Nursing in Bed

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Feb 18, 2001

One of the best things I learned after I became a new mom was how to nurse my baby girl while lying down in bed. After the first couple of weeks I had found that everyone was happiest when we slept together in the same bed, so that's what we did. Even so, when my daughter woke up during the night, I sleepily sat up in bed with her, laid her in my lap, latched her on, and sat there nursing her in the wee hours of the morning while listening to Art Bell. I felt pretty tired.

I had heard that some moms nursed their babies while lying down, so I decided to try and figure out how to do it. It took some practice, but I found it to be worth the effort to learn because it truly made things much easier! Since my daughter and I slept in the same bed, after we got the hang of nursing while lying down, it soon became second nature, and I was able to nurse her during the night without even really realizing that I was doing it.

I would like to share some pictures and tips that hopefully can help you learn how to nurse while lying down. These pictures demonstrate some of the ways you can nurse your child in bed. You can nurse on the bottom breast by using the positions shown in the first two pictures. Then you can turn over and put your child on the other side. Some moms hug baby to their body as they turn and so don't have to sit up in bed to switch sides. Some moms sit up, move their baby, and then lay down on the other side.

An alternative to turning over in order to nurse on both sides is shown in the third picture. After you nurse on the lower breast, you can nurse your baby on the top breast by leaning farther over so the top breast hangs low. That way you don't have to turn over and can nurse your baby on both breasts while you lay on the same side!

Nursing in bed can take practice for both you and your baby, but many moms have found it's worth it to learn how.