Long-Term Side-Lying Night Nursing

I belong to a very distraught and tired segment of the nursing mother population: the long-term, side-lying, night nursing group.   Code word: Human Pacifier.  Let me tell you a little bit about how we got here.  In learning about breastfeeding, one of the common things told to new moms is to not give babies a pacifier.  That a baby who gets attached to a pacifier might suck on it instead of nursing, which could lead to many issues, including a decreased milk supply.  Very determined to get an 'A' in Breastfeeding 101, we didn't really offer the pacifer to Lily save the car or when I returned to work at 5 weeks.  Who knows, with her personality, she probably wouldn't have ever taken it anyway, but of course on the worst days I'm going to sit here and go, "Why the bleep did I think that was a good idea?!"  Because, mixed with cosleeping and nursing on demand, I am now the pacifier.  

snuggling with mama!

Sometimes, it's sweet and wonderful.  I love to cuddle with her.  I love to snuggle and stroke her head.  She is now putting her little leg up on top of mine.  

But, there are a few other problems with this long-term, side-lying, night nursing.  I am laying in the bed with her for hours.  I can't move.  I have a hard time getting comfortable.  For months, I had debilitating hip pain, because once her legs got too long, I couldn't curl up comfortably next to her.  Sure, everyone says to use the pillows to support you, but that only goes so far.  Here are some things that I've been working on:

• I sometimes switch sides in the middle of the night or work on the top boob to give my hip some variety. 
• I try to get my bottom hip out from under my top hip. If my back is leaning out, which it easily does, I need to get that bottom hip away from the baby, so that I am leaning in a little. So I am laying more on the front of my hip than my side. It's hard and I feel like I'm constantly trying to wiggle it out. And, I loose the position while sleeping, so it still hurts a little bit, though not nearly as much as it did before. 
• I tried for awhile to wait until the baby fell asleep and unlatch, but my rolling around would wake her up and she would need another boob and we'd be right back where we were and I'd just go to sleep. Sometimes, I am successful.

  

  sleeping with her legs on top of mine
  

•  We transitioned her to a toddler bed on the floor at 11 months thinking that the rolling around was waking her up, but we found that it's just HER waking up wanting a boob. Grrr.
• Trying to feed her more during the day, and this girl eats like a champ, so that's not the problem.  Still trying to get her to eat more.
• Dr. Sears says for the long term side lying night nursers that we should seek out other people who are doing what we are doing, because most people don't understand and will likely say to just wean, stop cosleeping, let her cry or something.

Now, she likes to put her feet on me to snuggle and thati's causing a lot of back pain!  I can't win. But, she's so comfortable. If I give her the other leg, her leg is up too high to be comfortable, but she will sleep with her leg up there anyway! Crazy baby. I don't think we're ever going to be able to night wean.  

Old Maryland Farm

Yesterday, we were far from home and had to stop and hop in the car because Lily needed a nap.  We passed around the idea of heading somewhere cool.  Anywhere.  The cool, autumn air was delicious.  Maybe we should frollick around Old Town Alexandria and look at the ducks in the rain.  Maybe we should head to Annapolis or Baltimore.  We finally decided to head to the Old Maryland Farm at Watkins Regional Park.

What a trip.  I half expected the farm to be closed, us to have needed a reservation, or something else that really restricted us from getting up close to some animals.  What we found were lots of animals that we could get up close and personal with.  There were rabbits, chickens, peacocks, ducks, geese, llamas, sheep, goats, BABY goats, cows, a pig, horses, and a donkey.  She got to pet a bunny!

There is a good sized playground at this park.  And, during the summer, there is a carousel and a good sized trained ride.  Definitely some place of which we're going to make a whole day.  And, in thinking about a homeschooling future, it is most certainly a place to keep in the haystack.  Get it.  Haystack.  Hahahaha. 

Bad Sleep and Normal Schedule

So, we've been getting really bad sleep for weeks.  I mean, there was the two weeks I was on nights, a week in Texas, and then it took three weeks after that for everything to be sorta right.  There was a developmental phase and teething.  Sure enough, she was either awake for two hours in the middle of the night or thrashing around.

It is a funny realization when after 5 months of wishing baby girl would wake up after 7:00am, then she finally starts waking up at 7:00am (after being awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night), and all I want is for her to go back to waking up at 5:30am again.  I built my routine around her going to bed around 8:00pm and waking up at 5:30am.  I might get to snooze by myself for 15 minutes.  We play, we eat, we take a walk.  We try to drink coffee.  When she takes a long nap, I get to get ready for work and poke around on the computer.  With her waking up at 7:00am, I lost my getting ready for work time, cooking time, showering time, and we lost our morning walk.

I knew the 7:00am wake up couldn't last.  I suppose I don't care what kind of crazy sleep schedule she has, just as long as it's some kind of consistent.  That way, we can build our schedules around her crazy.

This morning, she woke up at 5:30am, and it was the most wonderful thing.   And, I will deny that I ever said that.