BF in bed???'s

mrsashkennedy · September 2011

So we don't yet have a rocker or a chair I can use for feeding at night (well, besides in the living room), but I know many BF in bed. Is this easy? We have a queen size bed and I'm concerned mostly about space since it would be baby, DH and I in bed while feeding. Also, if you do BF in bed, do you sit up or do a side lying position? I have larger breasts and I don't know how I won't suffocate DD laying on my side! Lol. Any insight is appreciated

mandy0505 · September 2011

We have a california king and sometimes we are still squished, especially when I' facing outward with dd near the edge. When I'm facing outward it is usually a pillow, dd, me and then dh on the other side. As you can imagine, in this position dh is usually on the edge.

I bf sitting or laying down. More recently its mostly laying since I'm super exhausted. I'm sure I will get flamed for saying this but I typically fall asleep for a little while dd is nursing and we are laying down. I'm sure it is not the safest thing to do but I'm still partially awake as I can feel her sucking.

I'm a larger breasted girl (just ordered "G" in bras and they are still too small) and have never had problems with suffocating her. If anything I find it easier to position my breast away from her nose while lying down opposed to cradling her.

Hope this helps. PM me if you have any more ?? as some times I don't check back in on posts

Bluescarf · September 2011

I have a glider but still use the bed anyways. We have a regular quenn bed and it isn't cramped at all. I so side-lying because it is comfier for me and ds too. I know for myself while laying down the opposite breast lands a little above his head.

Pinaysis86 · September 2011

I BF in bed, on the couch, in my glider haha wherever I seem to be at the time. My bed is a queen and my DH and I fit just fine when I'm nursing my LO. I just stack pillows behind me so I can sit up comfortably. Its easier this way to get up and place my LO back in his co-sleeper when he falls asleep after nursing. If I lay down and nurse I have a hard time getting up without waking him (still healing from my c-section and I can't really use my stomach muscles quite yet)

iamgrace · September 2011

I'm breastfeeding in bed right this moment! No space issues and we only have a double. I side lie.

pepomntpat · September 2011

We have a queen and we've done fine. In the beginning I would do a laid back sort of feeding with DD on my belly with her feet towards my feet and my laying on an angle (you can google laid back breastfeeding). I propped all kinds of pillows around me to keep me comfortable. Now that she is bigger I do a lot of side lying.

ksulli · September 2011

I side lie for all night time feedings and a few daytime ones. I think it's the easiest way to do it. We have a queen and fit with space to spare. DH & I are both in good shape though, so that has to help with the space issue. Sometimes if DH is sleeping more towards the center of the bed than his side I'll nudge him & say to scooch over. I find it easy to move myself or DD to get the angle where you aren't plugging her nose with boob, so no suffocation concerns here.

babynoodle07 · September 2011

DS and I just got the hang of side-lying nursing and it makes life so much easier at night! (We bed share- flame away!) It took us a little while to get it I think because he was just too small and needed a lot of encouragement to latch properly before. Before we got the side lying thing down pat I used a reading pillow (just an example, pick one up from Target for about $14) to support me in bed while sitting up to feed him. Made life so much easier. DH and I share a queen sized bed with DS and have never had a problem with space limitations. I usually end up near the middle of the bed with DS on one side and DH on the other. GL!

(Also- if you think you may be inclined to fall asleep while breastfeeding in bed or if you might like to bed share with your infant PLEASE research safe bed sharing practices. Here is a quick list but there is much more information out there for you to read. Above all be safe!)

vtwildlifer04 · September 2011

I would just add that even if you can't do the side-lying position at first, continue to try it (it was WEEKS before we could do this). Once he got bigger, it was easier.

tokenhoser · September 2011

I fall asleep most of the time nursing LO. Because of this, I've set up a safe cosleeping bed for just baby and me. We're in a twin in his room - it's starting to get crowded, but in the beginning was just fine. Our big bed isn't safe for a baby - it's got a memory foam topper, too many blankets and pillows, and DH is a bigger guy that would make the mattress slope toward him. For us, it's not safe to have baby in the big bed with us.

I learned to nurse side lying at 4 days - I was exhausted. It's the only thing that's kept me functioning.

nosoup4u · September 2011

mandy0505:
I bf sitting or laying down. More recently its mostly laying since I'm super exhausted. I'm sure I will get flamed for saying this but I typically fall asleep for a little while dd is nursing and we are laying down. I'm sure it is not the safest thing to do but I'm still partially awake as I can feel her sucking.

Lying down while nursing, and even going to sleep while doing it, is safer than dozing off while holding a baby.

OP - we had a queen-sized bed when my first son was born, and it was a bit squished, but it worked out in the beginning. We ended up getting a king-size mattress when he was six months, and then a crib mattress specifically for him to sleep on pushed up against our king-size when he was 12 months. The link about co-sleeping safely is a good one. And I've always found side-lying nursing to be a great way to nurse.

cchill01 · September 2011

I found it EXTREMELY difficult to BF a newborn in bed. Once they have some head and neck control - around 2 months - it's easy. But before that, I had to hold DD's head to my chest.

Plus, my c-section was in a lot of pain lying on my side.

Good luck

mrsashkennedy · September 2011

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences and tips!! I feel a little better. I just got a boppy at my shower and I'm excited to try that as well.

kacelle · September 2011

iamgrace:
I'm breastfeeding in bed right this moment! No space issues and we only have a double. I side lie.

We have a double as well, and haven't had any problems side-lying nursing.

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