I never planned on co-sleeping. Like all new moms I had read about the horror stories and the SIDS statistics. So when it came to picking out baby gear I bought the best bassinet I could find and a beautiful crib and bedding thinking that my new baby would be spending many months safely tucked away in her bassinet each night. WRONG! From the moment Rylin was born I did not want to be separated from her. Not even to catch a few badly needed zzzz's and apparently she felt the same way. Every time we tried to place our sleeping baby in her bassinet she would immediately wake up and only fall back asleep on our chests. I spent the first 6 weeks sleeping upright on our couch with Rylin on my chest. My back was aching and I was beyond exhausted so I wrote a post reaching out to other mommy bloggers and was surprised to receive an overwhelming amount of information and advice about co-sleeping. So I bought a bed rail that would fit our bed and finally for the first time in 6 weeks I was able to sleep in my own bed with my baby safely tucked next to me and have been doing so ever since. I dress Rylin in warm pj's, leave the fan on low, and place her on top of the comforter between the bed rail and I so there is no risk of the cover getting on her or Jake rolling onto her and we are both able to get a full nights sleep! I thought we would make the transition into her crib when she turned 6 months old but it is going so well that we are going to continue to co-sleep as long as she in comfortable with it. Some people tell me I am spoiling her and that I'll never be able to get her out of my bed but that's fine with me. She's only gonna be this little once.
guest post: Etosia
Friday, June 3, 2011
I never planned on co-sleeping. Like all new moms I had read about the horror stories and the SIDS statistics. So when it came to picking out baby gear I bought the best bassinet I could find and a beautiful crib and bedding thinking that my new baby would be spending many months safely tucked away in her bassinet each night. WRONG! From the moment Rylin was born I did not want to be separated from her. Not even to catch a few badly needed zzzz's and apparently she felt the same way. Every time we tried to place our sleeping baby in her bassinet she would immediately wake up and only fall back asleep on our chests. I spent the first 6 weeks sleeping upright on our couch with Rylin on my chest. My back was aching and I was beyond exhausted so I wrote a post reaching out to other mommy bloggers and was surprised to receive an overwhelming amount of information and advice about co-sleeping. So I bought a bed rail that would fit our bed and finally for the first time in 6 weeks I was able to sleep in my own bed with my baby safely tucked next to me and have been doing so ever since. I dress Rylin in warm pj's, leave the fan on low, and place her on top of the comforter between the bed rail and I so there is no risk of the cover getting on her or Jake rolling onto her and we are both able to get a full nights sleep! I thought we would make the transition into her crib when she turned 6 months old but it is going so well that we are going to continue to co-sleep as long as she in comfortable with it. Some people tell me I am spoiling her and that I'll never be able to get her out of my bed but that's fine with me. She's only gonna be this little once.
I co-slept with Lucy for the first few weeks. Didn't plan to - as you say, you hear so many SIDS horror stories it puts you off. But we also found it was the only way to get any sleep. She's now in her own crib a few feet away from the bed and, although my husband I sleep better without her in the bed, I do miss her warm snuggly little body next to me.
ReplyDeletePS we didn't have any trouble with transitioning her. We just tried her in the crib one day and she was happy there, so we carried on.
I just found your blog and I love this guest post. I read in an earlier post that you are co-sleepers as well! My son is 16 mo and still co-sleeping/breastfeeding with no end in sight. So excited to find a like minded mama!
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