CoSleeping and Lying Down BFing

Ok last night was my first time cosleeping for the whole night with DD.
But, I wasn't physically comfortable, because everytime I move around, she stirs, so I found myself lying rigidly half the night, and our bed is really small, so I had to sleep on top of my arms. See DD crawls during sleep so she sort of has to be right in the center of the bed.
Oh and DH had to sleep on the couch.
How do you manage this? Does anyone have the same issues?
Will DH ever be able to come back to bed if DD is in there with us?

Also, I tried to BF her whilst in sleeping position.. IMPOSSIBLE. Not comfortable AT ALL and felt like she had to pull a lot just to fit everything into her mouth.
Does anyone else feel like this? Any tips?

Can't give you any advice, I had the same problem with both my girls so was never able to co sleep comfortably. Hope someone has some tips for you.

When sleeping, I cradle DD (8 months) in my arm that way she is snuggled in and doesn't take much space. With BF, I think it is a matter of wiggling around until you find something that suits you, I tend to pull DD legs in towards my tummy so she is kind of on an angle (compared to me) its hard to describe. I think it would be different for everyone due to different body/breast shapes/sizes.

I hope you find something that works for you soon :D.

Hi TS, I’m not sure of your story (why you are co sleeping now having not co slept before) but the more you do it the more you just get used to it. It’s like sleeping in a bed that’s not yours, or with a new pillow, or by yourself if your partner’s away, if anything to do with your sleeping situation is different then it feels weird and uncomfortable. The more you do it, the more you’ll get used to it and the more comfortable it will be.

As for lying down BFing, I have to hold my breast up with one of my hands so the nipple is in the right position for attachment. I also make sure my child is lying on their side with their chin up and arms down. That seems to work for me.

And just FWIW we are really random co sleepers in this house. Some nights we all sleep all night in our own beds, some nights we all play musical beds and there are kids in and out and all over the place. And we’re even (sort of) used to that now too.

We have had some teething problems with co-sleeping and lying down BF. There is some info on the Australian BF Association website about how to lie baby so that they are in the best position, I found it hard to get used to but now it's easy. I also have my arm laid out to the side of me and rest DS head in the crook of my arm, close to my body and he doesn't move around much. I have to take his head off my arm when I BF otherwise his head is too high. Once you get used to it i'm sure that your DH will be able to come back to bed :)

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I also make sure my child is lying on their side with their chin up and arms down. That seems to work for me.

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I agree. Chin up and on her side. My DD is still wrapped so she always has her arms down. She also grabs before I get a chance to offer :lol: but she has been doing it for a while now.

I agree with Epacris, it takes practice. At first I slept like a rigid plank, constantly checking on DS and waking at every snuffle. Within a week or two it became much more relaxed and we got used to the new body in the bed.

Bfing lying down also took some practice and for the first three weeks or so, we bf'd sitting up. It's best to give it a go before bub is desperately hungry so that you're both relaxed and can take your time. If bub is upset then you'll have more trouble attaching. I practiced a lot before it became easy, and now all our night feeds are lying down. My Doula did some post-natal work with us and gave us some bfing tips for lying down.

We also have a king-size bed which makes things easy. DS sleeps between us, in between our pillows, or on my side, depending on which boob he's feeding off. We have a rail on my side to stop him rolling out (which won't happen cause I'm aware of him all the time, but it gives me piece of mind).

Co-sleeping is really great, but like everything, it takes practice and everyone has to get used it. We're really happy co-sleeping in our house.

It does take a bit of getting used to. Remind me at the meet this arvo and I can explain some tips to you :)

i also found it took time getting used to. the part i don't like about it is that DP & i don't get to sleep together. at the moment he's in our bed & DS & i are sharing a king single mattress that's on the floor of DS' room. previously DS & i have shared our bed & DP slept in the spare bed.

DS is a side or tummy sleeper & how we sleep depends on whether he wants to sleep on his side or tummy. when he's on his side, he tends to chase me round the bed. on his tummy, he just does his own thing :lol:

i'm not sure what to say about the lying down to BF - it took a long time before i found a position that was comfy & i tend to think that it's a matter of trial & error till you find what works for you :)

I also found it took a few weeks to get used to - but once you find your comfort zone then you're laughing.

I actually still swaddle missy so she is wrapped all night. When she needs a feed, I pull her into my tummy at kind of an angle so that she is under my breast and she attaches that way. Then when she is finished, I wait until she is sound asleep again and move her back to whichever position she was in. I prefer her to lie at the side of the bed (with the rail) as opposed to in the middle - no real reason, it's just that I like to lie on my left hand side and can face her that way.

DH enjoys having her in bed with us too. We have always said though, that if it came to someone having to leave the bed for whatever reason, then it would be missy moo. We have a cot next to our bed and we did use it for a while when she was around 3 months old but that was because of outside pressures which I won't go into here. I found it way too disruptive getting up and down all night for feeds when we had been so used to co-sleeping.

I also LOVE co-sleeping and feel that as a family we all get much more sleep.

You'll get used to it hun!
Sue xxx