I co-slept with my daughter and breast fed lying down pretty much as soon as i got home.  I eliminated risks and found that my body was in sync with hers so when she stirred so did i.  I truly believe that this enabled me to get the rest i needed to be able to function better as a mother and to be quite honest even though she woke regularly for feeds i never experienced that full on exhaustion that alot of mothers do.  It also enabled me to be able to breast feed her for longer - something i am very pround of.  I think all mums really need to find what works for them and bubs best - if that means feeding lying down then so be it.  There are many mothers out there that disagree with this but there is no rule book on how to raise a child although many seem to follow sets of rules set out by people that are often not even parents themselves and cannot truly empathise with the situation.

I co-slept out of necessity with both of my girls and found as you have that it was the only way to keep going. With DD1 she was about 5 weeks old. I had just spent 3 weeks sitting up all night surrounded by a castle of pillows, because she had such a bad cold she could barely feed, and now my tail bone hurt too much to contemplate another night upright. She however didnt believe she could sleep alone, so laying down was my only option. By 6 months she was back on her own again. With DD2 she slept in a side-carred cot (as I remember Izzy's twins did) until she could move too much and I didnt feel safe leaving the side off, so we replaced the side and I lifted her in with me for feeding, and bam I was asleep and co-sleeping unintentionally! So I made it intentional and I took all the precautions and read up about it. She was co-sleeping with me for 2 years and there is no way I could have survived all that time without the gentle routine of co-sleeping - I rarely woke up for more than 10 seconds, at least twice and more often 4 times a night. But I never moved a muscle (yes, they ached when I got up most times from being so still), and from my reading online and in books, I believe that this is common with all co-sleeping breastfeeding mums - I knew I was hyper-aware of every move she made, though not in the jerk-awake kind of way. We were just synchronised, in movement , sleep cycle and breathing. I was just reading on Dr Sears website his wife's account of co-sleeping and it made it all come back to me, how synchronised we were.

I know there is a myth that co-sleeping increases the risk of SIDS but the scientific evidence is building up a picture that is the opposite to this - women who take all the precautions and intentionally co-sleep safely (not too hot, no risk of baby falling or jamming, no drink or drugged person in the bed, etc etc) are less likely to lose their baby to SIDS. Anyway, if you're interested, read Dr Sears article here. And don't bawl me out until you've read the whole page, eh? I know this is one of parenting's most emotive issues!

I need my sleep - my no-longer-co-sleeping 2 year old just woke up!

Here's to a good night's sleep for ALL of us, what ever our sleeping choices.

Thanks for sharing this advice.  I was one of the lucky ones who had a baby that slept all night from day dot lol.  Don't ask the secret, I think it's just pot luck personally.  Still, she was fed in bed for her last feed of the evening and the first feed in the morning.  We co-slept and it was so nice and relaxing :)

I breastfed my first until he was 12 months but didn't discover breastfeeding in bed until he was probably 4 months old. It was a sanity saver for me since I usually breastfed sitting up in the middle of the night.  I would fall asleep with my head falling to the side or back and I'd awake with a jolt. But after I discovered breastfeeding in bed, I could get much needed sleep. Problem was, sometimes I would fall asleep within minutes of breastfeeding from one breast and would not be able to switch until next feeding. Of course, I had to deal with lopsided boobs when that happened. And also, sometimes my other breast would leak and we'd both be soaked. lol

I've done this with all my babies, and it is real life saver. I started with chomper hours after the birth. Hubby usually ends up putting bubs to bed! It's amazing how much better you feel when you've had some sleep. I recommend only doing it when you have someone around, to make sure you don't accidently smother baby. The other good point is that because your relaxed you let your milk down and baby gets a proper feed. I also found that baby sleeps better. I feed in bed at nite and in a chair during the day thus baby knows the difference between day and nite. Chomper is the best sleeper and has sleeped thru the nite from 12wks.

Thanks for writing this!

Cheers Raven

I totally agree. this method is a great 1 and I did this with both my kids. I found sitting wasnt comfortable for me but lying down was.

I lay down most of the time to feed my now 1 year old, and I have done since she was a couple of months old. Not only was she getting a feed, but the pressure was off my back, shoulders and arms, which meant I didn't get numbness (a numb bum is not a nice thing to have when chasing a 2 year old!).

I fully support the decision to feed laying down, and was told by the midwive that it is the best feeding method for mums who aren't getting enough rest.

I don't have much experience with breastfeeding which I won't go in to detail about but it's worth mentioning that this technique could potentially be dangerous to your baby. Please don't take offense to these comments, they are just trying to give a full picture of breastfeeding while laying down, warn of the potential risks and help others make a fully informed decision. While this is a well-written article it may be helpful to explore the pros and cons and critically analyse all information presented by the ABA. To be honest... I was a little more shocked at you calling your new born a little so-and-so....

I personally also benifited from breastfeeding lying down....  I was sitting in a chair while my son was three weeks old and I fell asleep while breastfeeding him and he fell to the floor.. Not something I love telling every one... In my hast to pick him up I to fell to the floor and thankfully I was in the way of the chair as it fell with me....  Thankfully also my son was wrapped up in so many blankets he was ok... I though was not..  Not only did I feel the brunt of the chair, my heart was broken because I DROPPED MY SON...

Now while breastfeeding while lying down does have its dangers I felt that I cleared as many possible dangers I knew about that could happen while breast feeding lying down..  I did not cover myself with any blankets. I held him in a positing where he could not slip and where I would not move.. I put pillows behind my back and on the other side of my arms o that I too would not move.

I breastfed both my kids lying down when I was to tired to stay awake. When I started doing this I to felt refreshed and able to solder on through out the day.   It was only the night time feeds that I needed to do this, and I personally benifited from it..

I think you really need to check your surroundings before you do it, and feel very confident.. But also remember accidents do happen... And be aware of all the possible dangers before you do it.. I would not breastfeed lying down on a sofa...

Perhaps in a perfect world, nobody should fall asleep while feeding a baby.  However, I was falling asleep, desperately trying to stay awake but failing, whilst sitting up to feed her.  I tried this because I was unable to keep awake, and at least this way I wasn't dropping her.

Every time I do this, I find that I do not move an inch the whole time she's there, and when she's finished, she pulls away.  As soon as she does this, it wakes me from my semi-sleep (I'm aware at some level of what's going on), and I put her back to bed.

The article may be two years old, but in my book, that's not outdated, unless breastfeeding information is being replaced at the same rate as computer parts.  Also, the website is current and updated regularly, and if this info was not supported by the ABA, it wouldn't be there.  I won't comment on the start age, because it is not mentioned in the article, and in my opinion, the picture is not a recommendation, it's just a picture demonstrating the position.

Each mum should be free to investigate her options, and decide on the best course of action for her and the baby.  If a mum gets enough sleep while feeding sitting up, then that's great, but if she's struggling to cope, she might be better off trying something like this to get her through.  It is pretty much the same argument as the one for and against co-sleeping.  I don't co-sleep, but I am not going to tell a mum that she's wrong if she chooses to do it.

I hope you enjoy your website - I'm done here.  Too much criticism, too much political correctness, not enough acceptance of differences.  Lots of lovely people here, but it's not for me.

I think is not a safe practise no one should fall asleep while feeding a baby.

This is well written, original and it is from personal parenting experience as well as providing links to further reading on the topic.  I can't speak for the other average votes, however I can say, that for myself, I wouldn't consider doing this with a baby so young.  What if you rolled on the baby in your sleep, or the baby detached and couldn't breathe against your breast?  I know that the article in ABA is about how to do this, however that article is 2yrs old and they don't recommend at what age to start; yet the baby pictured is clearly over 6mths old and a lot stronger than a 2week old baby.