Nursing to sleep

I was lucky enough to have a friend with the same due date as me, so we shared our pregnancies together and now get to ask each other how our babies are doing. Yesterday during an afternoon playdate May got overtired from the excitement of another baby and started to cry. I comforted her with some rocking and singing which almost did the trick (and actually sent my friend's baby to the land of nod), but she was just too tired to succumb to the sandman. I nursed her and about 3 minutes later she was out like a light.

Almost asleep....

Normally nursing to sleep is reserved for these occasions during the day when she is worked up, overtired or in a strange environment. In the evening when it's time for her to go to bed she nurses for as long as she wants and normally is pretty close to asleep (or is asleep) when I put her in her crib. But during the day I tend to avoid nursing her to sleep for naps.

My main worry is that she'll become dependent on it. Although it is still two months until she starts daycare, her ability to go for a nap there without me weighs heavily on my mind. I wonder how other breastfeeding mums have felt. Personally I feel that the ability to nurse May to sleep (or at least very sleepy) is a huge benefit of breastfeeding and I don't see anything wrong with it. She doesn't wake up a million times a night to nurse for comfort (but maybe that will change) and it is helpful to know you have the nursing weapon with you at all times if she is overwhelmed by something.

Equally it is important to me that she doesn't 'need' to nurse to sleep at all times though, especially when she will start daycare. For now I am trying to find that balance between ensuring her comfort (and avoiding all those tears) whilst encouraging her to find comfort in other ways. I guess this is just another thing to add to my growing list of mother's guilt!

Catching some zzzzzz