Sweet Sleep: Nighttime and Naptime Strategies for the Breastfeeding Family

I heard about this book at a breastfeeding support group. A few of us new moms had talked about how we've accidentally fallen asleep in recliners while nursing. The more experienced breastfeeding moms started talking about how they nurse in bed and brought up this book. I decided to buy it and couldn't be happier with the purchase and the way it's changed my nights and days. The book discussed faults in the research arguing against bed sharing, the realities of SIDS and suffocation risks, ways to minimize suffocation, and an overview of which babies are most vulnerable to SIDS. This book calmed my nerves in relation to SIDS and gave me the information I needed to make my bed safe for my daughter, as well as plenty of information on how to transition her out of it when she's older. She and I have never slept better and waking to each other's smiling faces starts every day off right for us. Every breastfeeding mother can benefit from the information in this book. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies be brought into bed if there is a significant risk that you'll fall asleep. Given how tired that rush of oxytocin can make a nursing mother, it is a good idea to go ahead and babyproof your bed even if you're not planning on bed sharing beyond feeding. If you're thinking about getting this book, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

Before my son was born, I suffered from a chronic illness that had me nearly bedridden for 3 years. After giving birth, I went from 12-16 hours a day or more in bed to less than 6 total (and not even in a stretch). Of course this is normal for new moms, but it was particularly challenging given my illness (that has, thankfully, abated). I was so desperate for sleep that one time I propped my son up with pillows in my arms and slept sitting up in our recliner. That experience helped me realize that something needed to change and that cosleeping was surely safer than co-chair-sleeping. Enter this book. It has been a godsend! It helped confirm my instincts regarding sharing a bed with my son and gave me peace of mind about his safety. I found the research surrounding sleep deaths to be particularly insightful and worthwhile (since sleeping "authorities" have portrayed cosleeping to be dangerous). The two facts that especially stuck with me were: (1) in countries where moms routinely cosleep (like japan), SIDS is basically nonexistent, and (2) cosleeping death rates include any death when a baby is sleeping with a parent (so deaths from strangulation in a sofa, for example, are tallied into that figure). I've feel successfully cosleeping with my son fit almost a year and still enjoying it. Thanks, LLLI, for this great resource!

I first read this book when I was pregnant. And I thought "there is no way I am going to cosleep." We had a crib in our bedroom. Then my daughter was born. We spent two days in the hospital with my daughter skin to skin with either me or my husband. Then we got home and it would have been easier to chop off my arm and lay it in the crib. Even next to our bed, the crib seemed so far. So we went about making a safe sleep cosleeping arrangement (crib as side car). This book provided guidance on how to do it safely and normalized our desire to have our newborn close to us. 14 months later I still reference this book. So much of our current parenting wisdom seems to be based on the perception of others... The first question you are asked is "is she good? Does she sleep through the night?" So much contemporary sleep research shows night waking is normal into the second year, so maybe we need to stop seeing infant waking as a problem to rectify and recognize all children are different and have different sleep needs and patterns. This book helped to reassure me when I was confronted with tirades of "she'll never learn to sleep, self soothe, etc., if you don't teach her." I often choose to parent as I imagine I would if I lived in a tribe before expert parenting advice and pseudo science. In such a place I would sleep with my baby, I would respond to her cries, I would nurse her on demand and not a schedule. This book is empowering to the parents who want to parent in a way that is natural, attached, and empathetic to their babies.

This book is an an absolute breath of fresh air and a must-have for all breastfeeding families. Sleeping with our babies has been and always will be an instinctual, normal behavior, much as it is all over the world. Only when things do not generate money (like breastfeeding!), do they become labeled as controversial, shameful, or even dangerous. The authors have done their research, and then some- they have gleaned all of the latest research on the science behind normal newborn sleep, debunked myths, and developed a simple and easy to remember method for safe bedsharing- the "Safe Sleep 7." Laid out in an easy-to-read, non-judgemental format, it clearly outlines the benefits of bedsharing, while also catering to those who choose not to bedshare, but still seek safe sleeping tips- this book has a little something for everyone! As a mother of 4 breastfed babies who has bedshared for the past 8 years since Day 1 (first out of necessity, then out of practicality, and finally for the sheer comfort and snuggliness), I can easily say that I still learned so much from this book. If you are a family seeking better sleep, want to avoid "sleep training" tactics, and want to get breastfeeding off to the best possible start, I highly suggest Sweet Sleep.

Great book for breastfeeding moms on cosleeping safety. I have my 10 week old sleeping with less nighttime fuss for at least 10 hours a night with feeds every few hours. Now we just need to work on naptime! Great complimentary book to The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.

If I was born in US, I don't think I'd have it in me to bedshare. But I was not and bedsharing was the only norm known to me. Nevertheless. after having my baby in US, I planned on putting him to bassinet. I was so scared of bedsharing given all the advices. I started out with bassinet next to bed. After 2 days, he wouldn't sleep there. Then I put in-bed bassinet, I was so scared, I'd wake up multiple times at night to check on him and I'd get only 2-3 hrs of sleep every night. At 3 weeks, I met Lactation Consultant who assured me it was okay to sleep with the baby. I put him next to me only during morning hours and sometimes I dozed off. He'd be fine. At 2 months old, he outgrew the bassinet and we slept together. I reassured myself that the whole population of my country bedshared with no problem. And then at 2 months old, dream feeding started. He was a pro at finding his food. I didnt have to wake up for feed. And he'd sleep whenever I slept, wake up when ever I did. We both got full nights sleep. Most of the suggestions in this book, we'd already doing that. Everything was instinctual. Everybody called him the happy baby. We never had a baby monitor. Expecting my second, I read the book and there were few suggestions I loved - like moses basket, baby wearing and having an outdoor time. But I am more reassured.

this is the best book I have read on how to make sleep time better for babies, mothers and families. It looks at the research, good and bad, and breaks it down on sleep safety. Parents can come away feeling that they are informed on the choices they make to ensure a safe way to get everyone the most sleep. Moms will feel more empowered knowing that there are hints in dealing with others who may not be aware of the current research, and how to deal with those who still disagree with your sleeping situations. If the USA intends to increase the long term breastfeeding rate then this book shows research on babies normal sleep patterns, moms interactions with babies during 1/3 of the day and the ever changing needs of your child as they grow, and what helps for longer nursing and what may hinder longer nursing relationships. I can't recommend it enough, but suggest you read it while pregnant, since at 2 am with an exhausted mommy and baby that's up may not be the most ideal time. This book's research shows that most moms will fall asleep with their baby, and safely planning ahead of time with the information from this book is invaluable!

La Leche League is the best. In our busy working-mom world, those of us lucky enough to stay home with our babies are judged by the working-moms starboard's and time line when we have the luxury of letting the baby be a baby. They took all my stress away about my baby not sleeping thru the night at 4 months old and helped me get a little more sleep then I was. Totally worth buying and reading even if you don't consider yourself being "crunchy." If you are breast feeding... no if you're having a baby, Le Leche League is your friend.

I found this book to be so helpful, especially the information regarding safe bed sharing and night nursing. If you have been blessed with a sparkler/high needs/orchid baby the way we have and you are hoping to breastfeeding feed long term I highly recommended this resource. It is packed with easy to understand, (a must for tired mamas) evidence based information.

If you're struggling with lack of sleep with your new baby or wondering whether it is safe to sleep with your breastfed baby and go against current opinion, then this is the book for you. Finally, a sensible book taking normal biology and recent research into account, full of ideas for sweet sleep for both you AND your baby. The fact that it is written in tells-it-how-it-is plain language and comes from the well respected La Leche League International is a double bonus. Sweet Sleep has the same authors (plus one) as The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and is written in a similar style-- answering all your frequently asked questions head on with a balance of common sense, mothers' stories and evidence based research. The four authors have all been breastfeeding mothers, breastfeeding counsellors and lactation consultants--putting them in a perfect position to understand the confusion and exhaustion surrounding caring for a new baby, and to share tried and tested sleep solutions backed by scientific research. Chapter one gets straight into the heart of The Safe Sleep Seven--a checklist for safe sleeping for the breastfeeding mother and how to make your bed as "SIDS-safe as a cot". I like the fact we don't have to wade through the book to know the jist of the message: "If you and your baby meet the requirements in the Safe Sleep Seven checklist you've already eliminated all the biggest SIDS risks. And if you prepare your bed, then your baby's overall nighttime risk becomes vanishingly small. It's like putting your seat belt on and then driving slowly on a deserted (and lovely!) country road. Enjoy having your baby beside you for the journey." All the questions you will have about sleeping safely are covered e.g. Is it safe for your baby to sleep on his tummy on his mother or father? How can you check if your mattress is a safe surface? Are sleep positioners safe or a hazard? Is sleep training harmful? Is white noise harmful for tiny ears? Can my partner bed share with our baby? What does research say? What about public health cautions that bed sharing is risky? "Babies are no more manipulative in seeking warmth, breastfeeding, and emotional connection than an adult is in seeking a heat source, dinner, and friendship. Mothers are no more wishy-washy in "giving in" to a baby's needs than a friend is wishy-washy in giving you a hug when you're feeling down." Because the book is quite long it's good to know that you can dip in and out of chapters as you need them without necessarily reading the whole. However, by reading the book cover to cover you won't miss all the fascinating tips and snippets such as 'two sleeps biology', why your baby doesn't need scratch mittens, why breastfeeding pillows could be a hazard, the reassuring table of sleep temperaments and traits or the important difference between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Accidental Suffocation and Strangulation in Bed (ASSB). At the back of the book is a "Tearsheet Toolkit" with summaries of the Safe Sleep Seven, The Safe Surface Checklist, Helpful Websites or Bedsharing Talking Points (and more) to serve as personal reminders or for sharing with your in-laws, doctor or childcare provider. These are also available online at the La Leche League International website. "...we're recommending that all breastfeeding mothers prepare for bed-sharing whether or not they ever intend to do it, since research finds that most breastfeeding mothers do sleep with their babies at some point and preparing for bedsharing is safer than accidentally falling asleep together." Even the most passionate protestor against bed sharing will find it hard to argue against the research, logic and common sense within the pages of Sweet Sleep. It's valuable reading for every mother to be, father, health worker, grandparent and not forgetting Daily Mail editor. Because sleeping with your baby is not newsworthy or scandalous, it's normal. [...]

My baby is 6m and reading this book is helping me tremendously. For the last month I had been doubting on how to change the way I help her to sleep and how our sleeping arrangement affect my milk production. I was trying to implement changes because of other people's advice but I was starting to sleep less and be exhausted. Now that I am reading this book I am following the advice it gives (more like a philosophy really) and I feel more connected to my daughter, I sleep better because I stopped doubting and saw how to trust myself and my baby more. I read it on kindle cause it's so easy while breastfeeding. The bottom line is: since you are going to sleep with your baby at some point, in a sofa, in a bed or wherever, you might as well know that sleep experts are on your side (with scientific proves explained) but that there is a safe way to do it. I wish I had read this before the birth. But anyway it's not too late. I love the message that what is natural is to be close to baby, which is why it has so many benefits. What is not so normal is to leave her alone, which has so many disadvantages (for baby normal growth) and is even potentially dangerous. This book is a practical self-help one, with humour, kindness, love, a real invitation to be more confident. I feel so gratefull I found it. I think every midwife, pediatrician and nurse should read it. Also public campaigns should carry the message: stay as close as possible to your baby, day and night, do it by following safety rules and everyone will be happier and sleep better <3

Love this book, this is the kind of info I was looking for and couldn't find online. Sane and logical info about baby sleep patterns and bedsharing, which is apparently controversial?! Dont forget industries fund "safety reports" i.e. crib manufacturers paying for studies on how unsafe bedsharing is. I guess nobody thinks about how most people in history (and much of the world to date, outside of western influence) raised babies and *gasp* didn't kill all their children by crushing them in the night. This book concisely lays out safe strategies to sleep with your baby as nature intended. Everything we are told is correct and "safe" for baby's sleep and in sleep training is counter intuitive and causes everyone involved to suffer while baby acclimates to being outside the womb. Modern culture has reprogrammed us to do everything backwards, and it's kind of sad that we need to have books like this to unlearn what we all think is what we're supposed to do and get back to what our bodies are designed to do! I am grateful to have this wisdom still available to us though. Bedsharing mothers get the most sleep, your baby belongs next to you as much as possible! It makes happier, calmer & healthier babies and calmer more rested mothers. It reduces post-partum depression in mothers and anxiety in babies as they grow.

Como todos los libros de la liga de la leche, magníficamente escritos. Ayuda a entender los ciclos de sueño por edades, da muchísimas recomendaciones en cada franja de edad y a la hora de dar el pecho mientras se duerme. Simplemente magnífico