I have an almost 6 week old and sometimes, especially in the early morning, I like to nurse her sidelying in bed. It's nice to doze while doing this since I'm so sleep deprived, however, then she needs to be burped and her diaper needs to be changed, etc. So, my question is, those who bed share and nurse throughout the night, do you just not burp the baby? Do you not change his or her diaper? What's the secret? I would love to do side lying for that middle of the night feeding too.
Re: Breast feeding in bed
In the beginning I was burping her and changing her but I quickly realized it wasn't necessary unless it was a poopie diaper and breast fed babies don't need burped as much. Once I stopped getting up for these things my life got much easier! And I get tons of sleep and have a very happy well slept baby and husband!
I actually find that my baby needs to be burped less if I feed him while he's half asleep because he sucks softer. If he does seem to need it and we're really sleepy, my husband will lay him over his chest to burp him.
As for changing, I check while he's feeding and do it when he really needs it. At almost 8 weeks old, that's still at least once a night, but my lo is a heavy wetter and constant pooper. I change him on the bed on a changing pad. Everything is in arms reach, so all I have to do is sit up. Then we get to lay back down and nurse to sleep again. If it weren't for the diaper change, he wouldn't even wake up.
DS2 - Oct 2010 (my VBAC baby!)
Obviously, I wake up when he does, so I glance at the clock. If it's been hours, usually about 2:30 for us, I change his diaper in my bed. Gross, but I just toss the wet one on the floor and deal in the morning. I should put a pail by our bed. I never burp at night and have kind of stopped during the day too. It seems like he spits up more when I'm banging on his back! Bf babies don't take in a lot of extra air anyhow. I keep a burp cloth by my head though just in case of spit-up. Edit: If I don't change mid-night, I found out the hard way (multiple times) that his diaper, regardless of the brand, will leak everywhere.
My son never seemed to really NEED to be burped. But I could just sit him up with one hand and burp him with the other (draped over just my hand) while still lying down. Night feeds are pretty calm though, so Baby may just swallow less air.
Diapering is trickier. I always felt guilty leaving my son wet, even if he didn't seem bothered.
Even if you sit up to change her diaper in bed BEFORE a feeding (which you can fall back asleep during), you are still going to be getting WAY more sleep than if you tried to put her back in the bassinet or had to sit up to feed. I remember when I discovered side-lying nursing - GAME CHANGER.
Mama to Sebastian, born 9/2010