Side lying position

wieb67

Hi all! Until recently, the side lying breastfeeding position worked great for us (baby is 9 weeks) - he would latch, start nursing and I was able to sleep. When he was done he would unlatch and go back to sleep. These days he squirms and kicks all night - he wakes up every time my nipple falls out of his mouth but if I try to put it back in he just gets fussy. I doubt I'm getting more than an hour or two of sleep all night. He is such a light sleeper that I've never really gotten him to sleep in the crib or RNP for more than a few mins...sometimes I change his diaper and that helps, other times it seems like it's gas. Any ideas?? I haven't slept in three days - about to go insane...

mommatotwo2

Well, the idea of bedsharing and nursing is partially to help you get more rest and it sounds like that's not happening. Babies start becoming more alert and distracted at this age and may not do well bedsharing. It might be time to move baby over to a cosleeper or pack and play in your room and help baby get into a habit of nursing and then going in their own space for sleep. Try swaddling or a Paci in their own space.

Another thought is that baby is coming up in the big 3 month growth spurt and might just need more milk and therefore is waking to nurse more frequently. Make sure you're offering both breasts throughout the night and production should start boosting to keep up with demand. Also consider offering more frequently during the day even if baby isn't demanding, to try and get baby more calories during the day.

Good luck!

mommatotwo2

One more thing, if you are a sahm or not back to work yet and don't have other children, nap when the baby does during the day. The housework and visitors can wait. I was a stickler about this and I think it really helped me survive those early months.

wieb67

Thanks all - he is not a huge fan of the paci but I will try it more during the day to see if he will get used to it. The one time he slept a five hour stretch was when I was away from him for like six hours - my mom gave him a bottle of pumped milk around 10PM and I was pretty engorged when I got home at 11 PM so I nursed him again - maybe he does need more calories than he's getting at night. It seems like he's sucking me dry and getting frustrated between let downs, but he seems content between feedings. Maybe I could supplement with pumped milk before bed? I've been trying to nap while he naps but I'm a notoriously bad napper and all I do is think about all the stuff that needs to get done - maybe I need to have a glass of wine first, lol. Also, this goes back to the fact that he wakes up when I put him down for naps and squirms if he's in bed with me. I'll try him in his RNP again this week and see if it helps.

mommatotwo2

You could definitely supplement with pumped milk before bed, just make sure you pump when he he gets that bottle to let your body know about the increased demand my LO wouldn't take a paci either, so I totally understand that struggle. Are you swaddling? Try that if you're not, but only if baby is in their own space, not if baby is in your bed, I'm fairly sure I read its not safe. Also try a white noise machine. Try patting baby's belly when you first lie him down to help him drift off and lie him down really sleepy, like straight off the breast. Lastly, I know it's so hard to nap when there is so much to do, but I really think this is a big part of a successful nursing relationship, resting when you can. Let DH help out around the house