how do you nurse at night?

[meera]

I have been co-sleeping and nursing my son who is 3 months old. I generally wake up because of his crying/rooting , unswaddle him and put him to my breast while sitting on the bed. Of late i've noticed that my back hurts a lot and so does my shoulder. During the daytime when I nurse him, I usually sit in a chair.
I've tried nursing him while lying down but I havent found it very comfortable. Plus, I fear that he does not drink well in the lying down position. (In a seated position I can usually hear the swallowing and the sucking which is a lot less while lying down).

I've heard stories that women who co-sleep rarely ever wake up fully at night, they just stick a boob and then go back to sleep etc etc - that has never happened to me. How can i make the nursing at night be comfortable ? I dont have time to arrange a lot of pillows etc, because usually when my son wakes up he is quite frantic and I dont have a lot of time before he would wake himself up fully with his cries. He usually wakes up atleast 3-4 times at night. The last few days its been almost every 2 hours.

if you co-sleep with your child, what is your routine like?
Thanks!

[@llli*coos-la]

i know its not what you want to hear.....but i roll over and stick my boob in his mouth! i never use pillows to prop myself or anything, i just scoot him closer to my breast and there you have it. he may not eat as much during the night, and thats ok. i think half the time (or more!) he's just suckling- not actually eating. good luck to you!

[@llli*bee]

i think it gets easier as the baby gets older....it really wasnt till recently that i would consider myself being barely woken up to feed austin....
i used to hold him just like i would in a chair...sit up in bed, then lay down with my arms in the exact same position and put a pillow under my elbow of the arm where his head was.....once you get the hang of it you dont have to sit up first...

[Epiphany]

i know its not what you want to hear.....but i roll over and stick my boob in his mouth! i never use pillows to prop myself or anything, i just scoot him closer to my breast and there you have it. he may not eat as much during the night, and thats ok. i think half the time (or more!) he's just suckling- not actually eating. good luck to you!

Ditto, practice during the day by feeding on your bed, try having a nap as well, you'll feel better for it! If you keep trying you'll crack it and then you'll feel so much better, iy's amazing how a decent chunk of sleep can perk you up!

Jenny

[@llli*only.woman.in.the.house]

It is harder to BF laying down in the beginning. I too sat up and even used my boppy every time I needed to nurse. My DS didn't have a super strong neck yet and couldn't support my breasts fully, thus making it a bit uncomfortable for the both of us. I used to cradle his head in the crook of my arm when laying together, but at 8 months he's more than fine just sleeping next to me.

I have a hoard of pillows around me at all times. I have a head, knee, back, front, and a my-hand-doesn't-want-to-touch-the-wall pillow. We have our crib sidecared so when DS wakes I just scoot him over and when he's done (IF I'm awake!) I put him back. I don't like to sleep with him exclusively all night because I'm a semi stomach sleeper and it just isn't comfy, KWIM? As far as learning to be successful at BFing laying down I suggest practicing doing it during the day with the lights on. Get comfortable with what you are doing. Now, we barely have any light (a night light in the bathroom), and I can see fine.

Please excuse my messy bed and mountain of pillows that needs to be dealt with.

[Maya's Mom_06]

My DD and I didn't get the hang of nursing while laying down until she around 4-5 months old. Now at 8 months, she's a champ at it. We both are. I agree practice is good, especially when it helps you get a bit of extra sleep. And you know we can all use that.

[@llli*babygirlsmom]

I had been using an extra large pillow behind my back and putting DD on the bobby. That way I can lean back & be comfy. I just figured out how to nurse lying down. I am not very blessed in the boob area, so it has been very difficult. So, I tried putting dd on her side & on a pillow. That way she could reach my boob. I wish I had figured this out months ago! She seems to be eating fine. It is the same position she lays in on the boppy during the day.

Hope this helps!

[petitbambino06]

one thing to try is have baby lie next to you, just at same level as yourself, then feed. I found feeding lying down was best because of wound of section, and also very large boobs,( I am size 40G!!!) have been breast feeding for 28wks now. Lie down where you are most likely not going to sleep before little one, preferably in a sofa bed or somewhere in the house not your own bed. feed then put baby down. some times i found that my son just wants comfort. I bought him a soother(dummie) and it works wonders, MAM do very good ones. Good luck.