Back pain from co sleeping

[user1499786242]

Not sure if this is the right place to post
Wondered if anyone else is suffering from lower back pain from co sleeping/breastfeeding??
My little one turned two yesterday and still wakes up every two hours to breastfeed so we have always co slept
But my back is killing me! So so painful!
Have been prescribed painkillers which are safe to take when breastfeeding, go to weekly Pilates and it's still so sore
I wake up and I'm in agony
Tried to move him to his own bed a few months ago but I had to sleep on an air bed which made my back worse
And also ended up falling asleep in his little cot bed which was horrendous

Just wondered if I'm the only one :(
Will it get better once he's in his own bed?

We are moving house in a months time and I'm planning on buying a single bed with a pull out trundle so get him to sleep in there

Feeling tired and stressed! The pain is so bad I'm regretting ever co sleeping and even breastfeeding :( how awful is that?

How specifically is the cosleeping causing back pain?

I wonder if the two are unrelated, in that you have lower back pain and also cosleep, but one isn't causing the other?

At 2 years old you shouldn't need to be holding yourself in a specific position to cosleep and feed to sleep, just stay in a position you are comfortable in however that is.

If space is the problem, that having baby in bed with you is giving you a small, cramped space, could your DP move out of the bed to give more room?

Or how about buying a single bed and fastening it to your double bed? I understand you can buy clips to fasten to bed bases together like this.

Yes me and my hips are agony, trying really hard to get her to stay in her cot but I'm soo tired I give in and co sleep just so I can get some sleep. Sorry I have no help, just wanted to say I'm here experiencing it as well!

I always wake up sore if baby has slept with us because i have less sprawl space

I have a sore back but I think a lot of it is to do with bending down and carrying baby around, not just cosleeping. But I do (literally) feel your pain! Will baby go down asleep in cot or similar and then come into bed after first night waking? Or will he protest from the get go? I feed to sleep on my bed then once in a deep sleep transfer to cot. So I get a good chunk in at the beginning of the night to sleep x

Tbh I think it's a big mixture of things
Hormones from breastfeeding, co sleeping and general demands of a heavy child
Never had any back pain before he was born, even through pregnancy

We currently only have two bedrooms so dp can't sleep anywhere else other than the sofa which he has been doing every now and then but it makes HIS back bad can't win

We are moving soon so will have more bedrooms, but I do want to stop co sleeping
We are planning on getting a trundle bed
So it's like co sleeping but the plan is to phase it out so he will eventually sleep in his own single bed
But he still wakes up so often it's ganna he bloody hard work!
Have tried night weaning and it was horrendous
He's snoring away on one side of the bed now and I'm stretched out on the other whilst dp is on the sofa!
Hoping I wake up abit less sore!

Glad I'm not the only one suffering tho! But wouldn't wish this on anyone! Just hope it hasn't caused any long term problems and it goes away once I get my bed back!!

I hope it hasn't caused any long term problems for you too OP hope you get a nice stretched out rest tonight x

I have terrible back and hip pain due to cosleeping and breastfeeding too,I think irs because I'm so aware DS 16 months is there I'm never fully relaxed so sleep in a tense state.its so hard and I hope that when we stop co sleeping it will get better.hopefully it will for you too

I think for me it's partly because I move around less in my sleep. It definitely improved when we were living oversees in a huge flat and DS and shared a 2m wide bed which I could shove him over to the other side of. And improved further when I evicted him and started sleeping with DH again. And then came back when sleeping with DD, so I'm going for a similar improvement once she starts sleeping independently too. I would try nightweaning again if I were you. Try the Jay Gordon method. It worked for us. Yes, there were a few tough nights, but literally only nights 1, 2 and 4. And then he didn't even look for a fee anymore. And only woke once for a cuddle from then on. You don't have to wake up for that, really. Well worth the few tough nights. I'm doing it again with DD in about 6 weeks.

Overseas and feed, not oversees and fee.

At 2 he definitely doesn't need to wake to feed every 2 hours. You need to break this habit because that's what it is a habit you have fallen into. It may take a few nights of perseverance but you will get there. Stop feeding him back to sleep, be consistent and just offer a drink of water. He will soon realise it's not worth waking up for. Probably worth taking a bit of time off before you move house (if possible) so it won't matter too much if you don't get much sleep. Once you've got him out of your bed you will find it so much easier to sleep comfortably and hopefully your bad back will resolve itself.

I tried that night weaning method, lasted 11 days of hell before I caved in and started feeding him again, even the health visitor didn't know what to suggest as he just wasn't breaking the habit!
I couldn't physically do it anymore
And had a miscarriage a week later which I think were linked as I was just so physically and mentally tired as was getting 2 hours sleep
Really scared to go back there but I know it has to be done!
Back is so sore today! Something has to change!
Moving in 16 days so I will try once we move I think, was going to make a big fuss of his new bedroom and bed etc
We've bought a trundle bed so I can at least stretch out more!
Wish me luck

Don't think bigging up his nice new room is going to do it, you will be disappointed. Sometimes you just have to put your foot down and make sure you don't give him confusing messages (like it's ok to come into your bed later in the night). It's not your ds's decision.

Buy a super king, we can all happily starfish.

Oh I'm sorry about your miscarriage that's what I get for posting before reading all your posts now my light hearted post looks very inconsiderate.

May help?
I managed to get DD who was two in July in her own bed by laying with her in her single bed and bf to sleep. For the first few nights when she woke I'd move her to my bed. Then on that wake I'd lay down with her and feed her to sleep again in her bed and on second wake she'd come to my bed.
The same on the third wake.
She started sleeping for longer stints.
And we are now 5months later exchanging breast milk for cows milk in a cup. She often refuses but goes back to sleep

Now I had to get her in her bed coz I'm pregnant so not much choice. My back and everything hurt
She now sleeps till 5am from 7pm

I never thought we get to this point.
So go gentle with him and only change things after four nights ish.

Yes, back pain here from cosleeping. Ds is 22mo and rarely actually feeds in the night anymore but still wakes once ot twice and needs a cuddle or to drape himself over me to drop off again. The pain doesn't last long once I'm up out of bed but it's excruciating at first, to the point where I'm scared to move sometimes... We're away for a month soon but I'm planning to move him into his own room/bed when we're back home. No advice on the weaning. It's nor been horrendous at night tbh but he still feeds all bloody day if he can and is still fed to sleep at night or for naps if we're indoors. Fine if we're out and about though. Good luck

I know the pain, but not quite so bad and only from when they were smaller. I'd recommend a two week holiday, you go away, dh and ds stay home - they will work it out 😬