# For moms with night nursing babies



## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

How do you nurse at night? Do you roll baby from one side to the other? Do you stay on one side but nurse from both breasts? Do you have a nighttime breast and a daytime breast?

Most of the time I roll baby from one side to the other but it seems like such a production. I have tried staying on one and nursing from both breasts but cannot get comfortable. I end up with a sore back from being so tense because I'm afraid I'll roll forward and smother my baby. I thought about doing a nighttime breast and a daytime breast. This was suggested to me by another mom who does this. However, I couldn't stand the lopsided look and feel.


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## Boobiemama (Oct 2, 2002)

i do one side part of the night, then roll over and do other side.

with my last baby though, we did the day boob and night boob, worked fine.


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## Threefold (Nov 27, 2001)

I roll, and put a pillow in between dd and ds when it's time to nurse that side. I try to favor one breast in the evening so we can primarily nurse on the side that puts me between dd and ds. Just don't have the right size breasts to do top and bottom nursing.


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## Mom_on_the_move (Sep 30, 2004)

I don't know if this will help, but I was never able to nurse on my side for either of my DDs. I was always uncomfortable as well. I have found that I just sleep propped up enough that they could nurse as they do during the day, laying across me. It doesn't seem to bother any of us, since we all seem to go right back to sleep. I nurse from alternate sides (one side at a time) throughout the day, so we continue that at night.


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## binxsmom (Jun 14, 2004)

we do a mix. top/bottom, roll over, one boob at night. we just kinda go with it. nak


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## ShadowMom (Jun 25, 2004)

I have a "nighttime boob", he only nurses on the left at night. But, I have low supply so it's not like I ever get engorged or have lopsided breasts (or at least, not any more than I always do).


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## lizabird (Jan 19, 2004)

I roll the baby from side to side. At first it was a hassle but we're all getting used to the midnight-shift in positions and it seems to work well for us.


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## Leilalu (May 29, 2004)

ds sleeps on his side, and I roll over once a night.
He naturally prefers the left side anyway







, so he gets a very full right side around 4 am or so. Sure, I use that side during the day- but it's been gradual. I even had mastitis in that side because he only wanted the left! slowly but surely introducing the riht side more. But I would say my left is definitley bigger and I don't notice all that much in clothes. Just a litle.I do wear a sling when out, however







But it makes it simple to nurse when you're out if you get them to prefer one side.


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## beccaboo (Nov 30, 2001)

I always just keep baby and me in the same places. To nurse on the "other" side, I just lean forward more. It's not totally comfortable, but it's fine for 5-15 minutes.

Becca


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## achintyasamma (Aug 4, 2004)

i guess i'm a light sleeper or something. when ds starts stirring, it wakes me up completely, so i sit up, get my nursing pillow, pick him up and read a book until he's done. this usually happens 3x night. am i the only one who actually gets up? i wonder if i shouldn't bother.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

I tried to get up with my first baby but gave up when I found myself falling asleep while holding him in my arms. I was afraid I was going to drop him. That's how I learned about nursing while lying down and sleeping. Now, I couldn't wake up even if I wanted. He stirs, I wake slightly, roll over with him, he latches on and I go back to sleep.

I say do what works for you. However, if you find that you are overly tired, you might want to try nursing while lying down and just go back to sleep.


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## Nabbe (Sep 27, 2004)

My dd never coslept, she was more comfortable in her bed, so she was just picked up, fed, and layed down in her crib again. But she nightfeed only until she started on solids anyway, when she was 4 months. My son however was nightfeed for a looong time. And cosleping as well. I just had him on one side, i managed (cuz i have big ones lol) to feed him from both while laying on same side. Not in the begining when they were stuffed hehe, but later on, yeah sure, specially if one was empty from eveningfeeding first.


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## shishkeberry (Sep 24, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mom_on_the_move*
I don't know if this will help, but I was never able to nurse on my side for either of my DDs. I was always uncomfortable as well. I have found that I just sleep propped up enough that they could nurse as they do during the day, laying across me. It doesn't seem to bother any of us, since we all seem to go right back to sleep. I nurse from alternate sides (one side at a time) throughout the day, so we continue that at night.









I can never nurse laying down either. DS is a small baby and I have weirdly shaped breasts so I just fall asleep semi-propped up and he sleeps in my lap. When he wakes up to nurse I just switch sides from whatever side he fell asleep at last.


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## knittingmomma (Jun 5, 2004)

We co-sleep and I simply slide baby over my belly to switch sides during the night. I lay on my side - baby falls right back to sleep - works well for us.
Warm wishes,
Tonya


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## ShellyK (Oct 14, 2003)

We roll over several times during the night. I just hold DD to my chest and roll over to the other side. I have smaller breasts, and it doesn't work very well to try and do both on the same side, and also I get stiff and uncomfortable in the same position too long. I guess she's used to it, and sometimes rolling over helps her to resettle.

For the moms who have small babies and trouble nursing lying down, don't give up! When DD was new, probably for the first 6 weeks or so, I couldn't get the side-lying position to work either. But we just kept trying and one day we "got" it - and it is SO nice to be able to nurse during a nap in the afternoon, to not sit up at night, etc. I get so much more sleep this way!


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## Tanibani (Nov 8, 2002)

I switch sides during the night. You are right, it is such a production! But personally, I prefer that to the other - getting up in the middle of the night to find my babe in the crib. Both of us can get to sleep rather quickly.

My first - DH & I slept stiff as pencils for the first 2 nights, afraid we would smother our own baby... then one night I just relaxed and was so surprised to realize I woke seconds before he did (our sleep rhythms started to match each other) and was SHOCKED at how alert at night I was - even though I was sound asleep seconds before.

I realized then it was pretty impossible for me to roll over on my baby without realizing it. Prof. James McKenna, who heads a Mother Infant Sleep research lab, found the same thing for healthy mother-infant pairs. The following are quotes from his FAQ website

Quote:

Let me expand a bit on what we know to be true scientifically. *Anthropological and developmental studies suggest that mothers and infants are designed to respond to the presence of the other,* and no data have ever shown that among mother-baby pairs who cosleep for breast feeding in a safe cosleeping/bed-sharing environment that mothers are unable to sense the proximity of their babies in order to avoid smothering them. *Our own laboratory sleep studies of cosleeping/bed-sharing mothers infant pairs (2 to 4 month olds) reveal that both breast feeding mothers and their infants are extremely sensitive throughout their night - across all sleep stages - to the movements and physical condition of the other.* The healthy infant, which includes most infants, are able to detect instances, where for example, their air passages are blocked. They can respond very effectively to alert the mother to potential danger, and they have the physical skills to maneuver out of danger, under normal circumstances. That being said, modern societies and the objects on which we sleep and the social and physical conditions within which bed-sharing can and often does occur especially among the urban poor forces professionals to be very guarded when discussing bed-sharing and/or cosleeping. The truth is that there is no one outcome (good or bad) that can be associated with cosleeping in the form of "bed-sharing, but rather a range of outcomes (from potentially beneficial to dangerous and risky) depending on the overall circumstances within which the cosleeping takes place.
Here is another website:
Natural Child Project - Info on Prof. James McKenna

Quote:

While there is evidence that accidental suffocation can and does occur in bed-sharing situations, *in the overwhelming number of cases (sometimes in 100% of them) in which a real overlay by an adult occurs, extremely unsafe sleeping condition or conditions can be identified including situations where adults are not aware that the infant was in the bed, or an adult sleeping partners who are drunk or desensitized by drugs, or indifferent to the presence of the baby.* In these cases often the suffocation occurs while the parent and infant sleep on a sofa or couch together.
Basically, McKenna's research (and my own experience) demonstrates that if the bed is firm and safe, and mother and child are healthy (mom is not under the influence of meds, drugs or alcohol), then they are biologically primed to respond to each other at night. In cases where overlying occurred - there were very unsafe conditions.

Anyway, my first nursed every 2 hours... switching was a pain







but I prefer to switch! I would not want to feel lopsided during the day!

THIS BABY
nurses every 4-5 hours. However, I sleep way more deeply but I am not afraid of "rolling over" on her, because I just don't do that in my sleep. I do not change positions in my sleep.

I nurse tummy-to-tummy. Sometimes I have my arm under her head and just fall asleep like that. I do have a pillow between my knees and one of my back to make me more comfy.

I agree with the advice of separating DH and babe with a pillow. I don't need to do that 'cause DH sleeps like a mummy. He never moves from his spot.


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## oldfashionmama (Feb 6, 2003)

when was new at nursing i rolled the baby over by lifting her on top of me while she was still feeding. now after years of nursing more babies i'm able to simply switch breasts while we all stay in one area all night.


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## love2all (Dec 13, 2003)

nak

we go back and forth and back and forth all night long. he literally nurses ALL night long................ both boobs


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## guestmama9915 (Jul 29, 2004)

DD and I sleep alone right now, she usually sleeps in the middle of the bed (MAJOR bed hog!). So I switch sides at night, one side for every feeding.


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## AllyRae (Dec 10, 2003)

Um, I don't actually know...I nurse in my sleep...







: I think I just lay on my side and he gets both breasts without me having to roll over.


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## HerthElde (Sep 18, 2003)

I also nurse in my sleep, but really prefer to nurse with the top breast while laying down, so most mornings I wake up and the bottom breast is very full. I think I sometimes switch, but usually don't. The only time I move Katja to my other side is when I need to lay on my other side to get comfy (I'm unable to sleep with my back to her







)


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Allyrae, I take it you sleep sans shirt? I get too cold if I do that. Right now it's just me and the baby in the bed since my dh is deployed so I could just roll myself or him over the whole bed. I guess since my dh will be coming home eventually I stay on my side. I don't want to get used to having the whole bed to myself and the baby. This means that when I switch sides, we roll and then I scoot so that we aren't using the entire bed. It probably wouldn't seem like as much of a production if I just layed in the middle and rolled baby from side to side. Some nights I have nursed on one side several times before switching. Then I nurse on the other side until we get up. I always worry that he doesn't get enough milk after the 3rd time on the same side. He still wakes so often that I worry he's not getting enough at one time as it is. I wish I could stay awake long enough to switch sides at each night nursing. I think that he may sleep longer if I could do that. But, who knows?


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## Beansmom (May 26, 2004)

I have never been able to figure out how to nurse from both sides while lying on one side. It just doesn't work for me. I usually roll over once or twice a night to get comfortable and so I move dd to the other side at the same time so she can nurse from the other breast. If I forget, I am very uncomfortable and lopsided in the morning. For the first month or so I would wake up and hold dd in my lap while nursing, but I too would fall asleep and was afraid I'd drop her, so I tried the side lying thing and I'm so glad I did. I don't really know how often or for how long she nurses at night. Neither one of us really wakes up.


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## StephandOwen (Jun 22, 2004)

I don't roll over but do nurse from both sides. DS usually falls asleep nursing on the left side (the good side) so when he wakes at night I try to leave the right side (on the top) open for him. I don't know how many times he eats from that one. When the bottom (left) side gets too full I open that one up (usually around 4am). By morning my shirt is usually up by my neck :LOL


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## shelley4 (Sep 10, 2003)

when my baby was smaller, i'd nurse on one side, roll over half way thru the night, nurse on the other... now that my babe is older (13 months) and isn't nursing CONSTANTLY at night LOL , we have the night time boobie thing going on.. same side all night, and she gets the other first thing in the morning when we get up  we also have the "if you can find it, you can have it" night time nursing policy







, i'm way too tired these days, but i do often wake up with my shirt yanked up to my neck as well!


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## fullofhope (Apr 21, 2003)

My baby is so particular that he *has* to be in exactly the same position every time, day or night, so I"ve always sat up, nursed, and layed him back down.


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## powchow (Sep 20, 2004)

I stay on one side and do both breasts, just found a way to get comfortable doing both, but I am breastfeeding a toddler, so not worried about rolling over on top of her. I found that as soon as she is done feeding though, I roll to my other side to give myself a break. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. regardless, it is better than getting up out of bed to do this huh? Good luck


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## Aura_Kitten (Aug 13, 2002)

i don't know if this will help you but, during the night, i tend to nurse my daughter on one side only, then as soon as i get up in the morning i pump on the side that i didn't nurse her on.


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## oneotamama (Apr 23, 2004)

i switch sides, but i really think dd is past the point of needing the night nursings so i'm really liking the idea of the night boob!


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## RosieTook (Sep 4, 2004)

I nurse dd on both sides, when she wakes I will change her bum and then roll over...I shift her after I am done changing her...lately though I have been doing one boob for the first half and the other for the second, because I have over active letdown and it helps her get more hindmilk...she's alot less fussy that way...she is only one month right now...so things will probably change as she gets older!


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## HRC121799 (Aug 8, 2003)

I feed him to sleep on one side, and then before I am going to fall asleep, I move to the other side of him (I slide him over a bit so I have some space). He's been sleeping almost all night lately, and when he wakes up I feed him on that side then switch. I stay in one position until I switch sides. I used to be a major roller/stretcher outer, but I'm used to it now. And so is dh!


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## Bearsmama (Aug 10, 2002)

We co-sleep with our 2.8 yo (just weaned last week) and our 8 week old. The baby sleeps on my side with my 2.8 yo between DH & me. I just nurse the baby from my right boob most of the night, and then just switch toward the early am hours. Sometimes I don't even switch until we're all up in the morning and moving around.


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

Well, this thread shows me how much I know.

I have always switched sides with every feeding and for me that means rolling over and moving baby to the other side. My ds2 is in a 'nurse every 45 minute at night' phase, so we are doing alot of flopping around..lol.

I didn't know I could nurse on the same side for more than one feeding without compromising my supply. Maybe I'll try that tonight, at least 2 feedings per side.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Well, the past few nights I've tried staying on one side and either nursing from that side or just leaning over a bit so he could get the other side and he's not having it. When I do that he continues to squirm and fuss and won't settle down. As soon as I roll him over he settles and nurses to sleep. I guess he likes to switch sides. It doesn't seem to matter which side as long as he switches.


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## loving-my-babies (Apr 2, 2004)

I'm a sleeping pancake! I turn and turn and turn all night long


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## wombat (Nov 3, 2002)

At 9 mo, I'd do the roll over thing too to change breasts. It does seem like a big production. Now at 20mo, I don't roll over and I don't really pay attention to which breast I offer dd. If she doesn't like it, she'll soon tell me.


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *loving-my-babies*
I'm a sleeping pancake! I turn and turn and turn all night long

















:


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## Aura_Kitten (Aug 13, 2002)

Quote:

I didn't know I could nurse on the same side for more than one feeding without compromising my supply.
i'm so glad this isn't the case!! i've had problems with forceful let down, and one of the ways i stop it from upsetting my daughter too much is to nurse on the same side for several feedings (and just pump the other side). no supply issues yet.









at 2 weeks my daughter was 8 lbs 7 oz; at 2 1/2 months she is now 11 lbs 8 oz.


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## Jennifer3141 (Mar 7, 2004)

Pauline nurses about 4 times a night now and we switch from side to side. Sometimes I leab over farther and sometimes she is in "toothless shark" mode and just stretches for the top boob.









Jen


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## lemming (Jan 12, 2004)

Wow -- this is awesome! I've always wondered how other co-sleeping parents do this, because seriously -- don't laugh -- I switch boobs each time, but in order to do that, DH and I literally change sides on the bed! Yep, we get up, both walk around the bed and get in on the other side so DS can nurse on the "new" boob.

So with the rolling thing ... does that mean the baby is on the edge of the bed? So it would be, like, baby, mommy, daddy (right now, baby is always in between me and DH).


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

Yes, lemming. My baby is either on the edge or inbetween me and dh. I have a gaurdrail up on my bed so he doesn't roll off. I read that you can tuck the sheet or covers around baby and then under you to keep them from rolling off as well. This may work when they are newborns but I don't see it working for my baby now. He kickes the covers off all night long and squirms and flops all over the place. That keeps me up more than the nursing.


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