you let your baby fall asleep at the breast and you're surprised she wakes up at night?

[Jenkeywoo]

This is what the paediatrician said to me today - I replied that we're co-sleeping so night feeds are not so bad anyway but it did get me thinking if it's possible to have a baby who falls asleep breastfeeding and yet sleeps really well? DD falls asleep at the breast and then wakes up a couple of times a night and is sometimes settled by DH but sometimes needs a feed - no big deal really - she was one today . So tell me about your breastfed babies - does anyone have that magical little one who falls asleep feeding and then sleeps through? is it possible? For the record I'm not sure I know how to get DD to not fall asleep feeding - she has always from day one had this habit of falling into a deep sleep the second she latches on - I have tried the NCSS 'gentle removal technique' and it just hasn't worked for us. I just accept that she likes to fall asleep snuggled on really, I was just interested to know if I'm the only one!

[Jenkeywoo]

yes, forgot to say that I love the quote kiskidee, I don't want a chenille bathrobe!! am being very naughty now as have sent DH upstairs to contain DD whilst I 'finish the tesco shopping' - ooops. Time to get the boob out...

[Highlander]

DS1 was fed on demand until 15 months (would have been earlier but was ill a lot that winter).

We were co-sleeping (had been from 11 months) and I went cold turkey with the night feeds. The first night was awful (screamed in my arms for 30 mins than again for another 60 mins in the middle of the night) but we never looked back. I continued to co-sleep for another month then started to put him in his own bed. By that stage he was crawling off onto the pillow by himself when he was ready to sleep so transferring the whole routine to his room was easy-peasy.

I tried all the Pantely gentle-ness but it just wasn't working.

He's 2.5 now and still occasionally gets up in the night, but I think a 5am cuddle with mum and dad is all right!

Be prepared for regression at about 2, especially if a new baby is in the house.

[Lazycow]

Oliveoil - you should have met my ds as a baby. He rarely fell asleep on the breast and believe me I tried as it would have made life so much easier.

Fact is ds pretty much never breastfed to sleep (despite me trying it every night for the 2 years I breastfed him) and he was still a terrible sleeper.

I used to cry at night to dh 'why can't I have a baby who breastfeeds to sleep and then wakes once or twice for a sleepy feed at night?'

Surely as parents we need to help our babies fall asleep in a gentle and as stress free a away as possible. I don't think how a child falls asleep has anything to do with how well they sleep - I know this flys in the face of all the experts but that is my humble opinion.