Q: I’ve heard wonderful things about nursing in the middle of the night and falling asleep together in bed. What about burping? How can you burp the baby after a feeding if you both fall asleep?
A: Ah, the best kept secret of nursing mothers — co-sleeping! Many mothers enjoy the comfort and convenience of keeping their babies close at night. Babies love it, too! To be honest, I don’t think too many moms worry about burping during middle of the night feedings, unless the baby seems all wiggly and uncomfortable after the feeding. In this case, you could roll the baby up on your chest, pat until the burp comes, and roll back on your side. If the baby is comfortable enough to fall asleep, there is probably no air to burp, or if there is, it will quite naturally remove itself!
By the way, burping is more a bottle feeding problem than a breastfeeding problem,since our breasts have no air in them for baby to swallow. In the day feeds, you can pat a bit if you want to check for a burp, but give up if it doesn’t come in a minute or so! Another advantage of breastfeeding…
By Ann Calandro
BSN, RNC, IBCLC Lactation Consultant, co-sleeper with her babies, too
