my side once I had recovered a bit.

Although I was lucky to have a son that could breastfeed like an ace from minute one.

Once I could I simply lay on one side, made sure my son was lying in the right relationship to my boob (height, like did he need to be on a pillow?  did my breast need to be higher?, and adjusted the angle) and made him latch.  It just worked for us.

I wish you good luck!