Is cosleeping essential for successful breast feeding?

[katemeister]

My daughter is 8 weeks (3 weeks adjusted age)and exclusively breast fed. On good days it's great but some days are a struggle (she fusses and bobs on and off so a feed takes a while). Whenever I read about ways of coping with 3 hourly and cluster feeds, cosleeping and feeding lying down are mentioned and glorious tails of everyone sleeping through feeds - neither have worked for me. I have tried lying down in hospital but it was uncomfortable for me and my DD kept nodding off, not on the boob) I have not tried cosleeping but am not keen (love the concept just wouldn't feel safe as I sleep heavily).

I'd love to hear from people who didn't cosleep or feed lying down who breast fed just fine, or whether it really is the holy grail of maintaining breast feeding through difficult times when I feel like giving up and I should bite the bullet and try it or invest in a cosleeper. Thanks!

Wow that is big for a 35 weeker! Yes, in many ways DS was treated as a full termer (no SCBU etc needed) but technically it is still prem so I thought I'd err on the side of caution, at least in the early weeks.

Re burping - there seem to be a lot of babies who don't need it, or don't need it after night feeds or dream feeds, but alas mine is not one of them

I couldn't feed lying down until ds was 3 mths and we got rid of nipple shields.
We cosleep but I'm not actually asleep when feeding. Just less moving about and unsettling.
Ds bobbed on and off when he had wind.
Congrats

No, but then all of my BFed DC hated lying down to feed.

Not at all. Mine were ebf and I got up to feed them in a different room on my rocking chair. Hated feeding in bed, couldn't get comfy and had my kindle / books /small lamp/ phone and radio all set up in another room. Although they didn't sleep through I think that it did help to get into the habit of taking a full feed and settling again rather snacking through the night. I am a shocking sleeper and spending the night half awake with a baby attached just didn't appeal at all, I preferred to wake up, feed and sleep again.

I have never co-slept and I'm still breastfeeding (at 7 months).

I sit up in bed and use a feeding pillow which makes it so much easier (it means I have both hands free). I was shown how to feed lying down as I had a c-section but I prefer feeding sitting up.

It'll probably get easier from this point; DD started sleeping through at around the stage you're at now, and she was a big baby (on the 91st percentile line, and still is) and ebf, so it's possible for any baby.

We've never got the hang of feeding lying down and don't co-sleep, and still happily breastfeeding at nearly 15 weeks. We need to wake up properly for feeds, the baby so she latches properly and takes a decent amount, and me to make sure she's properly latched and I don't fall asleep and drop her.