# How did you co-sleep with a newborn?



## mighty-mama (Sep 27, 2005)

Need to know how to sleep in our bed..

When ds was a newborn, I actually slept almost in a sitting position with him cradled in my arms, and when he awoke he was right there to nurse..

I'd really like to be able to sleep in my king size bed.

How do you do this with a newborn, I know it took awhile before both ds and I could master side-lying nursing..

But any advice on positioning or whatnot so we can do this from the beginning?


----------



## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Wellll..... I put the baby next to me and went to sleep.
















Really I think it's over-stressed about.

I put dd next to me at boob height and pulled our covers up to her chest level









-Angela


----------



## TirzhaZ (Jun 15, 2007)

I hope this helps give you some ideas! When DD was a newborn, we positioned her in the center of our bed with a rolled up towel on each side of her so she wouldn't roll into either DH or I in the night, but we were still able to snuggle







I was able to pick up on side lying nursing after a few weeks of sleep deprivation working on me! So, whenever she got hungry, I would just remove the towel closest to me and scoot her over to latch on while I drifted back off to sleep. It was so much easier than getting up and sitting down with my nursing pillow, or even just sitting up in bed. After a month or so I felt safe enough removing the towels altogether and realized I shouldn't have worried in the first place. My personal advice is to practice with side-lying nursing. It can be a godsend on nights that you're too tired to even think straight (which happens quite frequently for me!)


----------



## my_baby_love (Jan 15, 2006)

I laid on my side and put DS's head at about boob height, even when we hadn't yet mastered side-lying nursing. Then I put the bottom arm stretched out over his head and the top arm wherever was comfortable and curled my knees up under his little legs. I pulled up the covers, but not so high they would go over his head, and then we went to sleep. I did have to sit up, either in bed or in the rocker next to the bed, to nurse for a while but once we mastered side-lying nursing we were set. We still sleep in roughly the same position, but I usually end up rolling onto my back at some point, and now DS rolls away from me sometimes. I hope you can get the hang of it! It doesn't sound very restful to sit up while you sleep!


----------



## mighty-mama (Sep 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Wellll..... I put the baby next to me and went to sleep.
















Really I think it's over-stressed about.

I put dd next to me at boob height and pulled our covers up to her chest level









-Angela


Okay silly, I did all that







.. But when it's a newborn and before it was possible to side-nurse.. Did you have to prop the babe up to nurse? Once he wants to nurse should I just cradle him in the crook of my elbow and side-nurse him that way?

Maybe I'm worrying too much, I did figure out how to side-nurse at one point, maybe the 2nd baby will be easier than the first..


----------



## ani'smommy (Nov 29, 2005)

I propped Ani up in my elbow on occasion, but it didn't really work that well.

Before we got the side-lying thing down, I sat up in bed to nurse her.


----------



## ani'smommy (Nov 29, 2005)

I propped Ani up in my elbow on occasion, but it didn't really work that well.

Before we got the side-lying thing down, I sat up in bed to nurse her.


----------



## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mighty-mama* 
Okay silly, I did all that







.. But when it's a newborn and before it was possible to side-nurse.. Did you have to prop the babe up to nurse? Once he wants to nurse should I just cradle him in the crook of my elbow and side-nurse him that way?

Maybe I'm worrying too much, I did figure out how to side-nurse at one point, maybe the 2nd baby will be easier than the first..

Well dd nursed side-lying just fine about 20 minutes after she was born.... so I say whatever works for you.

-Angela


----------



## GooeyDay (Apr 6, 2007)

Hmm... As I remember it, I nursed DS side-lying right off the bat, his first night born. (Although of course those first few weeks are a bit of a fog!) Is this not possible somehow?

~* Laura


----------



## flatstanley72 (Jan 9, 2007)

DD had to be swaddled to sleep when she was a newborn and the side-lying nursing took a while for us to get the hang of, so I just sat up in bed and nursed her. Even now that we are able to do the side-lying nursing, she nurses longer when I sit up and nurse her, which is more tiring for me, but then she sleeps longer before waking again.


----------



## NeivaKai (May 12, 2007)

My ds does the same thing...if he doesn't nurse for 30 min he wakes up 45 min later. I also have to actively hold his head on my nipple or he pops off sometimes, and that is really hard to do in the side lying position. I wish I could do it, it sounds so much more restful! I have to be sitting up, but falling asleep that way is actually okay...I havea chair pillow that works well.


----------



## CrunchyParent (Mar 13, 2007)

I often slept with DD lying on my chest (on her tummy). I think she was good with the side-lying nursing pretty early on. If not, I would sit up a bit to nurse. I remember needing to sit up to nurse more with DD#1, and she spent a lot of time sleeping in the crook of my arm.


----------



## pookel (May 6, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GooeyDay* 
Hmm... As I remember it, I nursed DS side-lying right off the bat, his first night born. (Although of course those first few weeks are a bit of a fog!) Is this not possible somehow?

It sure as heck wasn't possible for us! Corbin was several months old before I could get him to latch successfully while side-lying.

Sorry, OP, not much help here ... I had to get out of bed and cradle him in the recliner every time he needed to nurse, for a long time. And yeah, that meant there was a period where I didn't sleep more than an hour and a half at a time for several days straight.

All I can say is experiment and try to find a position that works for you. If side-lying doesn't, you can try sitting up in bed, maybe propped up against the wall with some pillows.


----------



## bellymama (Apr 15, 2007)

ds slept on my chest, tummy to tummy for the first 3 weeks. i just couldn't stand not to be in full contact with him at all times. after that i just laid him next to me.


----------



## angrypixiemama (Jan 5, 2007)

DD had latch issues in the beginning, so I was using a shield to be able to nurse her. Consequently, side-lying nursing did not work for us. I would sit up in bed to nurse her. When we were in sleep mode, she would sleep in the crook of my arm. There were many nights when my arm fell asleep or got the tingles, but it was worth every second of it. Now she snuggles next to me at nursing height, and can latch herself on whenever she gets hungry.


----------



## BirthInStyle (May 4, 2006)

We nurse side-lying with DD's head propped up in the crook of my arm and sleep like that every night. We started this at about 4 days old. The side-lying nursing was much easier this time (2nd baby).


----------



## J2 (Aug 12, 2006)

As a newborn, I used a nursing nest with DS while in bed. I got it a Burlington Coat Factory. It was so great to have! DS stayed easily in place with no worry about him getting moved all over the bed or smothered. And theoretically, you aren't supposed to even have to roll over to the other side to switch the side you are nursing on. But, I have small breasts even while nursing so I did have to switch sides. I couldn't just change my angle and use both sides while laying in the same position.

I never used the nursing nest on the table or anything. But it was great for in bed!

http://www.peacefulpea.com/nursing_n...8ea2ffed169ec8


----------



## torio (Jun 14, 2006)

We've been co-sleeping w/ our twins since they were born. They sleep between DH and I and each twin manages to burrow up against one of us--they do this on their own. We're able to nurse from either breast side-lying and I just switch the babies when one is full/sleepy and the other wakeful/hungry. When they both want to nurse at the same time I sit up in bed against a stack of pillows with a boppy and the twins in my lap.

If only we could get the hang of tandem side-lying nursing--still working on that. (We've tried letting one babe lie up against the other, but the bottom kiddo usually puts the kabosh on that pretty quickly.) Any ideas are welcome!

I'd suggest that you just keep trying to find what works for you. It amazes me how something I've tried even a day or two earlier will suddenly seem to work for my babes on a later try. Good luck.


----------



## katt (Nov 29, 2001)

Teo slept on my chest and I sat up to nurse him.

We now sleep side by side and nurse that way as well.


----------



## arlecchina (Jul 25, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Wellll..... I put the baby next to me and went to sleep.
















Really I think it's over-stressed about.

I put dd next to me at boob height and pulled our covers up to her chest level









-Angela









: we're the same.


----------



## aurinia (Jun 16, 2007)

I just sleep with Niyah in the crook of my arm, snuggled up against me. She nurses in this position, too...has since day one. With my oldest, though, it took several months to get the hang of side-lying nursing. Not sure if it was just the fumblings of a first-time mama or if she just wasn't as adept at it as her sister (Niyah bears a very strong resemblance to a Hoover vacuum most of the time...I swear she could find my nipple from the other side of the bed if she tried...LOL). I think mostly its just trial and error...


----------



## sugarlumpkin (Dec 20, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
I put dd next to me at boob height and pulled our covers up to her chest level









Yeah, That!

Except I just want to add that I sleep with the baby up against my body, so my arm on the side where my ds is sleeping is up and extended over his head. This can be a little uncomfortable, but I've gotten used to it now. I do switch sides during the night, so one arm is never extended all night. (Meaning that I switch the side the baby is on.)


----------



## fiatslug (Jan 3, 2007)

We put the organic bassinet mattress b/w DH & I in our king-sized bed. DD was swaddled and we used a hip positioner to keep her in one place (which gradually became less effective over time, when she could flip herself like a dolphin!--but worked fine for the first 10ish weeks or so). I kept a Boppy nearby and sat up to nurse--I couldn't get the hang of side-lying nursing until about 4 months.

When she got too mobile in that arrangement (about 3 mos), we reluctantly moved her to a crib in our room--she was fine w/it, but I hated it and missed her too much! We tried her in the bed w/us but DH & I slept terribly (we're big thrashers in our sleep!). Finally we sidecarred the crib and it's been wonderful! We'll likely do the same w/DC #2--start on the bassinet mattress, move to sidecarred crib.


----------



## Kailey's mom (Apr 19, 2007)

bassinet in the bed lol...DD was 4lbs8oz when we brought her home...I was scared I would smush her or something


----------



## heatheraddley (Feb 9, 2007)

I craddled my daughter in my arms with her face a couple inches from my breast (made feeding so easy!). We both slept great. I am a very light sleeper- so I wasn't worried about rolling on her or any of that jazz.


----------



## jenj_az (Jun 28, 2007)

Hi there! I am new here.

Anyway, I was nervous about bringing DD to bed with me and the first few nights she slept about 4 hours on my chest. I quickly became comfortable with my ability to wake up when she did and I just put her next to me and nursed her when she woke. We get 6-8 hours of sleep that way. Just go with what feels right.


----------



## princesspennie (Jul 26, 2005)

I do a modified version of co-sleeping.
My husband is a trucker and used to be a long haul driver, he has sleep apnea(somewhat under control) and snores real, real bad also tosses and turns violently thru the night







:

I slept in my LR on the sofa bed with my LO when he was an infant..as he got a little older 5-6 months I had his crib next to my side of the bed and would nurse as needed in the night and lay him down in his crib most nights.

I opened the sofa bed in the LR every night in case he did not want to sleep in his crib so I could just go lay down in there with him and try to get sleep.

Dont have the Sofa Bed anymore so I can not do that anymore.

We moved into a 2 bedroom apartment this past Febuary(sofa broke during the move) and now he sleeps in his crib in his room and I keep a full size air matress in his closet and go in his room and sleep on it when he needs me for comfort. On average I end up in there 3 nights week. He does not want to sleep with me anymore when he wakes up, so I lay there and try to comfort him by rubbing his back thru the slots in the crib and I repeat over and over..Mommies here..time for nite-nite..after 20-30 minutes he is falling asleep and I sleep on the air mattress in case he wakes again..if he wakes once at night I pretty much know he is going to wake a couple more timesI think he is dreaming much more now that he is alomost 2 and just can not go back to sleep on his own.


----------



## transformed (Jan 26, 2007)

oops. I thought the original one was the one right above this by princesspennie. LOL. Uh, disregard.
Why not get rid of the crib and put a bed in the second bedroom? Decorate it like a spare room, but you can sleep in there with the baby. I would use a queen matress and mabye put the crib matress underr the bed for times when you need to leave the baby to sleep alone. (On the floor on a crib matress surrounded by pillows.)

How old is he now? If you want to have him blocked in sometimes because he is going to be a toddler soon, you can use a pack and play for sleeping if you need to sneak off. I usually just SPRINTED to the bedroom whenever I heard the slightest movment but thats not the safest thing becausse he can fall off the bed! (Mine never did, thank GOD.)

Jenny


----------



## maybemom05 (Mar 15, 2004)

It took us forever to learn how to nurse lying down - DS was about 4 months old.

When he was tiny, I used a Snuggle Nest in bed between DH and I. I liked it because he was still right there next to me, but I was less worried about squishing him. (I know that this is a common worry, but I was super tired, and I'm a very deep sleeper, and the nest made me much more comfortable!)

As it turned out, DS has such a low sensory threshold that co-sleeping was a bit of a disaster for our family







: and we had to move him to a more quiet place much earlier than we'd planned, but the Snuggle Nest was great while it lasted!!


----------



## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

It took me a few months to get the hang of nursing laying down too and even still I usually do one middle of the night session sitting up and staying awake enough to make sure she's eating a lot (then she'll usually sleep longer until the next wake-up). Early on I did find it easier to nurse her laying on my back with her laying face-down across my belly. I don't remember exactly how anymore, but I think I used the Boppy somehow to help support her. I read recently that it was actually a very good position for nursing in for some reason.


----------



## blissful_maia (Feb 17, 2005)

With my first dd I found it easier to nurse her in the crook of my arm lying down (with a pillow supporting my arm) when she was a new newborn. This way I could also lie half on my back. Eventually we did side-lying with her on the bed beside me.

With my second, I just did side-lying from the beginning. I think it was easier the second time around!


----------



## ~PurityLake~ (Jul 31, 2005)

With my first, I cradled her under my arm, so when she woke, her head was breast height.
With Sophia, I was concerned about Abigail smooshing her, so I started out sleeping with Abigail between dh and I, and Sophia between me and the edge. That edge has a crib butted up against the bed, so she couldn't have rolled off. Once Sophia was over 10 #, I didn't worry anymore (Her birth weight was 1/2 of Abigail's birth weight).


----------



## serenityjewell (Oct 3, 2006)

I sat up in bed (prior to learning to side-lie) and used one of those folding camping chairs. You know, the ones that look like a small camping pad with clips that hold it in a chair shape. People often use them for outdoor concerts and things like that. It kept me sitting up without hunching my back and without having to be too awake to sit up and feed my DS. We started side-lying around 6 weeks successfully. I practiced at nap time and eventually it was just second nature.
Best to you,
Sarah*


----------



## MamaE (May 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mighty-mama* 
Maybe I'm worrying too much, I did figure out how to side-nurse at one point, maybe the 2nd baby will be easier than the first..

Yep, 2nd babe will be much easier to nurse side-lying. It took me weeks to learn it with my dd, but with ds (born in April), we were nursing side-lying the first night in the hospital. I bet it will come naturally to you this time. Don't worry! I feel like I got tons more sleep at night in the first few weeks with DS than I did with DD. With DD, I had to sit up and turn on lights to nurse, not with DS. It's much easier the 2nd time. You're a pro now, whether you realize it or not!


----------



## mighty-mama (Sep 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaE* 
Yep, 2nd babe will be much easier to nurse side-lying. It took me weeks to learn it with my dd, but with ds (born in April), we were nursing side-lying the first night in the hospital. I bet it will come naturally to you this time. Don't worry! I feel like I got tons more sleep at night in the first few weeks with DS than I did with DD. With DD, I had to sit up and turn on lights to nurse, not with DS. It's much easier the 2nd time. You're a pro now, whether you realize it or not!

thank you everyone!!!


----------



## pjlioness (Nov 29, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Wellll..... I put the baby next to me and went to sleep.
















Really I think it's over-stressed about.

I put dd next to me at boob height and pulled our covers up to her chest level









-Angela

Yeah, same here. Nothing special.


----------



## taes_mum (May 8, 2007)

I did the exact same thing you do! Held him in the crook of my arm in a half sitting position w/ a pillow propped under my arm. After a while I switched to just lying him on the mattress and I layed on my side facing him and just didn't have the blankets pulled up.
I know there is something called a snuggle nest for this...doubt you need it tho. Just keep the area clear of fluffy comforters and such and you should be fine.


----------



## lilacandbabes (Aug 20, 2006)

I don't think anyones said this, but I used a chiropractic pillow to cosleep early on. It raised them up a few inches so I didn't have to worry about them quite as much, has walls on each side so they can't roll out, and it actually is about the right height to nurse from the breast that is on top when I'm laying down. But I have short nipples, so it only worked with my son when I was wearing the shield, I didn't nurse like that with my dd. Hope you've gotten lots of help and new ideas!


----------



## Sea_Gal (Jan 15, 2006)

I think for me new mom paranoia was the main challenge to co-sleeping with a newborn. But since we had a home birth the main place she's slept has been with us in the bed. We did get this bath pillow for her to sleep on but it's rarely used. It was my post partum doula that helped the most with sleep and side lying nursing. She put two pillows under my head, dd in the crook of my arm, She put pillows supporting my back and put a folded baby blanket
under my arm and her butt. Best sleep I'd had in almost a year. Setting aside everything esle she did, helping me figure out that made her totally worth it. Now I just lay dd on her side at breast hight, draw her in close, and stick my nipple in her mouth. Sometimes I have her on my arm, other times it's just the bed. Anyway supporting your back or your dc can really help a lot. Happy co-sleeping. I have loved it so much I'm surprised the crib manufacturers can stay in business.







:







:


----------



## growingmom (Jul 2, 2007)

After maybe week 1 or 2, every night I'd put DS on his side and try nursing him like that for a few minutes, but he didn't like it. By the time he was 4-6 weeks, he could nurse on his side no problem.


----------



## mommainak (May 19, 2007)

I'm curious how I'm going to nurse the new baby, nurse my will-be-15month old, _and_ get some sleep! I guess it will take practice! Any suggestions?

Mindy


----------



## Sea_Gal (Jan 15, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *growingmom* 
By the time he was 4-6 weeks, he could nurse on his side no problem.

That is one really happy thing, with persistence it all gets better with time.


----------



## leewd (Aug 14, 2005)

Both of mine have been "armpit sleepers."

They literally slept in our armpits. Me (or DH) lying on my back with baby at my side and my arm around her. For nursing, I would scootch away a few inches then roll toward her. Sometimes she would be on her side with her face in my armpit (I could feel her breath this way and always knew she was fine) so I didn't have to move her and sometimes I would have to roll her toward me.

As you can probably tell, they slept in between us.


----------



## youngmom01 (Jun 9, 2007)

I didn't know it takes some people awhile to get the hang of side-lying nursing. I couldn't even attempt to sit up in bed for at least a whole week, and ds's first breastfeeding session was lying down...did that most of the time for the first few weeks.


----------



## mamamille (Nov 30, 2006)

I would sit up in bed and nurse til asleep and then once finsihed would lay dd down on a seperate blanket so I could move her around and not have to pick her up or disturb her too much. That way in the winter I could move her so her head was the same level as mine and I din't have to worry about the blankets. We used a candle so I could see to position her, and we didn't get the side-lying down until she was 3 months old (I think) when her neck got stronger. I think for the first 3-4 months she slept in the crook of my arm flat, not propped. and she was always a belly sleeper so she never slept on me perse. Then when we started sidelying I switch her side to side, depending on which side we are on.


----------



## donannedean (Jul 8, 2005)

It was december when Natur was born. I took two turtle necks and cut out the bellies of them. I put Nature in a diaper and layed her face down on her belly on my belly. We slept so good and the skin to skin contact was amazing! I wish so much I had done that with my first child. I think we wouln't have had so many sleep problems if I had.
Donanne


----------

