I am breastfeeding. I have co-sleeping question.?
ByI am not sure how to effectively cosleep. What do you wear for the night to make it easy access for the breast at night? Do you wear a bra with a pad? How do you switch between breasts at night while cosleeping? I have set up 2 pillows opposite of each other and I change my position at night depending on which breast to feed him at night. Is that how you do it? I tried feeding while siting in a bed but that way my back is killing me. My back gets tired and I don’t have a headboard for back support.
Thank you!
K.
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6 Comments
April 26th, 2010 at 5:21 am
i did exactly what you are doing. i always fed laying on my side. i never wore a bra just loose t-shirt. sometimes i would leak so i put a pad down. as breast feeding got established i leaked less and less. good luck!
April 26th, 2010 at 6:09 am
I wear a nursing tank top so that I still have a shirt on, but have easy access for nursing (the flaps that cover your breast can be unhooked and pulled down). I stopped needing to wear pads for leakage protection at around 4 months, so I don’t use them. I used to do the “side lying” position, but since she’s gotten bigger she usually lays on my tummy (I lay on my back with pillows under my shoulders and head) while she nurses. As far as switching sides, she just nurses on one side most of the time, so I offer the opposite side the next time. One way I used to remember what side I’d last nursed from was just wearing a hair rubber band on my wrist and putting on the side I last fed from.
April 26th, 2010 at 6:20 am
I would wear a nursing cami to bed so I could pads on. I did the same thing you did with the pillows. I didn’t switch during one feeding but the next time I would turn over and feed the other side.
April 26th, 2010 at 6:47 am
I co-slept and breastfed my oldest son. At night the easiest way to breastfeed is to wear a v-cut t-shirt and pull your breast out over the top no bra necessary. Put your arm under the baby’s neck and sleep with your child in your arms. It will allow him/her to grasp your breast without you needing to toss and turn, as well as keeping your child from falling out the bed. My second child I still breastfed but decided to put him to sleep in his bed because my oldest still won’t get out of my bed. When I have a third I will also put that baby to sleep in the crib.
April 26th, 2010 at 7:26 am
When I breastfed and co slept with my 1st, I got it down to a tee, that the moment she fussed or wanted to eat, my nipple was in her mouth and I didn’t even have to wake up.
I use to wear a nursing bra, so I wouldn’t leak everywhere. And I usually used my left breast 1st and then adjust ever so slightly for my right breast.
It took about 4 months to get it right. I never rolled over or switched positions. I always just stayed on my side and nursed her that way.
April 26th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Wear anything that you feel comfortable in–I wear a bra or a nursing tank/cami under a shirt, T-shirt, pajama top, nightgown, or nursing nightgown. I would just recommend that you don’t wear anything too tight, as that will make it harder to adjust when you’re mostly asleep. When I wear nursing pads, I just tuck them into whatever clothing I’m wearing; if you don’t leak much it might be more comfortable to go without. As long as my husband is still in bed, I keep our baby on the side away from him (he can roll up against me and not wake up when I push at him and tell him to move!). I feed our son from the near side while lying on my side, and I turn partly on my tummy to offer him the far side. I tuck the blankets around him so he can’t fall out, and keep an arm draped over his body. If you ever need to sit up and feed, sit on the edge of the bed–it’s easier to not slump with your feet on the floor.
Remember to consider your child’s safety–protect your child from falling, suffocating, or being smothered by an adult.