How to deal with a comfort nurser?

[katiegud]

I am interested in ECing, but haven't REALLY started yet. I have been watching my baby and trying to keep track of when she goes, and it seems to be going well. She actually seems like she likes to tell me what's happening, but she is often not awake! She always pees after nursing, but is a huge comfort nurser. Usually she will fall asleep, then pees in her sleep. How do you handle that and EC?

[smilingjessica]

How old is she?

Often times, they won't actually pee during sleep. They will stir (maybe a slight stir) and then pee and then go back to sleep. Try paying attention to exactly when she pees when sleeping. Can you tell when she is wet easy? I used to have DS in a fitted with no cover or a prefold with no cover, so I could tell right away.

[katiegud]

She is 8 weeks. She definitely stirs, but doesn't seem like she really wakes up. We use pockets and AIOs, so it isn't as easy to tell, but generally it is a few minutes (10ish) after she eats from what I can tell. What I've been going by is the stirring, but then I don't want to fully wake her up and then have to nurse her again to get her back to sleep.

[mel j]

I didn't really start EC until 3 months with each of mine, but I used to nurse my LO's over a potty bowl at night. I kept the bowl in the room within reach so I didn't have to go far.

Now I just take my daughter to the bathroom if I think she needs to go, and nurse her over the sink or toilet. (She will not pee in the potty bowl or a potty anymore.)

Both of mine are huge comfort nursers, too. My daughter, not quite as much as my son, but she likes to nurse for comfort when she has to pee at night (and is also usually hungry at about the same time.) She doesn't really pee in her sleep - she'll pee without opening her eyes, but I don't think she's in a deep sleep, then.