breastsleep

English

Etymology

Compound of breast +‎ sleep.

Verb

breastsleep (third-person singular simple present breastsleeps, present participle breastsleeping, simple past and past participle breastslept)

1. (transitive, intransitive, neologism) To participate in breastsleeping.
   • 2017 March 14, Tamsin Kelly, quoting Jennifer Lynott, “Breastsleeping: Is This How New Mums Can Get More Sleep?”, in The Huffington Post‎^[1], archived from the original on 2021-10-23:

     I felt he just wanted the comfort of his mum, and as I was on maternity leave, I decided to breastsleep with him.

   • 2018 June 5, Jennifer Woody Collins, “Fluid Materiality in Health Communication”, in Health Communication, volume 34, number 11, Hillsdale, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1378, column 1:

     I now see the period where I "breastslept" with my child as marking the inexpressible shift often described by new parents: my whole world had changed, but words fell short of explanation.

   • 2021, Linda Goldberg, Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond, third edition, Garden City Park, N.Y.: Square One Publishers, →ISBN, page 301, column 2:

     Infants who breastsleep have a lighter, more natural sleep with more arousals and more breastfeeds per night.

Usage notes

• The term has not been entirely accepted into medical language, and is sometimes used with scare quotes.

Related terms

• breastsleeping (noun)