Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Flip

Original poster

lyind down to feed - advice please

16 replies

negrilbaby · 21/01/2011 20:58

Just got the hang of lying down to breastfeed. DD is almost 7 months, never managed it with DS. I want to slowly reduce night feeds - is it possible while feeding in this way?

When I feed lying down she seems to fall asleep quicker and so wakes much sooner for the next feed. She has never gone much more than 3 hours or so between feeds at night but now seems to be doing 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

OP posts:

pinkyp · 21/01/2011 21:49

Try to keep her awake by stroking her hand or ear or face. My ds falls sleep really easily and this brings him round slightly and he starts feeding again when i do this. When my ds falls asleep with me on the bed i get my dh to move him to his moses basket (he's 6 weeks) but he has to be quick not to disturb him.

gaelicsheep · 21/01/2011 21:59

I'll be watching this thread. I have the same problem, but I fall asleep too. The broken nights are starting to really worry me as I'm back to work next week. But then sometimes I think more much shorter wakenings might be better than forcing myself to stay awake while feeding sitting up?

gaelicsheep · 21/01/2011 21:59

Bumperlicious · 21/01/2011 22:06

Oh, interesting, dd has started waking more regularly and we have recently started feeding lying down. I wonder if that is the cause? But it is a toss up between that or being up for up to an hour.

Bumperlicious · 21/01/2011 22:07

Gaelic your back at work next week? Nightmare!

Bumperlicious · 21/01/2011 22:08

That's you're, sorry!

gaelicsheep · 21/01/2011 22:13

It's an all night milk bar isn't it, that's the problem. It got worse for us a couple of months back when I was away with the kids without DH. I began co-sleeping with DD because I cannot settle her any way other than feeding. She was very quick to catch on and it took a full month to get her to go back in her cot, ever. That is as long as I'm in bed right next to her and she's lying on the duvet which is stretched into her cot (DH has a single duvet over him). She still ends up in my arms for at least some of the night. Makes for pretty rubbish sleep all told.

Bumperlicious · 21/01/2011 22:21

That's hard work. A lot of people go on about co-sleeping as being easier, one RL friend was saying how she'd never 'been up' in the night with her lo at all. That's not my experience at all! I hate co-sleeping! Actually that's not true, sometimes in the night when she is feeding lying down then falls asleep I think it must be lovely to co-sleep & she is so snuggly. But the she moves & I jolt awake & gladly dispatch her to the hammock! Thankfully nighttime is the easiest time to move her

MoonUnitAlpha · 21/01/2011 22:27

I found co-sleeping and feeding lying down much easier til about 5 months. The waking/feeding was getting too much by that point though so ds went into his own room and I just went in to feed him once and sat up in a chair to feed.

gaelicsheep · 22/01/2011 11:40

I just posted this on another sleep thread - it seems there are a lot of us in the same boat at the moment!

We had the night from hell last night. I went into work yesterday for a catch up meeting - made me really tired so god knows how I'll cope next week. Anyhow, for a change I slept really quite deeply so waking up was even worse! And DD finally went to bed at 12.30am then woke at 1am, 3am, 4.45am and I don't know the times after that. Nothing would settle her again except feeding, and she's making me pretty sore at the moment especially lying down. I don't feel safe sitting up with her when I'm so tired, which is why I started doing it lying down. AARGH. What are we going to do?? sad

MoonUnitAlpha · 22/01/2011 12:21

Must have been something in the air last night - I was starting to feel quite smug as ds had slept 11pm-6.30am three nights running. Last night he fed constantly from 2am-5am and then decided he was up for the day

japhrimel · 22/01/2011 18:48

Anyone got any tips for getting a good latch lying down?

It's very hit-and-miss for us and that puts me off doing it, but I'm also worried that I'll fall asleep feeding in a chair.

marzipananimal · 22/01/2011 19:41

i don't really get on with feeding lying down either. I sit up in bed and frequently fall asleep with him lying on my lap. It seems safe to me though as he can't fall out of bed (cot up against bed) and he's on top of the duvet and I'm aware of him so wouldn't move. Sometimes it's quite comfy but sometimes I wake up with a very stiff neck as my head's flopped onto one side. I try not to do it as I want him to sleep in his cot but finding it impossible to stay awake at the mo

Bumperlicious · 22/01/2011 22:13

Dd is 17 weeks and we have only recently got it cracked. I seem to recall the same with dd1. May just take time.

virgo1979 · 22/01/2011 23:00

am in same boat as some of you ladies, ds is 7 months, have been co-sleeping from day one, and all night milk bar is the right description, I have woken up with cramp all over my body from sleeping in such awful positions. the plan is to get him in his cot asap, oh and sleep for more than two hours straight....watching this thread with anticipation.....

gaelicsheep · 24/01/2011 23:28

Much sympathy virgo!

Flip