Newbie questions!

[joanna1990]

Hi there! I have just started cosleeping during part of the night with my 7 week old. (She sleeps her first stretch in her bassinet.)
Questions if you could please help out a newbie!

How do you maximise comfort? I am getting a sore hip and dead arm.

We are not able to put our mattress on the floor, should we buy a bed rail type thing? We currently have her bassinet pushed up to the bed in interim.

Do you find you need to settle babe during the night and at the start of the night? My babe wants to breastfeed constantly if we’re cosleeping but occasionally wakes enough to fuss a little bit.

How do you get your own temperature right without blankets? Plus if breastfeeding I am wearing a long sleeve top with buttons and my boob out. It’s cold!

Finally, my babe will roll onto her side a lot to breastfeed and that is her preferred way of napping. Is this safe?

Thank you so much for answering some of all of these q’s!

 

[stevenxuniv]

@joanna1990 Fleece sweatpants and fleece top! I also have a blanket over my lower half. I sometimes use a heating pad at my feet. I feel comfortable doing that since my baby is not moving down to my feet while we sleep. My son has always needed frequent settling throughout the evening and night. That’s a big reason why we cosleep. As far as comfort goes…it’s uncomfortable! Now that my son is older (10mo) I feel okay about moving out of the cuddle curl and shifting positions. But when he was younger I just stuck it out and switched sides when I needed to.

 

[katrina2017]

@joanna1990 I’m new too so I don’t have a lot of answers but I got this to keep my arms warm while breastfeeding at night:

LILLUSORY Y2K Bolero Fall Long Sleeve Cardigan Cropped Open Front Shrug 2023 Sweater Women https://a.co/d/faTojS5

I also use a blanket just up to my waist and husband has a separate blanket.

I let my baby sleep on his side while I’m awake. I don’t know if it’s really dangerous to let them sleep that way while you’re asleep but “baby on back” is part of the safe sleep 7.

 

[nature_lover65]

@joanna1990 Part of the “C Curl” is to be uncomfortable, that way you don’t fall into too deep of a sleep. I found that my squishmellow collection to be helpful. I have one placed behind my back, between my knees, and I use one instead of a regular pillow because it fits my neck better. Strategic engineering with pillows will help take pressure off the hips.

I switch sides in the middle of the night too. This helps baby because she always faces towards my boobs and I don’t want her favoring one side.

She’s 2.5 mo so not super mobile yet, I don’t have any bed rails. We sleep on a king so there’s plenty of space. Kinda depends on your set up and what you feel comfortable with. She had a beside bassinet but only naps in it because she needs the contact/nursing to go to sleep. My husband has been gently suggesting to stop nursing to sleep and push for the bassinet at bedtime. I asked if he liked getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Co sleeping makes it easier to dream feed and change her diaper because I feel her starting to wiggle before the crying sets in.

Comfort depends on your climate. I rock a crop top t-shirt and cotton pj shorts cause it’s warmer right now. Nursing camis are more comfortable for me during the night. I use a smaller throw blanket that I burrito around my waist. Sometimes I double up cause I miss my weighted blanket. You don’t have to go without a blanket! Just make sure it’s tucked under your waist.

In the beginning she also really liked sleeping on her side, I think in part due to some reflux. When she side nurses I have a rolled up blanket to hold her in place while she nurses. Once she’s asleep I remove it and roll her on her back.

Part of the reason she would be on her side was because my mattress was too squishy and create a little slope for her, once I found something firmer it stopped.

I did let her sleep on her side in the beginning but would keep a hand on her chest while she used my boob as a pillow. She was fine but I slept better once we got a firmer mattress. Some newborns side curl reflexively and grow out of it.

My biggest piece of advice: cherish this! Watching her sleep, listening to her lil baby snores, the way she smiles at me when she wakes up in the morning…this is something special that only her & I share and I treasure it so much. I feel like a magical sleep witch because my family sleeps so well at night now (myself included). Ultimately, it will take time and trying out different configurations to find what works best for you. Best of luck and sweet dreams!