Co-sleeping questions?

Question

I have read on here about how much people like co-sleeping because, when they are nursing, they can just lay there and doze while the baby nurses. But, afterwards, do you sit up and burp the baby? What about changing him/her in the night?

Every night, I get up when she cries, get her from her crib, change her, nurse her and then burp her. Sometimes, she sleeps with us and it seems really nice to lay there while she nurses. But then I get up to change her and burp her anyway, so what's the benefit?

How do you all do this when you co-sleep?

Answer 1

In the early weeks I kept diapers right next to the bed so I could just reach over and change him right there in bed with me, feed him, burp him, and go back to sleep. Later you won't need to change at each feeding and you won't need to burp her.  My son is 5 months old so I put him in a clean diaper right before bed, nurse him laying down, and he doesn't need to be burped anymore. If he needs to burp he just squirms a little, burps, turns his head and goes back to sleep. As long as he hasn't pooped I don't worry about changing him which is rare that he does.

Answer 2

I didn't co sleep for the benefits while breast feeding.  I did it because this is my last son ( I have three) and I want to savor it, lol.  I love him sleeping close to me at night.  I actually had some difficulty with breast feeding so I pump and then bottle feed him.  I get up with him at night and change him, then feed (because who wants to eat when your wet at all??) then I burp him and cuddle up to him and we fall back asleep.  It has really let me bond with him in such a special way.  We have such a busy life with my other sons being older and if I put him in a crib or even a bassinet next to me, I just feel like I haven't 'connected' with him enough.  I look at it this way... they grow up so quick... there are plenty of nights they will sleep alone.. why make it when they are tiny?  I am going to let him sleep with me as long as I can.  

And I have to say.. you sound like you have the perfect situation.  You can nurse her while you lay next to her.  What a blessing!!!  Enjoy it... they really do grow up before your eyes {tears}.  I went school shopping for my 'lil boys'(in my eyes) and today... sniff... I bought my oldest son shoes.  He has officially graduated into the men's sizes!!!  It flies by.. it really does.

You ask what the benefit is... in my eyes, it is the blessing of that closeness that you will ONLY get at this time in her life.  Enjoy!!

Best wishes to you both!!!

Edit:  A comment on the article on babies sleeping through the night... In my case, my two older sons were pretty much in a cradle after a few weeks and they didn't sleep through the night until about 3-4 months old.  With this son, we keep him up from 7pm to 10pm playing or keeping him busy and they feed him at 10 and he sleeps until the alarm goes off at 6.  If he stirs I just reach over and lay my hand on his rump and he falls right back to sleep.  I have only had to actually get up to feed him in the middle of the night a few times.  At 6am I get my older kids off while feeding the baby and we lay back down.  Boy I hope that lasts, lol!

Answer 3

My boys never really needed burping. It was rare that they did. They fussed, I burped them, taken care of. At night, I never needed to burp them, so it was not a problem. As for diaper changing, they never really needed to be changed at night. They were not heavy night wetters and I would use a thick doubler at night that would pull the moisture away from their skin(I cloth diaper). On the rare occasions they needed it, I would have hubby change their diaper while I nursed them.

Answer 4

We co slept for the first month while I breastfed.  It is awesome to lay there and dose as the baby feeds.  I did not burp afterwards unless she fussed.  I only changed the diaper if it was super wet or a poopie.  We changed her right there is bed.  We used the carter's "lap pads" to change her on ( they are waterproof) and we used a flashlight so we didn't even turn on the lights.  It was great.

Answer 5

I am going to tell you the truth:

She nursed, and we both went back to sleep. No changing of diapers, unless I felt she needed it, and no burping. I enjoyed my sleep.

And she's completely fine.

Answer 6

It depends on the baby.  I had one of those famous (infamous?) babies who pooped once every 3-4 days.  We usually changed her midway through the night, though, for pee.  She also didn't need to be burped often - usually fell asleep nursing.  It would have definitely been an advantage (she didn't cosleep until 9 months).

Find what works for you.  Even if you have to change and burp her, you're giving her untold benefits, and you get to doze while she does nurse (I know how precious ANY dozing is in the early days).  It's also possible that in a couple of months, you'll get into a partnership where you don't even wake up, and she goes right back to sleep.

We're still cosleeping at 25.5 months, and, honestly, it's great.  She wakes about once a night, but goes right back to sleep.  If we're up late, and she's sleeping on her own, it's bloody murder when she wakes up on her own.  I don't blame her; I prefer to sleep with someone else.

Answer 7

My son never really ate at night, even though he is exclusively breastfed. He has always been a good sleeper. In the first 3-4 months he slept in a bassinet insert in his portacot in our room. At 3 months we moved him into his cot, also in our room.

Then about 4-5 months his teeth started to bother him, and I think he was getting a bit cold in the cot by himself. After 3-4 times of him waking at night and resettling him each time in his cot, I would just take him out and put him in bed with us. He then decided he would not resettle in his cot anymore, and now I just put him straight in bed with us of a night to avoid all the hassles. He does fuss at night sometimes even in bed with us, but I just put his dummy in and he stops fussing straight away and goes back to sleep. He doesn't really wet heavily at night, and never seems to poo overnight - so I don't see a need to change him.

I have no idea what it will be like trying to get him back to sleeping on his own, but for now I just want sleep and this is what is working for us.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

Answer 8

my son pooped after every feed and had to be changed and burped at night.  my daughter only poops a couple times a week and never at night and she doesn't really need burping anymore.

a sleepy baby will nurse more slowly and need less burping at night.  if your baby is still letting out a big burp every time, keep doing it.  she will probably outgrow it before too long.

Answer 9

My son co sleeps the first month there was really no benefit except for the closeness we had with him he slept better when he was with us and i loved cuddling with him. as he got a little older he didn't need to be burped anymore. so he would just nurse and fall back a sleep. basically its more enjoyment having them close  

Answer 10

We have co-slept since baby was 2 weeks old and it was so much easier. I just kept a stack of diapers and wipes by the bed and changed her once in the night ( she sleeps on a changing blanket so I changed her right in bed). My baby has never spit up much and we have never really had to burp at all, so that wasn't an issue.

Now that she's almost 6 months old she rarely poops or wets when sleeping, just first thing when waking up. If she has trapped gas she burps herself.

Answer 11

I started off co-sleeping cause it was so convenient since I was breastfeeding.  If you are a deep-sleeper, this is not recommended!  I know they don't recommend this at all but I think its certain mothers that cannot do this.  You know if you are able to sleep but still be aware that your baby is next to you so you don't roll over on them.  I think its a motherly instinct but I know others don't feel this way.  I did this for about 4 months and never had a problem.  You will have to use your best judgment.  I did not burp my baby and she seemed to do fine.  She would wake up in the middle of the night after she had fallen asleep breasfeeding and I would just "plug" her back in.  She usually just took a few sips and went right back to sleep so I see no harm in not burping her for that.

I did change her diapers in the middle of the night for the first few weeks but then stopped.  As long as she didn't p**p, I waited till morning to change her.  I have even heard that you should avoid changing baby at night unless you absolutely have to because this wakes baby up too much.  I do lather her up with some aquaphor oinment or diaper rash ointment on her last diaper change of the night though to create sort of a barrier.  

I don't know how old your little one is but I will tell you this.  I am kind of kicking myself in the butt now for doing this.  She got used to this that now even though I am no longer breastfeeding, she wakes up in the middle of the night searching for the nipple.  My doc said that a lot of babies start sleeping through the night about 2 months.  My daughter is now 5 months old and still wakes up 2-3 times a night wanting to eat.  I don't know if this is caused from the co-sleeping but I have a feeling it is.  I have now resulted to sticking a pacifer in her mouth instead of giving her a bottle when she wakes up in the middle of the night.  This is still hard because when the pacifier falls out of her mouth, she fusses and I have to put if back in.  I am slowly trying to break her of these habits.  I am just taking a little longer than some other people.  So I think there are pros and cons to doing this.  You will be the best judge of whats best for you and your baby.

Answer 12

Well first, my son doesn't have to cry to get my attention when he is in bed with me. When he begins to stir, I catch him right away. We might sit up a little to do the burping, and obviously the changing, but everything is right next to us. His diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, diaper pail... you name it. I don't have to lift my rear from the bed unless I need to use the bathroom.

Answer 13

There is an article in the September issue of Baby Talk magazine that discusses this very same issue.  Apparently, babies that sleep in their own crib will sleep all through the night by the time they are 6 months old than those babies who co-sleep.  I think its a personal choice and what it is that you feel you will get. I like co-sleeping because I don't have to rush out of bed to grab him. He is right there next to me. I still have to get up to burp him but that's because he tends to spit up or get gassy. I will only change him if his diaper seems wet or heavy. Otherwise, I just put him down and he falls back to sleep again.