If you nurse in bed...

altow1310

What safety precautions do you take for dozing off with LO? I have recently begun nursing LO side-by-side in bed as he has started waking up throughout the night, which he hasn't done for a couple months. He usually only wakes once, so I'll bring him in bed, and we will both fall asleep while nursing. I always make sure the blanket is pulled down away from him, and the only pillows are the ones under my head which his head and face are not close to. Just curious as to whether there is anything else I should be doing or anything else I should consider? We are in a queen size bed right now but upgrading to king soon. Right now LO is still swaddled and not rolling, but I do want to make sure we are being as safe as possible. Sometimes I worry my boob is going to suffocate him.

ashwise

I nurse in bed multiple times a night every night. Often I sit up in bed with her so if I do doze off then I'm sitting up.  If I'm laying back I found a good position for us was on my back with LO almost kneeling at my side suckling that way.  It's a weird position but it works and if both of us nod off it's okay.  I also pull her bassinet next to the bed so she can't roll off.  Most of the time I find that she's a better nurser when I stay awake too, so I try and keep myself entertained with my phone or something. Luckily she's a fast eater and only nurses for 10-15 minutes in the middle of the night 

meganraschke

I also pull the pnp right next to the bed so he doesn't roll off if he's on the outside. We are in a queen bed too so space is pretty tight when all 3 of us are in the bed. I sleep with a light on so I can see at any point when I wake up, it just makes me feel better about it. I also sleep without a shirt on. I read somewhere online that babies noses are designed to breathe against your breast (obviously not if you are smothering them though) so I figure if I am shirtless I don't have to worry about the fabric suffocating him. I pull the top half of my body back, as I have large breasts, I figure the farther away I am the better. He can still latch but I'm not pressed up against his face. I also keep pillows between the pnp and the edge of the bed. Right now I am more comfortable with him on the outside than I am in the middle of us. My husband is a deep sleeper and I've woken up to him elbowing LO in the head and generally sleeping to close to him without realizing it. 
i basically don't sleep very well with LO in the bed because I trying to be extra aware. But I still feel like we are all getting better sleep with him in the bed than we would be right now with the sleep regression

edited to add: I also keep the blankets down below my waist. If my arms get cold I'll put my robe on. 
If I am awake when he falls asleep I will rest his head on top of my breast. Like using my breast as his pillow. I figure that way he has less of a chance of rolling face down into the sheets

AiramJ

I make sure that his head is next to my pillow, so that there is no chance of my body rolling on his face. I have been sharing a bed with him since he was born and we never had an issue. He wears his sleeping bag and I put my duvet over his legs. He loves sleeping in the big bed with us!

akfbookworm

I sleep topless, easier for LO to latch. I sleep mostly on my left side, sandwiched between LO and DH. The pack n play is next to my side of the bed. I keep a burp rag/receiving blanket covering my other breast and part of my chest, mainly to deal with leaking. Some times I put his head on my left arm. LO sleeps only in a sleeper, I try to put one of his little blankets under him, mainly to protect the sheets from a leaky diaper , but I can also cover his legs if he seems cold. I make sure my hair is away from him too, it's not super long, but that was another tip I read about safe co-sleeping. 

Blinkbaby

akfbookworm said:

I sleep topless, easier for LO to latch. I sleep mostly on my left side, sandwiched between LO and DH. The pack n play is next to my side of the bed. I keep a burp rag/receiving blanket covering my other breast and part of my chest, mainly to deal with leaking. Some times I put his head on my left arm. LO sleeps only in a sleeper, I try to put one of his little blankets under him, mainly to protect the sheets from a leaky diaper , but I can also cover his legs if he seems cold. I make sure my hair is away from him too, it's not super long, but that was another tip I read about safe co-sleeping. 

^ this. I do the exact same thing. Been co-sleeping from the beginning and he's 16 weeks now. 

janeedem

I sleep with a tight nursing tank top and a tight zip up light jacket so that I'm  warm and there is no chance that my clothes will smother him. I tuck the blankets in tight to ensure that they can't be pulled above my waist. I nurse him on my side and place a pillow under my lower back so as to distribute my weight on it, preventing me from falling on him. 

amwright33

I always put little one in the crib first and then bed if she wakes up. Hubby leaves around eleven at night so it's less of a worry.her head is on my arm while she eats and I cradled her. She doesn't move much with me but a lot in her crib. I think she is looking for me. I make sure pillows and blankets are away from her head and have a blanket and dog on the other side of me to lean on. She sleeps much better with me in bed. Nursing is much easier. She has started sleeping through the night in her crib and I miss her. We still take naps together she won't otherwise