BFing in bed = FAIL

skibrook82 · March 2010

So, last night I thought I would try to nurse in bed, since I have LO right next to me in the mini co-sleeper, however, it was a huge fail. I have relatively large BB's (40 DD) and well, I get fairly engourged at night to, so with that combination he could barely latch on and kept pulling off, plus it was hard to visualize his nose and it sounded like he was having trouble breathing.

It's ashame, because I was really looking forward to just staying in bed and nursing. Anyone have success with nursing in bed at night? Any tips on making it work? Thanks!

mh2t · March 2010

It was awhile before I could do this - I still can't just put her on and fall asleep, because she unlatches and can't relatch because of how large the bbs are and how they sort of slip around. I also use one hand to kind of pull the bb up above the nipple so that it doesn't block her nose and breathing. I guess just keep practicing!

ibis · March 2010

Is it side-lying that you're trying to do? I've heard that that is actually usually a little easier for large breasted women. I have relatively small ones for a BFing mama (D) and I have to do a weird side cradle hold to get it to work... and on my smaller boob he often has a bad latch in that position (too shallow). Still, I do it when I'm too lazy to sit up.

Otherwise I just sit up in bed. I have three pillows, one behind me and two under my head, so I just shift the middle pillow and sit back to nurse. DS is kind of on my belly and I'm semi-reclining.

skibrook82 · March 2010

ibis:

Is it side-lying that you're trying to do?

It was side-lying I was trying. But maybe putting a few extra pillows in bed and sitting semi-reclined would work better. Hmm...maybe I'll try that tonight. Thank you.

jen-dale · March 2010

I BF in bed every night. I sit up and put the boppy on my lap. I usually have a few pillows behind me so I can sort of lean back a little.

MrsGhappilyeverafter · March 2010

jen-dale:
I BF in bed every night. I sit up and put the boppy on my lap. I usually have a few pillows behind me so I can sort of lean back a little.

This is what I do too. I cannot master the side-lying position. I just cannot get him latched properly that way. I wish I could though.

Mrs. Diss · March 2010

I put my body pillow on the back of the bed and left it there each night, so when DD was in the bassinet in our room, I would just put my pillow up and feed her sitting up a bit but leaning back with her craddled in my arms. Worked well for us.

mrsmiller06 · March 2010

I have very lg bb's and was never able to master the laying down & feeding position. I tried for the first 2mos and eventually gave up, it's not so bad now that she sleeps through the night though! I always had to sit up at least a little bit.

PurpleK26 · March 2010

I've tried this too, the only way I could get it to work was to put my arm up under my pillow so that my boob and ribs were actually against the mattress. I didn't hold LO at all, just tipped her lower half towards me and put a rolled up blanket behind her back. Used my top arm to hold the boob away from her nose, but otherwise, just let her do her thing.

JennLuvsMatt · March 2010

I nurse in bed every morning. Sometimes I have to sit up and get her to latch on and then lay down on my side but she has gotten pretty good and latching on when I'm laying down. I can only do it with my left boob though, not my right.

pentagrl · March 2010

I completely ditto PurpleK! That's word for word what I had to do while I BF and Same as Jenn I could only do one BB not the other!

erinkate23 · March 2010

I sit up in bed, turn on the light (it's a dim one), and start that way. Once he's latched on and settled, I slowly lower myself down on my side; he won't detach easily. Some day I'll be able to get him latched on lying down, but this is better than nothing for now!

DrDPM · March 2010

It just takes some practice and some patience. No worries, you'll get the hang of it! It's gotten easier for me with each baby. I have a smaller chest, maybe a full B/small C cup. I nurse DS on my side as well, but I put my top leg foward, so that I lean into him a bit (hope that makes sense).

I have a small nightlight next to my side of the bed, that gives me just enough light to get him latched on. Once he's on, he'll stay latched until he's finished/falls asleep (this took some time to get to this point).

This may seem silly to ask, but if you're laying on your left side, are you nursing from your R or L breast? Try switching things around and see if that makes any difference.

veryargylegirl · March 2010

I have never been a big fan of nursing in bed. I, too, have really large breasts and when they are full it is really difficult for him to latch. It has gotten better as he has gotten bigger, but I still have only done it a hand full of times. I am just more comfortable getting up to nurse (or course, he STTN at 6 weeks, so I'm not getting up at night.)

CareBear2005 · March 2010

Due to pure exhaustion, I've been side-lying since he was a week or 2 old. I would die without being able to do this, LOL!

I also keep my arm under the pillow so that I'm flat against the mattress, and LO just turns his head to latch on. Then I roll myself more toward him to do the other boob, rather than move him to the other side. But I'm relatively small chested as well. (B/C)

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