What should I do about my 3 month old baby wanting to nurse all night?
I've been too tired to get up every 2-3 hrs to nurse, so I've been sleeping with him attached to my breast... Unfortunately I can't sleep well. What should I do? He doesn't burp well either, and spits up a lot. I'm afraid of him choking on his spit-up.
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Hate to be that person, but.. Get up every few hours. If it's an option, make sure your partner is getting up with the child, doing the changing, burping, etc so you can focus on feeding and sleeping.
The fact that your child is snacking all night isn't worrying in itself - they'll do that, if the food is available. But if you worry about him spitting up while you sleep or you just aren't sleeping well, changing routine is the only practical answer.
Also, just remember - it gets easier.
It seems like you have two problems here: having to nurse frequently during the night, and a fear that your child might choke on spit up.
I agree with Saiboogu's answer to the first part. It's hard, I know. Try and get naps during the day while he sleeps, and enlist any help you need from your partner. This phase of his life won't last long.
As far as spitting up goes, if your baby has actually been choking on his spit up, I suggest you talk to a doctor about it, because that could be dangerous. If you're simply worried that he might choke while he sleeps on his back, then you don't have to worry. On page 11 of this PDF, the AAP says they didn't see any increased chance of choking on spit-up for babies who slept on their backs vs. babies who slept on their stomachs.
You acknowledge the problem in the first sentence. Put the baby in the bassinet/crib and then get up to nurse when needed. The first couple of nights are going to be miserable.
When it is time for a feeding, be businesslike and quiet. Rise promptly rather than let the baby cry itself fully awake. Feed, burp, change diaper if needed, back to sleep for both of you. Don't stimulate the baby with anything other than the feeding. It will soon become a routine that both of you almost sleep through.
You and the baby both will sleep better.
The feedings will be quicker, leading to more sleep.
Our son was like that for the first several months.
We dealt with this by co-sleeping. It took several weeks of adjustment, but once we were used to it, my wife could feed him without fully waking up herself, thus felt much better rested in the morning.
I'll also echo what @Saiboogu said: we agreed that I did all the night-time diaper changing to balance the night-time disturbances.
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