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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Co-sleping & BF...a few questions.

42 replies

LuluLulabelle · 26/03/2009 13:01

DD is 8 weeks old and has hardly slept for the last 3 days. The only time she seems to have had good,settled sleep is on me or DH which makes me think that co-sleeping might be better for us.

My first question is, well, how do I do it? Do I just put DD in bed with me? She's tiny and I am scared of squishing her/pushing her out of the bed etc

How does feeding work? She slept well on me this morning and didn't wake for feeds, just bobbed towards my boob so I fed her. That was easy enough with her lying on me but I just can't do the side by side feeding (and how would I switch boobs if I did?).

I have ordered a book called 3 in a Bed which I hope will help but any tips from mumsnetters in the meantime?

Oh, last question - is it silly to do this now that she is 8 weeks old and usually sleeps in her moses basket? How would she nap in the daytime (hates, hates, hates the sling!) and does it mean I have to go to bed at 7.30pm for the next two years? (doesn't sound too bad at the moment after only 4 hours sleep!)

OP posts:
Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 27/03/2009 17:39

Not a problem stargirl, ask away!

I wondered about sleeping on a towel - is that safe? DD dribbles if I feed her lying down.

McDreamy I read a recommendation online somewhere that you co-sleep to age 5. I don't know if this happens in practice as I don't know anyone who co-sleeps!

So do you check every now and then to see if they need changing. I usually know if DD needs changing when I lift her out of her moses blanket.

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Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 27/03/2009 17:41

oh and thanks for the tip on the mawbroon roll - I imagine my boobs would be too small. I think I'd need to lie on top of dd to get the top boob near her!

Imagine I'll try it if I am tired enough though!

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Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 27/03/2009 17:42

oh and thanks for the tip on the mawbroon roll - I imagine my boobs would be too small. I think I'd need to lie on top of dd to get the top boob near her!

Imagine I'll try it if I am tired enough though!

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Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 27/03/2009 17:43

Oops! Sorry!

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Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 27/03/2009 17:47

Oh sorry to keep posting away but we have a memory foam mattress - anyone know if that's a no-no?

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Poledra · 27/03/2009 17:50

I'm still co-sleeping with dd3, who's 8 mo. She starts the night in her own cot (I need some time in the evening to get on with chores), then comes into our bed whenever she wakes after I've gone to bed, so that can be anywhere from 11pm to, one memorable night, 5am!! She sleeps in between me and DH and we've never rolled onto her.

DH has been very positive about her co-sleeping and gradually moving out to her own cot - as I say, some nights she sleeps in her cot for quite a long time. It does impact on our sex life, but then, I'm too tired most of the time anyway and I'm relying on working on getting that back when she sleeps through more, as happened with our other DDs (I think that's a whole other thread though....)

Poledra · 27/03/2009 17:51

Oh, one naughty thing we have done is that DD sleeps under the duvet we just keep her nightclothes very light and it seems to be working OK, but wouldn't want anyone to think I was advocating that.

RockinSockBunnies · 27/03/2009 17:52

McDreamy - I still occasionally co-sleep with DD, now aged 8 (mostly at weekends, not during the week). She'd still prefer to be in with me, though I draw the line most of the time now as she's getting so tall and wriggles so much, I don't get much sleep.

She transitioned into her own room at around 5 or 6 years old. It was a gradual process - she'd spend some nights in my bed, some in her own.

She was an appalling sleeper until aged 3, but after that slept fine. She's also been perfectly happy to sleep at other people's houses (like my mother's) from 3 onwards for quite a few nights at a time.

Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 27/03/2009 18:13

How old is your DD Poledra? I have been wondering how long before my DD would be ok under our duvet.

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treacletart · 27/03/2009 19:52

Lulu we have a memory foam topper - I think the only problem is the slightly increased risk of over heating, but I'm sure you're being sensible there anyway.

feralgirl · 27/03/2009 20:14

Lulu, re the towel, I usually shove it off the bed after he's finished as obviously you should have as little stuff on your bed as poss. However I have been known to forget . Several times.
Also re your memory foam mattress (lucky you, I bet it's lush!), one of the resons I got the snugglenest was because we've got a really soft mattress pad on our bed and I thought DS was sinking into it too much.
My naughty confession is that DS sleeps on his front, also another reason for the snugglenest!

Poledra · 27/03/2009 21:49

DD is 8 months old, LuluLulabelle, but she's been sleeping like this since she was just weeks old

Aranea · 27/03/2009 22:08

McDreamy your question made me smile. IME if you hang on till your baby is old enough to ask, you'll get some answers...

Actually to be truthful I found there was a big change at about two and a half, when she seemed to stop sleeping like a baby and more like a child, and she went into her own bed at that point.

Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 28/03/2009 14:11

Ok, I did it. I am officially a co-sleeper! DD slept well and fell asleep last night with no crying at all.

I tried the Mawbroon roll - er, least said about that the better! I'll have to practice.
Also managed to feed DD side by side, without switching on the lamp with no dribbling whatsover (from either of us).

However, I am shattered! I stayed in a sort of semi-awake-feel-like-I-am-not-quite-asleep state. Does this get better? I also had hip pain from lying on my side all night - is that position the only option?

Thanks MNers

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CherryChoc · 28/03/2009 14:56

Lulu I have small boobs and can do the mawbroon roll. Could not do it when he was tiny though - poss about 3-4 months?

We use the duvet now as well Poledra. Wouldn't reccommend it though simply because I was very cautious about doing it and I think it really needs to be seen as dangerous to have the right degree of caution attached, if that makes sense.

As for when to stop - well I fondly imagine I will know when the time is right and it will probably either be entirely chld-led and an immediate decision or a very gradual weaning from in bed all night to in bed part of the night (we are at this stage now) to having the cot in the room to having the cot in another room with the option of him coming back in with us, to finally a bed in his own room. I don't think we'll be co-sleeping until 5 mainly because we plan on having more children and I don't think there will be room to co-sleep in a double bed with a baby and toddler as a full-time arrangement.

CherryChoc · 28/03/2009 14:59

Oh positioning - I didn't find it got better with the hip pain, which is why I moved him to the bedside cot. Don't see the point of the snuggle nests tbh - but the bedside cots are great. The semi-awake state, that does get better as you relax more about it. HTH

Original poster
LuluLulabelle · 28/03/2009 15:12

Thanks CherryChoc - DH is assembling the bednest as I type!

I think I was thinking about it a lot last night which is probably why I didn't sleep too well.

I'll give the MB another go in a month or so then.

Thanks CherryChoc, you did help!

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