Does anyone else's LO nurse to sleep? I know there are different opinions on this and she'll have to eventually learn other ways to self soothe. But for now, my 5 week old almost exclusively nurses to sleep.
I definitely do this! I'm getting better at offering a binkie when I know she isn't hungry and it's working more and more but when she's super tired or over stimulated, my boobs are like an easy out that we -both- sometimes need!
I think that's great! I try to see it as bonding. Maybe try to only nurse them to sleep in the first morning feed and the 2nd to last night feed when your most tired.
I do this because otherwise baby screams and cries! Unfortunately on a night like tonight when baby is nonstop fussy and refuses to sleep, I feel like he's on the breast for four hours in a row with a few short breaks. For some reason he fights sleep between the hours of 11 at night and 3 or 4 in the morning. I nurse him to sleep but he wakes up five, ten of twenty minutes after and wants more boob. I am exhausted.
My little guy is 7 weeks and always nurses to sleep the final feed of the night and a few times throughout the day. Other times he'll fall asleep while we walk around with him or bounce him. I'm not worrying about it for now; we both need the sleep and it's a relaxing way to get him to sleep for both of us!
We nurse to sleep about 3/4 of the time. This baby is content to just be put down, so when I think of it, I do. It feels strange haha. DD1 was high needs (an "orchid" type from the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding) so she was nursed to sleep if I was home for 2 years. She self weaned and sleeps fine in her own room, so I don't think I damaged her, but the difference in their temperaments is shocking to me!
My baby's a little over four weeks and nurses to sleep. Ignore everyone's advice and do what you think is best for your baby. They're literally babies, it's O.K. to baby them!
Next time your friend calls you up to vent or cry about some issue in her life, just tell her to self-soothe! Uhm no. Babies are too little to self soothe. Object permanence is a long ways away development wise. How nice it is to know someone is there for you! (Even adults like to know that!) :-)
I don't make an active effort either way. If she's hungry, eats, and conks out (and she did a full feed) I put her to bed. Sometimes it works, but ssometimes it doesn't.
Re: Nurse to sleep?