Are you still nursing to sleep?

This is exactly us! 🫣 I’m going back to work next week and I’m dreading it… I’ve tried all other methods even rocking/patting to sleep and my lo just screams if I try anything else. Also never slept through and currently on 4/5 times per night. I also put him in bed with me safely (no partner either) but it doesn’t really make a difference but is easier to lie and feed in the night. The daytime breastfeeding is slowly decreasing with more solids so I’m just hoping it will all come naturally in time 🤞🏻 sorry I don’t have any tips or anything for you mama but just to let you know you’re not alone xxx

@Emily ok I'm kinda glad to know that I'm not alone!! But it's so tough isn't it 😞 I'm so freaking tired. Same with the other methods, she literally just screams until I put the boob in her mouth, nothing else works. We haven't decreased daytime feeding either, even with 3 meals a day! So well done mama. I thought that maybe the co-sleeping was making it harder for her to sleep as she could smell/feel me? Idk but I feel like I'm reaching the end of my tether now. And I refuse to let her cry it out 🤦🏽‍♀️ more because I know how relentless she is, and she'd probably scream until morning 😂. Really hoping it does get better for us 🤞🏽

We are in the same exact situation, currently co sleeping as well - wakes around 3-4 times a night depends on the night, I was thinking to get some advise on sleep at night but I’ve decided not to worry about it as co sleeping actually helps me get my zzzz’s, also this is our last baby and our first never liked being in our bed so I’m really enjoying this, probably won’t say the same when I’m back at work in July 😬

We feed to sleep for every nap and bedtime and anywhere between 2 to 10 times a night!! On average I think it's about 4 wake ups a night still. There was a brief time when just picking her up and rocking would send her straight back to sleep, but that is no more 😂 we did co sleep for a few months as she had a chest infection at 5 months and it eas every 20-45 mins overnight but we've managed to get her sleeping in her own cot for a good couple months now! Granted she still needs to be fed to sleep then transfered without waking her up 😅 but progress! I just keep reminding myself that in the grand scheme of things these nights of broken sleep really aren't that long and before you know it we'll have teenagers who refuse to get out of bed 😂 x

We are still feeding to sleep and cosleeping too. I’m kind of enjoying no husband in the bed 🤣 my eldest was the same and it was actually a slow process stopping the feeding to sleep which involved a lot of upset to be honest. We started around 16 months and it took a few months of dropping feeds gradually to stop it.

@ieva it's so funny how all your kids are so different! My eldest slept through the night from about 4 months and refused to sleep in our bed too!! I remember I used to sneak her out of her cot at night for a cuddle but she could sleep through anything! We also combi fed her so I'm not sure if that made a difference?? My 9mo still contact naps 🤦🏽‍♀️ so I nap with her during the day but obviously won't be able to when I'm back at work!! I think this is the most concerning part for me xx

@Georgia yep same!! Sometimes it's like every 30 mins, or as soon as she feels the boob fall out of her mouth 🤦🏽‍♀️ the HV says she's using me as a pacifier as she's never taken a dummy, but my boobs are so sore in the morning!! Good for you getting her to sleep in her cot!! Mine absolutely will NOT 😂 as soon as she touches the mattress she's like 👀👀. I am trying to keep in mind that these days won't last forever but I do miss sharing a bed with my other half who's been banished to the sofa for months now 😂

@Rosanna how did you manage to wean out of nursing to sleep was it dropping night feeds?? She will be at home with my partner (hes WFH) when I go back to work and I'm so worried she'll be crying until I get back home 😔. And omg I'm the opposite to you! I really miss having a cuddle with my partner. He tried sleeping in the bed the other day which was nice but he got up about an hour later and went back to the sofa 😂😂

@Malika ngl I hateeee "they're using you as a pacifier/dummy" cuz they're literally nipple replacements so thats exactly what they're doing!!😂 It's HARD though, I struggle a lot at night and naptimes because it feels like 90% of my awake time is spent getting her to sleep and I get so touched out. One day we'll look back and go "ah wasn't that bad" and forget about the late night crying sessions sleep deprivation causes 😂😂 eventhough it's so normal it doesn't make it any easier does it! Just got to hope that light at the end of the tunnel is closer than we think xx

Oh and with her sleeping in her cot, I'd love to give you some tips to help but she jsut randomly decided one day she'd stay asleep in it!!!! So weird, but glad to not have to sleep in such awkward positions anymore!!xx

I am! Cosleeping too. It isn’t too much of an issue and some nights he sleeps great. However when I return to work my shift pattern includes nightshifts and I have no idea how my partner will get him down to sleep. We’ve also tried transferring him to his crib and as soon as his bum hits the mattress he’s awake and screaming 😭 xx

@Georgia it's soooo jarringgggg omg. I can't tell you how much I even spent on different dummies in the beginning. I think we've actually tried every single one out there. I hear you though mama, I get super touched too. Especially when my eldest comes home, she just wants to sit in my lap and always wants to brush my hair and I'm like pleaseeeeee leave me alone 😂. But yeah I agree, I don't even remember the struggle of the first year of my eldests life 🤦🏽‍♀️ so I'm sure better days are coming. We just gotta wait it out and embrace all the cuddles now lol xx

@Sophie it's like a little light goes off in them and they're like hmmm 🤔 this isn't OUR bed, you can't fool me 😂😂. I've tried everything from putting my bra in there, old shirts, warming the sheets! Nothing! Lol. It's so worrying isn't it, thinking about what they'll be doing when they're with your other half. For some reason though, I feel like they'll get over the fact that they don't have boobs pretty quickly and will just resort to sleep instead 😂

@Georgia this is so good! I always wake up with a neck ache or down in the gap between the bed and the wall 😭 can't remember what it feels like to sleep on my tummy 😳

I did this with my first! My daughter never slept through, and at four she rarely does lol. Some children are just wakeful. Have you tried dummies when they wake up at night? It might work as a distraction but still a comfort. We cosleep now so it's the convenience of the feeding too. Have you tried a next-to-me crib to create a little bit of distance so the milk isn't "on tap" 😂 ? I've also heard about offering water at night but I've never done that. Also the feeds will likely lengthen out over time or you will adapt surprisingly! Xx

@Rose see I never had this experience with my 4yo. She slept through really early and still sleeps through like a log now. My 9mo however won't take a dummie. Even if I try to give her one now, it's like it just makes her even more pissed off and Ramps up the screaming 😂. We don't have space for a next to me unfortunately because of the way our bedroom is set up but I think a bit of distance is definitely what we need. I'm dreading putting her in her own room and having to get up a million times a night 😩 so she's just in our bed while her cot is used to store clean laundry I haven't been arsed to put away yet lol im gonna try with the water actually and see how we get on x

@Malika I know! I’d like to try a floor bed in his room then start sneaking away to get him used to having his own space but then we’ve got a crib that he’s never slept in, but I guess you don’t know how your baby will be until they arrive!

My son would stay attached 24/7 when he was asleep for the first maybe 4 months, then suddenly one night he just detached. We co sleep also and so that enabled him to just feed himself all night or reattach whenever he wanted without waking up or waking us.. we have always slept through the night because of this however from the point he decided to detach, I could no longer feed him to sleep🤦🏽‍♀️. It was like my milk sedated him before but not any more 😭😂. He will be big wide eyed after feeds and ready to play. Now he is 10 months he couldn’t stay attached even if he wanted as he is non stop rolling and flipping all night! He attaches briefly about 2-3 times but sometimes it’s just to pacify instead of actually feed. He now wants to be rocked to sleep or I have to wait for him to be really tired then just lay him down and then I can feed him to sleep

@Shay oh bless you. Mine cries as soon as it's out and gets so worked up even though it's right there! She wakes me up every time and sometimes goes straight back to sleep, other times she's just messing around 😂 And oh yes so relatable with the rolling and flipping. Her new one is standing while my boob is in her mouth!! Idk if it says more about the length of my boobs now or how flexible she is 😂 I still can't get her down with the rocking, she gets tired and will lie down on me and just attaches/reattaches until she's fed up of wriggling. Sedating milk effects have definitely worn off lol

@Malika 😂😂😂 loool don’t worry, my son also stands while latched on, he will have his bum in the air, turning his head from one side to the other, sometimes have his fingers in his mouth too or better yet has started twiddling the nipple or reaching for the other one even though it’s covered to do the same on that that one too! In his sleep he will reach out and play with it just to know it’s there🤦🏽‍♀️ I’m non stop blocking it off now! Oh, does your daughter sleep on the bed beside you so you have to sleep on your side or does she sleep on you? I always slept with him in breastfeeding position so when he unlatched, the nipple was right in front of him, sometimes poking him on the cheek or nose so all he ever had to do was move his head and open his mouth. I never got into laying him on the bed and when I try it now because of all the flipping and tossing and turning I find it so uncomfortable I just go back to him in my arms lol.

Also with the rocking do you pat her back at the same time? For my son I think it stems from the early days of burping him, he use to just fall asleep on our shoulder while being patted not ringing anything up. As he got older I think he just thought it was part of the sleeping routine even though his legs are now too long to fit in the same position he don’t care. He also must be patted hard like the old black grandparents back in the days and only time you can stop the patting and rocking combo is once is is asleep, otherwise he starts pushing his legs out to continue rocking and will fuss until you add the pats😂😂 yeah he is demanding and has us wrapped around his little finger lol. But yeah, try the combo if you haven’t already. Sometimes a vigorous rock too rofl.

@Shay yes this is it! Bum in the air and twiddling the other nipple 😭🤣 and her nails are always so sharp no matter how much I file them. So we kind of alternate between her in my arms or on my side. More on my side these days as she moves around so much when on me, she wakes up with a sweaty head lol. But she just works herself up so much when she literally just has to move her head to get the boob. I try to pat her bum while rocking her actually, but I feel like it annoys her 🤣 its like I'm restraining her almost and she's trying to get away. To be fair I haven't tried it in a little while because I can't take the crying and fighting and it's easier to just give her the boob, but I wanna be able to sleep comfortably sometimes you know 😭 And I know about them old time grandparent pats loool vibrating your spirit 🤣🤣 How long do you rock for before you realise it's not working? Because my child is relentless lol

@Malika omg yes the nails (or talons). I have found my sons need filing every other day and even then they are sharp by the time I get there🤦🏽‍♀️ I just can’t seem to get a hang of the side sleeping! And he has now gotten to the point where he will keep rolling until he has rolled up my side and on me, then he can’t find the boob when he needs it and makes it my problem lol. Haha if I pat my son’s bum instead of his back he will give me proper problems! Maybe she just isn’t a baby that likes being rocked? The only thing my son does when he don’t want to be rocked is throws himself down to the boob or if he don’t want to sleep then he will keep throwing his head up off my shoulder but that’s about it really. If rocking isn’t going to work then I’m sure you’ll know in less than 5 minutes, I’d do the same as you and just give in too🤦🏽‍♀️