How do you sleep while breastfeeding?

[Anonymous]

We had ZERO problems transitioning from co-sleeping. But then, we didn't keep it up past the eating-every-two hours phase. Once the baby started to sleep 4-6 hours at a time, around 3 months of age, we ended the co-sleeping practice.

[Anonymous]

"I think you know when you have to try co-sleeping .... nothing else works & you are totally exhausted!"

Ain't this the truth!!! My darling baby girl would not sleep ANYWHERE but on us for the first 4 weeks. No swing, no bouncer, no carseat, no cradle, no swaddle, nada. After trying for hours to get her to sleep in her cradle next to our bed, I would drag her into bed with us at 3 am when I just couldn't take it anymore.

I can't imagine "choosing" co-sleeping. I read all the books and was fully prepared to sleep my daughter in her own cradle in a sleep sack on her back. HAHA, she had other ideas!

As for breastfeeding, this is the only way to get rest. I can't imagine trying to pick her up all night long from that cradle now anyway, my arms and wrists got so tired after the first few weeks of lifting. So side by side we sleep (her on her back now, that was a huge step forward) and when she whimpers I wake up and feed her (1 am, 3 am, 6 am, 8:30 am) etc.

I honestly don't know how else you could sleep and breastfeed a baby without the co-sleeping. She's 2 months now, so we'll see if we can move her into her own bed someday.

And as for sex, put the baby awake in the swing in the other room, then bring her back in. Easy. Hubby has no problem being called in to the bedroom early evening rather than bedtime, believe me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had ZERO problems transitioning from co-sleeping. But then, we didn't keep it up past the eating-every-two hours phase. Once the baby started to sleep 4-6 hours at a time, around 3 months of age, we ended the co-sleeping practice.

People who have problems are normally the ones sleeping with their children past 6-8mos.

I have a friend that still co-sleeps with her 4yr old son! Her youngest child sleeps in her own room, but at one point in time all 4 of them were in the bed together.

I KNOW there is no sex in that house, their marriage is in shambles and my friend admits that she keeps DS in the bed to keep DH away from her.

[Anonymous]

I second the previous posts. The only way to breastfeed and to get sleep is to have your baby sleeping next to you. We tried the bassinet at first, but she wouldn't sleep there at all so eventually she would just sleep next to me anyway. Plus I could lie on my side and let her b/feed whenever she needed to. Half the time I wasn't even really awake. Eventually, like a pp said, she started to sleep for longer stretches and we moved her to the crib in her bedroom next door to us. I was still getting up to feed her a couple of times a night and boy was I tired, but at least the 4 hour stretches she slept were good stretches of sleep for me too. Otherwise I was always a bit too tuned in to all her little noises and movements..

[Anonymous]

I breastfed both my infants, never pumped if they were home with me. I was overflowing with milk so if there was a rare opportunity to sleep through a feeding I did, with no negative consequences. Whether to pump if you miss a feeding is up to you and depends on your personal supply.

Co sleeping is the only way I barely survived the sleeplessness. It's one thing to wake up but stay in your bed. It is much more disturbing to your sleep cycle to be walking down the hall, sitting in a rocker, standing at a changing table, etc. etc.

On top of all the other stress of adjusting to a baby and recovering from pregnancy and delivery, you need your sleep. The only way to get it seems to me to be, cosleeping. I think it's what nature intended, and we did it for about six to nine months, I don't recall exactly when we started to use the crib full time.

To help everyone sleep, we only changed diapers in the middle of the night if it was absolutely necessary (a rare diaper rash or an overflowing diaper for example).

I did not have any problem transitioning my baby to a crib or a bottle. Now I put her in the crib with a bottle, turn down the light, turn on the lullabies, and walk out of the room. She usually falls right to sleep.

In a few months, for the sake of her teeth, we will switch the night time bottles to water.

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to disagree that you pretty much have to cosleep--we never did. I woke up to feed DD during the night the whole time, and she didn't start sleeping for more than 4 or 5 hours until about 10 weeks. (I didn't have to worry about getting too much sleep at 5 weeks!) Now that she sleeps through the night, my body has adjusted, so I've never gotten up to pump in the middle of the night. I either pump or feed DD first thing in the morning.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Eventually you will be able to do both at the same time.