How on earth do you bf with other kids in the house???

[k4th]

Dd is very good & is playing quietly whilst I bf during the day. She sleeps from 7pm-7am.

Ds is getting into a habit of fussing in the evening until 11.30ish. He's windy & refluxy & generally a bit unsettled & only the boob calms him. Then he feeds once or twice in the night - say 1.30 & 5ish - give or take. I'm up for an hour each time.

& then dd is calling me from 7am.

How on earth am I meant to get enough sleep??!

I'm so very tired & scared of co sleeping. Both oh & I are heavy sleepers.

I'm on the verge of getting oh to give some formula at night whilst I go to bed. I feel like I have to be fair to both kids & I can't keep up this level of tired & still be a good mum from 7-7 in the day

 

[noon_child]

Can your OH not get up with the older child? Your child may whine that she wants you but this isn't going to be forever, and it is good for her to let you rest and accept love and attention from others. That way you'll be a nicer Mum when you do get up.

Or Depending on how old baby is you could maybe pump and give a bottle of expressed milk via OH. So maybe the 5am feed he could do via bottle, then you could pump at 7am when you get up with your older child.

 

[k4th]

Ds is only two weeks old today. Oh has been getting up with dd, but he's back in work next Monday so it will just be me - with no family nearby. & oh drives a lot for work & has some compulsory overtime.

I need to figure out how to manage & then throw in help from oh if he's around.

 

[misspriss]

DH gets up with my early waking toddler. We bed share, so night feedings are no biggie, I hardly wake up. Have you tried a beside the bed sleeper to make night feedings easier? Hopefully this will pass soon!

Just read the part about work, if you need rest you could try your OH giving a bottle for one of the nights. If you don't want formula perhaps EBM? Formula does not make them sleep longer or anything. Adding a different milk could make the gassy windy stuff worse.

 

[k4th]

I have an oversupply & I don't want to make it worse - it is ok to start expressing at 2 weeks?? when would be a good time of day to start pumping? Does it matter??

Thanks

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

If you're only pumping enough for one feed, then you should be fine. You'll be replacing a night feed with a bottle of expressed milk so it should work out.

Don't quote me on that though, cause I still don't know how my boobs really work haha

 

[hollyrose]

I used to express at the same stage and dh wud give a btle whist I went to bed and had at least 4 hrs sleep in a row. It was the only thing that helped me stick with it. I went on to bf for 10 and a half months. Good luck. Xo

 

[LIB]

I've been living off about 3 hrs or so sleep for weeks. Dd gets up at half 6, bed at 7. Ds has been cluster feeding until around 10pm for a few weeks ( had a few evenings without) then another 2/3 through the night. The last few days he's been cluster feeding in the morning too. I usually get a couple of hrs in the afternoon where I can either nap, do housework or do something with dd. So I'm rushing around inbetween feeds to do bits n bobs. I'm wondering when it will be easier!

 

[mummytobe_93]

Dd is very good & is playing quietly whilst I bf during the day. She sleeps from 7pm-7am.

Ds is getting into a habit of fussing in the evening until 11.30ish. He's windy & refluxy & generally a bit unsettled & only the boob calms him. Then he feeds once or twice in the night - say 1.30 & 5ish - give or take. I'm up for an hour each time.

& then dd is calling me from 7am.

How on earth am I meant to get enough sleep??!

I'm so very tired & scared of co sleeping. Both oh & I are heavy sleepers.

I'm on the verge of getting oh to give some formula at night whilst I go to bed. I feel like I have to be fair to both kids & I can't keep up this level of tired & still be a good mum from 7-7 in the day

Honestly I'm jealous!
My 20 month old sleeps through most of the time 7-8am and my son who is 8 days old feeds from 11pm-6am pretty much eont be settled unless I'm holding or feeding him. I Sleep sitting up with a nursing cushion around me so he can feed but I don't sleep well at all I probably get 2 hours broken sleep a night. Or I lie on my side and have him lying at the side of me and feed him that way. I hate sharing a bed it scares me but he won't sleep anywhere else he won't even sleep in the co sleeper so for now I don't have a choice :/ hoping it geys easier. He also won't be settled by anyone else other than me so my partner can't help either x

 

[MeaganMackenz]

In regards to Co sleeping : don't be as afraid of it as you think you should be. I've Co slept 3 kids and have a 3 month old currently sleeping 50% of her night in bed with Dh and I now. I think even in your sleep you are incredibly aware of baby in the bed. I've never rolled over on my child or hurt them in any way over the course of 3 kids. I realize it's not for everyone, but if you're that exhausted maybe feeding while you're half asleep is something worth trying. Put baby in between to a Dh obviously. It works for me, or did before I had to stop bfing. If I actually fell asleep feeding her I'd wake up with her snuggled in my arms quite content.

Anyways, not for everyone but I'd maybe try it one night see if it provides any relief. Good luck

 

[noon_child]

Sorry could you clarify this sentence, damn keyboards are trying to mess with your advice!

 

[misspriss]

Young babies should be kept between mom and a wall or snug fitting rail, rather than between mom and dad. Dads do not have the same awareness of where the baby is when sleeping. That is the safety recommendation anyhow, it's of course up to each individual family.

I follow the recommendation, but I have found (with DS) that DH is perfectly aware of where DS was (we put him in the middle when he was a bit older). I keep baby between me and the wall because DS is between me and DH, and DS has NO awareness of anything...he falls off the bed, hits is head on the wall....