My choice to co-sleep

For me it was easy to make the decision to co-sleep with my son for the first four months, firstly because I wanted to, but also because all the reasons ‘for’ appealed to me.

I can totally understand why caution is advised and that this has to be a considered and personal choice. For example if you are on any medications that make you drowsy, if you are a restless or fidgety sleeper, any use of drugs or alcohol can also make co-sleeping inadvisable. (Where I say you I also mean your partner if you intend to make it a ‘family’ bed)

Also there are concerns about some of the ‘safety items’ to aid co sleeping. Basically if there is anyway a baby could get trapped by the cushions or buffers that surround them – they should not be used.

Initially I had my son in a bassinet by the side of the bed which any similar arrangement offers the best of both worlds – the closeness, but also the safety of separate sleeping spaces. Saying that when my son’s appetite picked up and was nearly constantly feeding he slept on the bed with me, by which time I was confident in my abilities to share safely.

When he was nearly five months we moved him to his own crib in the nursery and using his bedtime routine we helped to bridge the change as best we could. He took to it fine... it took me over a week to get used to the adjustment as whenever I wanted to be sure he was ok before I would just crack open an eye lid, or even just listen to him breathing. Whereas now the slightest imaginary sound in the house had me up at lightening speed and into his room to be sure he was ok!

Now he is sleeping through and mostly so am I – we have reached a healthy and happy status quo. He has had the close contact here in the ‘outside world’ that he enjoyed whilst growing inside me, but as his needs have changed, so should his sleeping environment. My concern was that if I left it too much longer when developmentally he goes through separation anxiety it would be even harder to make the transition.

Whilst I am in the minority having made this decision, I do think there are those who go against there own wish to co-sleep due to safety fears and worries about how people might perceive this. It is rare amongst mammals to have this desire/ action to separate ourselves from our newborn when we sleep. I hope if by reading this maybe at least one mother who wishes to try it is encouraged to do so, or one closed minded person reconsiders their opinion, as some of my best early memories with my baby are snuggled up in bed, or waking up and looking over and seeing his beautiful, angelic sleeping face!