For those planning to breast feed:

[aley28]

I have a couple of questions. Curiosity, really.

Are you going to set up a special place in the nursery to breast feed the baby, are you just going to feed him/her in bed, or is it a nightly migration to the sofa/favorite chair for you?

I ask because I'm trying to decide if I want to set up a little area in the baby's room for nighttime feedings or not. I'm not thinking a rocking chair or anything... just a little soft area on the floor that is warm and cozy where I can comfortably lay back and feed Baby and then put him/her back to bed. I don't have a complete image of it worked out in my head yet... but is anybody planning for something like that?

I suppose this goes out to everybody, breast feeding or not, really. Where are you planning to feed the baby during the night?

 

[jacks mummy]

with my son i bottle fed and i would go downstairs with him so i wouldnt wake up OH, this time im not sure i will probebly do the same tho as i dont want to wake my son up so would just be easier to be quiet and go downstairs xx

 

[MommaAof2]

I would highly suggest that you do get a rocking chair of some sort, or even a chair of any kind (regardless of how baby eats). Nightime feedings are very hard, after a close friend of mine lost her baby while nursing in the middle of the night in bed. I am one who believes always to have a designated area. I plan to have a rocking chair in living room, this way with night feedings (when I am exhausted past all belief) I can have the tv and be sitting up nice and high and strong.

 

[lau86]

While baby is in the Moses basket at night he'll be in our room so I'll bf in bed I think then i won't have far To go to take him out and put him back! During the day I'm getting a glider chair to sit in which I'll put in the nursery (it wouldt fit in our room otherwise I wouldve had it in here too!). I think you just need somewhere really comfy!x

 

[rubygirl01]

I have a glider rocker in my living room so that i can feed at night and during the day and in a small lamp i have a black light. The light is bright enough to see by but not to wake baby. I have used it with my 2 boys and have loved it. I will keep a blanket with me so if i need to cover up i can. HTH

 

[aley28]

With my son, I fed him out in our living room in my chair or on our loveseat. But I also would doze off sometimes while feeding him, and was thinking if I set up a little place in the nursery, on the floor, if I did doze off, at least there wouldn't be any risk of Baby falling onto the floor.

Also, our living room doesn't have a soft light. There's four different light switches that I could use, but they're all very bright, and I don't want to wake Baby up more than is necessary -- or me, for that matter. I'm thinking it would be nice to feed, re-swaddle, put him/her back in the bassinet (in our bedroom) and go back to bed... all without bright lights.

My Le Leche League breastfeeding book says that one of the most comfortable positions (and the most successful) for breastfeeding a newborn is a laid-back position, reclined but not flat on your back. If this bit is true, then a glider seems like it would be too up-and-down and uncomfortable, which is another reason I was thinking something on the floor might be more comfortable, at least in the early weeks.

 

[Ouverture]

We just bought a really nice glider/rocker from a yard sale and I think it's going to be awesome to have. If not just for breastfeeding, but to snuggle with LO over a book, etc. as he gets older.

I've read that having a comfy place to sit, especially in the early days, is invaluable. It doesn't mean I won't breastfeed in bed at night or in the living room during the day, but having that place to sit and be alone to do it is nice. I would definitely set yourself up a corner in the nursery for that. . .

 

[irish_cob]

Where will your baby be sleeping? He shouldn't be on his own in a nursery early on anyway, he should be in your room in a crib or Moses basket by your bed so it may be easier to feed in your room? Unless you don't want to disturb your OH. I think I'd rather feed in my room or downstairs in front of the TV if the baby won't settle, than go and sit in a nursery which isn't being slept in.

 

[Lozzy_Loo]

hey
i bought a rocking chair last week off ebay and its the best thing ive done. its made me so excited about Breastfeeding LO!

 

[cooper2010]

I would highly suggest that you do get a rocking chair of some sort, or even a chair of any kind (regardless of how baby eats). Nightime feedings are very hard, after a close friend of mine lost her baby while nursing in the middle of the night in bed. I am one who believes always to have a designated area. I plan to have a rocking chair in living room, this way with night feedings (when I am exhausted past all belief) I can have the tv and be sitting up nice and high and strong.

I am very worried about this. Staying in bed seems the easiest but not at all the safest! Im realistic with myself and I know I will be falling asleep in bed with baby latched on. So, therefor...I agree with the need for a rocking chair a nice comfy one with an ottoman.

 

[aley28]

Where will your baby be sleeping? He shouldn't be on his own in a nursery early on anyway, he should be in your room in a crib or Moses basket by your bed so it may be easier to feed in your room? Unless you don't want to disturb your OH. I think I'd rather feed in my room or downstairs in front of the TV if the baby won't settle, than go and sit in a nursery which isn't being slept in.

Yeah. No way would I be comfortable sleeping with baby more than 5-10 feet from me. Baby will be sleeping in a bassinet next to my side of the bed. I don't want to feed in bed because DH will be sleeping, and I don't really want to disturb him. In the early weeks, he is taking over primary parent for our son, which I know is an exhausting job, so I want to be sure he is getting his 8 hours every night to handle that. When he goes back to work, I may feed in bed, but only when he is working nights. But that alone worries me, because if I do fall all the way asleep, I am a very sound sleeper and I don't want to roll over onto the baby.

 

[kermie219]

we kept our daughter in our room right next to my side of the bed for the first few months, we slept with a night light on so because turning a light on and off kept wakign daddy. To be honest I just brought her in bed fed her and put her back it was the only way we could feed without disturbing her or I too much so we could go back to sleep. In the very beginning she would sometimes go only an hour or two between feeds and if I had to get up and go out the room every time I would have been a disaster

 

[aley28]

we kept our daughter in our room right next to my side of the bed for the first few months, we slept with a night light on so because turning a light on and off kept wakign daddy. To be honest I just brought her in bed fed her and put her back it was the only way we could feed without disturbing her or I too much so we could go back to sleep. In the very beginning she would sometimes go only an hour or two between feeds and if I had to get up and go out the room every time I would have been a disaster

I hadn't thought of that. I wish we had more outlets in our house... I can't think of anywhere that a night light would work at. Might have to do some looking... maybe I can find a nice little lamp with a very low setting.

 

[andanumbrella]

I have a co sleeper and plan to slide baby in and out of the bed with me all night. I will not sleep with a blanket, so that I feel safe falling asleep while feeding.

 

[chichestermum]

With DD i just used to prop my pillows up against the headboard and sit up against that to feed, i didnt once fall asleep whilst feeding as i cant sleep with any sort of light in the room so the light on my teasmade (plus the cuppa brewing in it) kept me awake by the time DD had finished feeding i had finished my tea and we would both be back to sleep before OH had even realised we had been up! thats if he did wake up! very heavy sleeper and 9 nights out of 10 he would sleep through everything and wake up worried the next morning thinking i hadnt fed DD in the night lol!

I will be doing the same this time around, If baby is loud during the night and wakes DD up then it will be something that i will want her to get used to, because i think that going past her bedroom with a crying baby and putting on the downstairs light would disturb DD, baby and me more.

But those of you that want to have a special nursing chair then have you ever thought about a garden reclining chair? MIL had 1 in her garden and feeding in that was a dream!! a nice comfy cushion and multi recline and a hell of a lot cheaper than most chairs! a white 1 would go fine in any nursery and would save you a bit of cash plus would come in handy in the summer! xx

 

[aley28]

With DD i just used to prop my pillows up against the headboard and sit up against that to feed, i didnt once fall asleep whilst feeding as i cant sleep with any sort of light in the room so the light on my teasmade (plus the cuppa brewing in it) kept me awake by the time DD had finished feeding i had finished my tea and we would both be back to sleep before OH had even realised we had been up! thats if he did wake up! very heavy sleeper and 9 nights out of 10 he would sleep through everything and wake up worried the next morning thinking i hadnt fed DD in the night lol!

I will be doing the same this time around, If baby is loud during the night and wakes DD up then it will be something that i will want her to get used to, because i think that going past her bedroom with a crying baby and putting on the downstairs light would disturb DD, baby and me more.

But those of you that want to have a special nursing chair then have you ever thought about a garden reclining chair? MIL had 1 in her garden and feeding in that was a dream!! a nice comfy cushion and multi recline and a hell of a lot cheaper than most chairs! a white 1 would go fine in any nursery and would save you a bit of cash plus would come in handy in the summer! xx

Genius!! And they'll be pretty cheap at the end of the summer, too! And if its not overly pretty, I can find a nice blanket or sheet to cover it up anyway! I love the idea! Thanks for the idea!

 

[AmyR]

I co-slept and breastfed and would just fall back alseep while nursing. I am a very light sleeper, very aware in the night...and I never had a problem. I loved it, and it was simple and I got lots of sleep.

I know everyone has their own ways....

 

[SuperKat]

I used a rocker/glider with my first, but then with my second two I used a recliner that rocker- soooo much better. I could rock if I wanted to, but could also kick my feed up to watch tv or something during those never-ending feedings, lol. I always have a special place for feeding, but usually have a spot in a few different places in my house to do feedings.

 

[hanelei]

I feed our little boy in bed at night, either sitting up or lying down. My husband doesn't get woken up by me turning on the bedside light other than for the first few days. We sleep on a futon (i.e. mattress at floor level) since we live in Japan and I have a co-sleeper beside the bed so it is very easy to get him in and out of without getting up. I have tried getting up to feed him in the living room but I don't like it and it is harder to get LO settled if I have to carry him back from the living room- he is much more likely to wake up.

Sometimes he sleeps next to me after feeding- basically there are times that he just won't go back into his bed without crying and a lot of babies are like this. I am a light sleeper and have become even more so since having LO so I'm not concerned I'll roll on him.

 

[kelownaprego]

I am going to buy a nursing chair and also i am going to move our guest bed (it's small only a double) into the nursery so I can sleep in there during the week while my husband works so I don't disturb him coming in and out of bed all night long. I figure it will also be nice to nurse in a bed when i'm really exhausted so I can kind of half sleep as well