Staying warm nursing at night

[phirey]

So DH and I both like to sleep "cold," meaning we keep the room a little cool and get all snuggly warm under a down comforter, which we only puton the bed in the winter. Here in GA the temps are finally dropping enough and we put the comforter on the bed last week.

So with a newborn nursing still every 2-4 hours, I can sit up in bed and nurse her and stay reasonably warm, but my back KILLS me. She and I can't get the hang of side-lying yet, plus I'm petrified of falling asleep that way and the SIDS risks associated.

So with my back in mind DH and I went out and bought a glider this week. I was so excited, but the first night I got up and tried to nurse in it. i wrapped myself in two blankets and wore flannel PJs. But my body just couldn't relax and get warm. Poor DD got so frustrated with me as I shivered and couldn't get let-down. I finally climbed back in bed with her and glared at the $425 glider the whole time -- P.O.'d at myself for even thinking it was the solution to my problem.

Any ideas? Please don't just say turn up the heat -- becasue the whole family will be miserable. I'm looking for one of those "bags" I think I've seen at LLBean or something that's like a blanket you can zip around you. What do y'all do?

[chlobo]

I know that one thing that is a problem is not matter what you have on you have to move your shirt to nurse and that lets in a breeze. What I did was to wear a t-shirt and then a button down shirt over it. I would live the t-shirt as far as needed and then make sure my button down shirt covered all the "open" areas. Also, make sure you have warm socks on. I know if my feet are cold, my whole body is cold. Finally, fleece is much warmer than flannel, IMO so you might want to invest in some snug fitting fleece pajamas. I would recommend something that has elastic around the ankle so they don't ride up and let your ankle get cold. Basically, you need to cover all exposed areas that are normally covered by your bedding to make sure you don't get cold outside of the bed.

I don't know your views on them but another thing you might try is an electric blanket or heating pad while you are nursing. Might help if you don't object to that sort of thing.

I had DD in November. I never worried about being cold b/c for some unexplained reason I was roasting all the time for about 2months after she was born. Probably all the extra padding I added during pregnancy. I'm usually very cold.

Good luck.

[Laurelsmom2002]

I had DD in November. I never worried about being cold b/c for some unexplained reason I was roasting all the time for about 2months after she was born. Probably all the extra padding I added during pregnancy. I'm usually very cold.


nope-- it was your hormones.. I still have moments where I wake up so hot I have to walk around to cool down... sorry this gets off post.. I think the heating blanket would be a great solution for your glider

[cchavez]

Don't have any suggestions but would love to hear more answers. DD due in late December and I worry about the same issues. Thanks!!!

[mudder17]

Hmm...well, we nursed in the side-lying position fairly early on, but one thing that might help is a fleece blanket that has snaps and zippers. It's something I got a long time ago (I actually got 4 of them, including one for my mom). It basically folds around you so that it's like wearing a blanket with wide sleeves. It zips from the feet to the chest and snaps over your shoulders. I used to wear it around the house all the time back in my "cold" days. You would also want fleece slippers and socks or something like that to keep your feet toasty warm. LL Bean has some nice slippers for something like that.

If you can't find something like that, get a fleece robe (we got a couple nice ones from Sierra Trading Post) that is a size too large, plus some warm slippers. And a heating pad in a strategic location may help you as well.

The blanket I have is similar to this in style:

[link:cgi.ebay.com/CUDDLEWRAP-AMERICAN-STAR-THROW-BLANKET-ROBE-BLANKETS_W0QQitemZ5431113864QQcategoryZ63855QQssPa geNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem|Cuddlewrap]

[link:cgi.ebay.com/CUDDLEWRAP-AMERICAN-STAR-THROW-BLANKET-ROBE-BLANKETS_W0QQitemZ5431113864QQcategoryZ63855QQssPa geNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem|Cuddlewrap 2]

I'm thinking something along these lines would give you enough room under the blanket to put your DC underneath, but still allow breathing room.

I think I got mine at Target or something like that about 10-15 years ago.

Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif for Leah
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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[pritchettzoo]

Costco has these things called Heat Dishes (I'm sure they're not unique to Costco, but that's where I've seen them). They heat up a particular spot without heating up the whole house. They're electric and look sort of like a fan, and they can oscillate or be stationary. We've used one the past few winters to save on heating several rooms in the house we don't really inhabit. Anyway, you turn them on and they instantly warm you up--maybe that would help? If you hate it, Costco's return policy is fantastic.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03) and Eli (July '05)

[JLiebCamm]

I would recommend wearing a Glamourmom nursing tank or something similar under your PJs. I had a January baby and wouldn't have survived without my tanks!

[tiapam]

A comfort fleece cardigan from LL Bean (over my pjs) kept my top half pretty warm. If I was still cold, I used a fleece throw on my bottom half. I just realized I am wearing the cardigan right now. I have worn it a lot. It is really warm.

-Pam

Charlotte born October 2004

[Sarah1]

I have to have my Smartwool socks on! Those make a huge difference. When my feet are warm, my whole body is warm. Hope things improve for you! :)

[marit]

We are exactly the same! I use something like this:
http://store.yahoo.com/comfort/bedchairs.html

I found something much cheaper though, at Bed Bath and Beyond about 3 years ago (when DD was born). It is always on our bed, on my side, and my regular pillow is just in front of it. This is how I nursed both my children.

I also have an expensive rocker, that I got from my mom as a gift when DD was born. I was never able to nurse on it. We use it now a lot for reading stories before bed time (she is almost 3 yo now). But we never used it when she was an infant.

The "bed chair" is just so convenient, I don't even get out of bed. DS (5 months old) sleeps next to me in a bassinet. I yank him out of it and nurse, but him back, good night!

[missym]

My mom crocheted a "nursing shawl" for me which is very helpful for keeping me warm. It's just a poncho really, which goes over my head, and is very full so it drapes over both me and the baby. It has enough ventilation because it's an open pattern, but the fuzzy yarn is surprisingly warm.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03 and Rebecca 09/05

[erosenst]

We keep our house cool too, and I sleep in summer jammies all year. My solution was to keep a pretty heavy fleece pullover by my bed that I would throw on on my way to her room. I had an afghan I could put over me on the glider ottoman, too. Between my extra "padding", the body heat she generated, and the fleece/afghan, I was always warm enough.

[alkagift]

Peggy,
Hie thee to Costco! Seriously, the one down here (Perimeter) has down throws--smaller than twin, but doable. Throw that over your shoulders and the baby when you're in the glider. I nursed in the winter with a fleece robe on--fleece was just warmer for me--and a polyester chenille throw that they sell at department store type places. If I'd seen the down one, though, that's what I would have had.

I had the same trouble, BTW, with the back pain nursing in bed and was not comfortable in the side-lying position either. I found that the problem was height--I needed to bring the baby up higher. So I put a pillow on my lap then the boppy or whatever on top of that, and really set the boppy up tight against me. This kept me from hunching or trying to lift the baby up to the correct position.

Good luck, mama!

Allison
Mommy to Matthew, who is two and a HALF!

[ribbit1019]

I've been looking at these. Do you have any safety concerns with these? They just look so toddler tempting, I am afraid DD would burn herself.

Christy
"My Mommy" to Maddy born 06/09/04
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and soon to Little Man due 03/02/06
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