Please talk to me about co-sleeping and breastfeeding.

[lifeas3plus1]

Ds2 is 5 days old. Dp has gone back to work today (works away Monday to Friday) and so have decided to co-sleep when he's away.

Our bed broke a week or so ago so we are on a mattress on the floor at the moment which I'm guessing is safer.

What About covers? I know you're not supposed to use duvet's and pillows so what do you use instead? I have to be covered up, even I'd it's just a sheet, but it's getting colder now so how do you keep yourself warm whilst making sure the baby isn't covered?

I figure I'm going to have to lie on a towel or something to be able to keep my boobs free to the baby without having major leakage?

Also anyone get any tips on breastfeeding whilst lying down? Ds2 is very small compared to ds1 so lying down to bf this time is proving quite difficult.

Thank-you.

COngratulations on your new baby!

I co-sleep and when my baby was this small, I used baby blankets to cover him, and the duvet for myself. I never feel asleep bfing so I knew that ds was never left covered by the blanket. I just wore a lose night dress or pj top, but I remember using towels with dd1 because I had ridiculous amounts of milk.

For lying down bfing, make sure you are on your side, and your baby is on his side, and his nose comes to your nipple so that his head has to be tipped back slightly to reach the nipple. With practise it gets easier!

I find long sleeved tops great for cosleeping as hate cold shoulders.

Not sure how part time cosleeping will work though, baby may protest at weekend

I wore a cardie in bed to keep my shoulders warm as it was easier to feed in than a t-shirt.

I used to have a duvet from the waist down and DD had her cell blanket (you can get full size cellular blankets if you would prefer that).

I still used my pillow but I was right on the edge of it so it was nowhere near DD iyswim. She slept in the crook of my arm anyway, I think they call it the C position in the official co-sleeping books but I never bothered reading any.

I did use a towel to soak up any leaks but I put it under the sheet so it didn't get bunched up.

Not sure on part time co-sleeping either, I think it would be a bit disruptive. Does your DH not want to do it?

Sorry, I should have explained better. I won't be doing it part time. I'm planning on using this week as a trial week. To see how we (baby and me) get on and find the best position etc for us both then when dp is home at weekend he will be able to slot himself in next to me without me disturbing him trying to figure this all out iygwim!

Thanks for all the tips. Think when there's just me and baby in bed I will use a single duvet as there is then less to get bunched up etc.

Well I'll try things out tonight and see how things go.

Oh I see, that should work fine then Good luck, hope you get a nice restful night!

I co-slept with both of mine - DS is still in with us at 18 months.

When he was a tiny baby I started with blankets but when he got a bit older I put him into sleeping bags - lightweight ones as I felt he was getting a lot of warmth from me.

Now, he snuggles under the duvet - he's at the edge of the bed with a bed guard (always has been) and tends to regulate his own temperature now (ie. kicks the duvet off us both...)

I use night time BF bras and breast pads to contain the leaks and I've mostly got used to the cold now...but if it's too bad I use a lightweight fleece blanket.

I still use my pillows - at the beginning I tucked them out of the way and rested my head on the edge of them, but now he lays a bit further down the bed and we've had no problems with them.

I have bought a king size cotton cellular blanket off ebay
cgi.ebay.co.uk/100-COTTON-CELLULAR-BLANKET-/250692712879?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Bedroom_Bedding_PP&var=&hash=item800f5a2010

..and I'm going to buy a Acrylic one as well as they are warmer or winter.

Tips for lying down. If you lie on your side with your head on your pillow and your arm lying along the bed following the bottom edge of the pillow (solves what to do with your extra arm whilst nursing problem)

Make sure baby is turned on her side and is very low, if baby can tip her head back slightly to latch on , she is properly at the right place. If the baby is too near your arm it is much harder to get a decent latch. Nursing lying down is a skill worth practicing, great way to rest/sleep with a newborn.

Took me a while to get to grips with laying down BF but I'm glad I stuck with it as it's fab now - I get far more sleep than I otherwise would.

We use a duvet but DS is in a sleeping bag and he's positioned so the duvet just goes over his feet (he needs the warmth). I sort of wriggle around the bed to fit with him for feeding, then wriggle away for the covers. It works but we have a huuuge bed so can safely use a duvet as there's room for manoevre.

I co-sleep some of the night with my 10 week old, he wears a baby sleeping bag and sleeps below the pillows IYSWIM, I have one arm under the pillow to keep it from slipping down and one arm round/over him.

We've also started feeding lying down, both on our sides, much more sleep that way.

it does take some getting used to. we only have a standard double but we now have a bedside cot that goes up to the edge of the bed, so ds (9 weeks) can be nearer the edge of the bed when he is in with me with no worries about falling out. i wear a button-down nightie and a sleep bra with breast pads. i tuck the duvet underneath me at about waist level. ds is in a sleeping bag. i tried last night putting him on a disposable changing mat so that i could slide him into his cot when he had finished feeding, which kind of worked(though usually we both just fall asleep). it did mean i could feed him lying down on the side of the middle of the bed, with the duvet down around his sleeping bag, then move him to the outside again without him waking.

experiment a bit!

Wow 5 days old, how lovely! We've been co-sleeping too and ds is now 14 mths. It has been great for getting extra sleep, continuing bfing despite being back at work and also even travelling when there hasn't been a cot available etc.

Ds slept in the crook of my arm when smaller so my arm stopped him getting near the pillow and at the beginnng it was hot so I slept under a sheet and he had it up to waist level. Now I have a single duvet and he has his gro bag. We took the legs off our bed when he started crawling to lower it and have a bedside cot to create more space which now hemostly sleeps in when not feeding. Have you read "three in a bed" , by Deborah something, forget the surname, I foundthat very helpful/interesting.

Lying down - it took me a couple of weeks to suss out, when ds got bigger was much easier.
Hope it goes well!

DS comes in with me at the 4am feed. I still use a pillow, but I fold it so its just under my head. Also use a duvet, but lay him in his GroBag on top.