How do you put your bf baby to sleep

[2lilcherubs]

Just wondering how you settle your breastfed baby to sleep at night and during the night.

My lo is 11weeks and takes up to 1.5 - 2hrs in an evening to get to sleep. Will feed but want to stay at breast. Usually when I put down will wake and need to put back to breast.

The same happens at night wakings, which usually happy hourly after midnight.
I'm so exhausted, and falling asleep feeding during the night again. No matter what I do I can't stay awake.
I'm feeling really down I don't have any time where my arms are baby or child free as I have a 1yr old too.
I'm so far past tired I feel sick and I feel like I'm suffocating as I can't do anything with baby on me. (not even pee). I just want an hr in the evening before we go to bed where baby is down sleeping so I can do some thing for me.

When my toddler was a baby, id just give bottle in a darken room, followed by quick burp, dummy and a cuddle and would be in bed within half an hr which meant I could eat, shower, tidy up maybe even watch some TV but this baby is bf and no dummy (doesn't want to take one) and takes so long and doesn't stay asleep long.

I know about 4th trimester but as its coming to an end this week I'd have expected to see some improvements, if anything its getting worse.

My dh works shifts / away so isn't usually here to help and I have no local support to get help.

Sorry for the long moany post I'm just so tired and down this morning.

I remember those days so well, I never found a way to put my bf baby to sleep without feeding her to sleep. I co-slept with her, which meant I was less disturbed by having to feed her all the time, if I'd had to physically get up to deal with her, I think it would have broken me.
Also when she slept in the day, I managed to ease myself away for an hour or so, but my coping method was to surrender to her needs knowing that it wouldn't last forever.
When I had 2, I often piled all 3 of us into bed for the afternoon nap and we'd all sleep.
A sling helped in the day when she wouldn't be put down.
Lower your standards, cook easy food, accept any help offered from any direction.
Another thing I did that really helped was to not check the time regularly. I used to work out how long she'd 'held me captive' , or how many hours of sleep I'd had, etc etc. Once I'd stopped looking at the clock and just went with it, it became easier to handle somehow.

Thanks for replying. I've tried to co sleep but can't seem to feed lying down without either arching my back awkwardly or my poor breast getting pulled. That said by around 4am when I can't sit up any more I lay down with baby and try it til around 7am.
During the day I standards are vet much lowered which I can live with and baby pretty spends the day in a sling. Think last night has broken me

It’s so difficult when you can’t put them down. I still struggle with this with my 1 year old. Some things that might help:

Use a sleeping bag, they warm up as you are feeding and then it’s not such a shock when you put them down.

Warm up the basket/cot with a hot water bottle

I’ve never tried this but a friend had success with swaddling.

Invest in one of those battery powered swing seats that rock automatically. My baby would very often sleep in this quite comfortably. You can pick them up second hand for about £20.

Up to 6 months the advice is to always be in the same room when baby is sleeping. We found that he never really was fond of his basket. At 5 months we felt he was robust enough to nap in his own bed (which was actually our bed as we co-sleep). He seemed happier there but when he was mobile we had to put him in a cot in his own room so he couldn’t fall out. Still, I think they are happier in their own bed when you switch to this (with a monitor). When he napped in our bed it was easier to transfer him as there wasn’t any real distance between my lap and the bed. I think your baby is a bit too young for this however.

I often read that Mums with a baby and another small child get by making use of a sling. Certainly my baby would nap in his when he was very young, so might be worth seeing if you have a local sling library.

Good luck!

Just read that you do use a sling. Also re side on feeding, I also struggled with this until baby was a bit bigger, again probably around 5 months

I know it doesn't help much now, but remember 'this too shall pass'. If you can curl up together, let the toddler watch some TV, or read a book to them, be kind to yourself today and have an easy day (as much as you can with a toddler). Also try and get out for a walk, the fresh air will help.

Keep persevering with the feeding lying down, honestly when you crack it, it's a life saver. As they get older, they can more or less help themselves at night, without disturbing your sleep too much.
Try using pillows behind your back to sort of prop you up in the right position. I used a pillow under my knee, (so if I was lying on my right side to feed, the pillow was under my left knee), which helped me maintain a feeding position.

With my first, I spent most evenings with him laying on a feeding pillow on my lap. Til he was about 4 months old. Took him up to bed with me. At around 5.5 months I fed him to sleep and gently lowered him onto the bed and he stayed asleep!! So I started doing that. He fed to sleep (easily) til he was 1. Didn't stay asleep long to start with.

Dc2 has a dummy. And a bottle at bedtime. (Bf rest of time) bottle, dummy, put down and pat for 5 minutes . Again, doesn't necessarily stay asleep but goes down very easily now.

're laying down to feed, it gets easier. I have to have a pillow. One arm under pillow under head. Baby at boob height. Either lay straight on side for "bottom" boob, or slightly rolled forwards (With knee up) for top boob. Well worth mastering this!

I second the battery powered swing set. My second dd slept in it sometimes when I was busy with dd1.

They coslept.

You’re baby and you are both behaving perfectly normally for this age group. We’ve all been there.. feeding a baby to sleep and every hour or so is normal for this age. It does improve!

14 week old is exactly the same, I’m just clinging on to the knowledge that it will improve eventually!

I guess I know it normal it's just so much harder with this baby than it ever was with my 1yr old.
I've started in the last week putting baby to bed in the bedroom in the evening purely because when baby is asleep i do dishes and have a shower then watch TV, dishes and shower baby isn't in the room anyways so instead of disturbing when I go to bed I put in bed and go to bed after my shower and watch TV there. I did same with older child but he was sleeping at around 7 and I was in with him by 8 ish this one I start putting down at 7/7.30 and still at it at around 9ish .

I might order a swing today and give that a go, although I'm not upset by the sling naps during the day as I am handsfree so can get on with stuff it's just the night that's getting me. I'm starting to feel as emotional as I did when baby blues hit at a week after birth. I know it's exhaustion.

Thank you for all the replies