I'm going to be a second time mommy. I have a 20 month old son who co-slept with us until he was about 15 months old. However, for the first few months, he was in a pack and play beside the bed and I used a boppy to breastfeed him. Consequently, I spent many nights sleeping upright with him either on my breast or against my chest. It wasn't until I learned to BF laying down that I experienced the epiphany of how much better that was! I could actually sort of sleep while he BF, or at least not move him afterwards and go right back to sleep.
I am currently pregnant with #2 and due in January. We live in Chicago, so it will be cold. With my first son, he slept between us, we had the pillows way off to each side to create space for him, and pushed the comforter down in the middle. But he was a little older then. I'm nervous trying this with a newborn, and also about the "logistics" of breastfeeding a newborn laying down.
My goal is to cosleep from day one and to make breastfeeding at night as easy as possible. How do I do this? I know with Evan, I was able to roll over and offer my other breast when he was ready (without moving him), but I don't feel comfortable doing that with a newborn. Part of my dilemma is that my first son and I had a really rocky BF'ing start and weren't fully completely breastfeeding until he was two months old. So I'm a little fuzzy on how to do this with a newborn.
So... Do I sit up to breastfeed on one side, burp, then lay down on the side that's toward the middle and let him drift off to sleep nursing? Do I have to wait until he is a really confident breastfeeder to do the lying down thing? I know it's silly, but I do worry about falling asleep laying down while breastfeeding such a small baby -- the suffocation thing. I'm considering a snuggle nest as well. I know that would involve moving him to breastfeed, but realistically won't I have to move him anyway (to burp or change a diaper?). And what about the burping thing at that age? Sorry so long. I hope this makes some sense! I'm looking for specific, real-life examples on how to do this with newborns. Thanks!
I am currently pregnant with #2 and due in January. We live in Chicago, so it will be cold. With my first son, he slept between us, we had the pillows way off to each side to create space for him, and pushed the comforter down in the middle. But he was a little older then. I'm nervous trying this with a newborn, and also about the "logistics" of breastfeeding a newborn laying down.
My goal is to cosleep from day one and to make breastfeeding at night as easy as possible. How do I do this? I know with Evan, I was able to roll over and offer my other breast when he was ready (without moving him), but I don't feel comfortable doing that with a newborn. Part of my dilemma is that my first son and I had a really rocky BF'ing start and weren't fully completely breastfeeding until he was two months old. So I'm a little fuzzy on how to do this with a newborn.
So... Do I sit up to breastfeed on one side, burp, then lay down on the side that's toward the middle and let him drift off to sleep nursing? Do I have to wait until he is a really confident breastfeeder to do the lying down thing? I know it's silly, but I do worry about falling asleep laying down while breastfeeding such a small baby -- the suffocation thing. I'm considering a snuggle nest as well. I know that would involve moving him to breastfeed, but realistically won't I have to move him anyway (to burp or change a diaper?). And what about the burping thing at that age? Sorry so long. I hope this makes some sense! I'm looking for specific, real-life examples on how to do this with newborns. Thanks!