Diaper Swappers

magooken · 11-20-2010, 02:25 PM

i have bfed 2 kids and i never really got the hang of nursing lying down. i have tried it a few times with both kids, but it never really was relaxing or easier for me than just sitting up. i feel like i may not be able to do it well because i have a small chest? my mom said she always used the top breast to feed us, and she suggested that to me. i had to tell her that it wouldn't work for me because when i lie on my side, that one points to the ceiling!

hers are pretty big, btw (dd cups). anyway, even doing it with the one closest to the bed, i never really liked it.

this is also probably why co-sleeping never made sense for us. that, and we all seem to sleep better in our own beds. and it's cold here, so i like to stay covered up with big fluffy blankets.

melyndie · 11-20-2010, 03:08 PM

We co-slept from six weeks until about 3 1/2 months, and it was a lifesaver for me. I finally got some sleep. It did take my daughter (and me) six weeks to "get" side-lying breastfeeding, though. It is kind of tricky but, for us, definitely worth learning. It really helped when I no longer had to hold my breast and steer it into her mouth. When she could suck the nipple into her mouth herself and when I didn't have to constantly correct her latch, then it really became worthwhile to co-sleep and side-lie. Before then it was more work than anything (and PAIN when she didn't latch right), but we'd practice it now and then during the day when I could see what she was doing better.

maymommy10 · 11-20-2010, 03:19 PM

I am large-breasted, but I am not sure I'd survive without side-lying. However, it was the position that took the most practice at first due to the reasons mentioned above. Now it's my favorite because it keeps DS 6 months from getting so distracted while eating, which almost always happens when I sit up and nurse. We don't co-sleep, but when DS wakes at night, I do bring him to our bed to eat for 10 minutes, then put him back in his room.

Qbit · 11-20-2010, 03:31 PM

It took us months and months and months to get the hang of it. I don't even know when it was that I was actually able to do it, and do it comfortably but I'm inclined to say that it wasn't until about 7 or 8 months which was shortly before we started co-sleeping. I tried co-sleeping when my DS was tiny but neither of us slept well that way so we didn't do it. He was still waking and nursing at night by 9 months or so and I decided that I'd try co-sleeping again because I just couldn't handle having to get up out of bed to get him from his room multiple times a night. We still co-sleep and we did just night wean but I still nurse him in bed in the morning, and at night before bed. I actually prefer it to sitting up now and I even sometimes fall asleep while doing it.
I think the reason I found it tricky at first was that when DS was littler he needed me to support him and hold him against my body while we nursed lying down. I found this uncomfortable because it put me in an awkward position and I was having to strain and use muscles to keep him against my body, therefore I couldn't just relax.
I do have pretty big boobs. I'm about a DD or an E. Though, if you had told me in the past (once upon a time when I was about a B cup) that I would one day have Es, I probably would have imagined myself with watermelons on my chest. My boobs really don't seem that big to me now though. And even my friends can hardly believe that I'm an E. And yes, I've been professionally measured and my bra fits like a glove. Despite having fairly big boobs, I don't find it comfortable to stay laying on one side while my DS takes both breasts. Sometimes I do out of shear laziness, but mostly I flip over and get on the other side of my DS to give him the other breast.
How old were your LOs when you tried BFing lying down? Maybe you just need to try again when they're a little bigger. It made a world of difference for me once my DS could support himself on his side against my body.

GEMQEMCABOOSE · 11-20-2010, 03:35 PM

Never did get the hang of it even with 37 months of nursing including 3 babies. We schedule and crib sleep so mine STTN at 9 weeks and I never had a need so it all worked out here. I am an E cup FWIW.

OrganicMom · 11-20-2010, 07:15 PM

First of all, hello from one small chested Minnesotan to another.

I didn't get the hang of nursing lying down until my second child. Out of pure exhaustion, I finally figured out what worked for us. I'd fold up a bath towel in thirds or fourths (until it was baby-sized) and lay baby on the towel. Then I'd lay down facing her with my chest also on the towel (she'd nurse on the one on the bottom). Then I'd put my bottom arm up with a pillow on top of it to rest my head on and a pillow wedged behind my back. It took my husband's help to get setup for all this for several weeks, but then I was able to swing it all by myself. With your free hand on top, you can cuddle baby and get them closer if needed (we would usually end up tummy to tummy, since with a smaller chest the kiddo needs to be pretty close to you

) or help with the latch. I'm glad I figured it out, as it turned out to be really comfortable. Keep trying if you think you may be interested in that position!

RedheadMom09 · 11-20-2010, 07:16 PM

Going on 2 years of BFing here and still can't get the hang of it. At first it didn't work because DD was so little, then she got so sick (heart defect) that she needed a feeding tube. By the time she was well enough to relearn to nurse, she was recovering from heart surgery and could only nurse in the cross-cradle position. To this day, she thinks that's the only position she can nurse in. I think my neck and back are permanently sore from leaning over her to nurse in that position. She'll be 2 in a few weeks and although I have no intenton of weaning anytime soon, I do look forward to the end of the backaches. Oh, how I wish she would nurse with me lying down.....

Ehlane · 11-20-2010, 08:27 PM

Definitely never got the hang of it, and gave up pretty quickly. DS sleeps in his own room and only nurses once a night, so it's not that big of a deal for me to go in there, throw a quick feed on him, and get him back in bed before he realizes that he's really awake.

Cosleeping was never an option for me as I'm a very light sleeper and babies are surprisingly noisy when they sleep.

magooken · 11-20-2010, 09:28 PM

i actually just gave it a try again this evening. we started out side-lying, then what ended up working better was me on my back and her laying across my body (sort of like how we nurse sitting up, except lying down). it was kind of weird, but it worked. my dd is almost 14 months and STILL gets up once a night most nights. oh, how i long for 8 hrs of sleep! she used to sleep through between 1-3 months old, but hasn't consistently done it since then.

there was one time that side lying was a lifesaver, and that was when i had the stomach flu. it was really the only option because i couldn't stay upright very long. that was with my oldest. we did it a few times after that, but when she got a little older, she was NOT having it. she started sleeping through at 9 months or so, i think.

magooken · 11-20-2010, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrganicMom

First of all, hello from one small chested Minnesotan to another.

11-20-2010, 02:25 PM	#1
magooken Registered Users Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,225 Ratings: 74 Feedback: 100%	did anyone else never get the hang of nursing lying down? i have bfed 2 kids and i never really got the hang of nursing lying down. i have tried it a few times with both kids, but it never really was relaxing or easier for me than just sitting up. i feel like i may not be able to do it well because i have a small chest? my mom said she always used the top breast to feed us, and she suggested that to me. i had to tell her that it wouldn't work for me because when i lie on my side, that one points to the ceiling! hers are pretty big, btw (dd cups). anyway, even doing it with the one closest to the bed, i never really liked it. this is also probably why co-sleeping never made sense for us. that, and we all seem to sleep better in our own beds. and it's cold here, so i like to stay covered up with big fluffy blankets. __________________ Full-time WOHM to two girls

11-20-2010, 03:08 PM	#2
melyndie Registered Users Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Maine Posts: 896 Ratings: 18 Feedback: 100%	Re: did anyone else never get the hang of nursing lying down? We co-slept from six weeks until about 3 1/2 months, and it was a lifesaver for me. I finally got some sleep. It did take my daughter (and me) six weeks to "get" side-lying breastfeeding, though. It is kind of tricky but, for us, definitely worth learning. It really helped when I no longer had to hold my breast and steer it into her mouth. When she could suck the nipple into her mouth herself and when I didn't have to constantly correct her latch, then it really became worthwhile to co-sleep and side-lie. Before then it was more work than anything (and PAIN when she didn't latch right), but we'd practice it now and then during the day when I could see what she was doing better.

11-20-2010, 03:19 PM	#3
maymommy10 Registered Users Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1,677 Ratings: 55 Feedback: 100%	Re: did anyone else never get the hang of nursing lying down? I am large-breasted, but I am not sure I'd survive without side-lying. However, it was the position that took the most practice at first due to the reasons mentioned above. Now it's my favorite because it keeps DS 6 months from getting so distracted while eating, which almost always happens when I sit up and nurse. We don't co-sleep, but when DS wakes at night, I do bring him to our bed to eat for 10 minutes, then put him back in his room.

11-20-2010, 03:31 PM	#4
Qbit Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 1,875 Ratings: 8 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: did anyone else never get the hang of nursing lying down? It took us months and months and months to get the hang of it. I don't even know when it was that I was actually able to do it, and do it comfortably but I'm inclined to say that it wasn't until about 7 or 8 months which was shortly before we started co-sleeping. I tried co-sleeping when my DS was tiny but neither of us slept well that way so we didn't do it. He was still waking and nursing at night by 9 months or so and I decided that I'd try co-sleeping again because I just couldn't handle having to get up out of bed to get him from his room multiple times a night. We still co-sleep and we did just night wean but I still nurse him in bed in the morning, and at night before bed. I actually prefer it to sitting up now and I even sometimes fall asleep while doing it. I think the reason I found it tricky at first was that when DS was littler he needed me to support him and hold him against my body while we nursed lying down. I found this uncomfortable because it put me in an awkward position and I was having to strain and use muscles to keep him against my body, therefore I couldn't just relax. I do have pretty big boobs. I'm about a DD or an E. Though, if you had told me in the past (once upon a time when I was about a B cup) that I would one day have Es, I probably would have imagined myself with watermelons on my chest. My boobs really don't seem that big to me now though. And even my friends can hardly believe that I'm an E. And yes, I've been professionally measured and my bra fits like a glove. Despite having fairly big boobs, I don't find it comfortable to stay laying on one side while my DS takes both breasts. Sometimes I do out of shear laziness, but mostly I flip over and get on the other side of my DS to give him the other breast. How old were your LOs when you tried BFing lying down? Maybe you just need to try again when they're a little bigger. It made a world of difference for me once my DS could support himself on his side against my body. Last edited by Qbit; 11-20-2010 at 03:34 PM.

11-20-2010, 03:35 PM	#5
GEMQEMCABOOSE Registered Users Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Beautiful Tennessee Posts: 3,233 Ratings: 128 Feedback: 100% My Mood:	Re: did anyone else never get the hang of nursing lying down? Never did get the hang of it even with 37 months of nursing including 3 babies. We schedule and crib sleep so mine STTN at 9 weeks and I never had a need so it all worked out here. I am an E cup FWIW. __________________ Leslie Helpmeet since 1999. WAHM to Big(04), Middle(08) and Little(09).TWINS due in September!! Granola crunchy, scheduling, Evangelical Liberal mommy that CDs, BFs, ERFs, & BWs. An attached parent without the Attachment Parenting.