I knew this would happen: I break my streak then slack off on posting. It's not that I haven't thought about posting though. It seems when I finally think about it, and finally sit and relax, Riley wakes up and wants to eat, or it is simply time for me to go to bed. Right now Riley is waking up, and I am pretty tired so I think I should go to bed. I've been bad lately and have been going to bed after 2300. I put Riley down to sleep usually around 2100 or whenever his feeding is around that time, and by the time I lay down myself, it is usually time for him to feed again. The past two nights have been good as far as sleep goes. Tuesday night he went 2-3 hours between each night feeding, and I think even one time went 4 hours. I ended up with 6.5 hours of sleep myself. And when that is compared with some of the other nights where I got 3-4 hours, it was pretty good. I woke up soooo refreshed. Jamaal had Wednesday off, so I felt less guilty for getting nothing done. Riley spent most of the morning making up for lost time and nursed most of the morning. In the afternoon, I felt sleepy, so I went to lay down and nursed him in bed. It was one of the best naps ever, cuddling with my little bug. I think I slept for an hour.
Okay, I'm doing it again: writing a boring, long post. Even all of the nothing I've been up to lately seems important enough to share with the world. Let me get to the point.
During Riley's morning feeds I read the chapter in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding on sleep. They are huge supporters of "the family bed" and have pretty convincing arguments in support of co-sleeping. Co-sleeping promotes breastfeeding, and studies have shown that mothers that co-sleep get more sleep than those that don't. After reading about it, I thought it was worth at least trying it out. I'm still torn. I don't know how it will work when I go back to work. I might work one night shift a week, so that I don't have to be gone during the day as much. What would that do to him? Would he have a hard time getting to sleep without mama to cuddle with? Also, Jamaal would probably be uncomfortable with having him in the bed with him only, so the poor little guy would be put in his crib alone. How confusing for a little man! I'm hoping that he will be able to transition okay.
Anyway, he slept next to me last night. It was nice to be able to just nurse and sleep and nurse and sleep. The only problem I have is I don't want to turn my back to him, but I don't necessarily like to sleep on my left side all night either.
I started this post last night...
Last night, again, he slept next to me. It was nice for me, but rough on Riley. He has a hard time nursing while laying down. He can't seem to latch correctly when laying down. He also is more uncomfortable after, and gets fussy afterwards. Usually it is because he needs to burp some more. Jamaal doesn't like him sleeping with us. He feels like he doesn't sleep as well. Even though Riley sleeps better and doesn't wake up fully, (and therefore nurses for shorter periods and goes back to sleep easier) I understand what he means. I'm sleeping lighter to make sure he is safe in the bed with us.
I'm concluding that at this time the family bed will not work for us. Not because of things I've mentioned above, but because of this: I find him rolling onto his stomach nearly every time I wake to nurse or check on him. Even if I push him onto his back after nursing, he will still end up on his side or stomach. This is too scary for me he could fall prone to SIDS or could suffocate. Either way, I couldn't live with myself if that happened in bed with us. I'm expecting a rough night tonight, as he probably will miss being so close to me, but I'll deal with it as it happens. This morning we slept from 0745 until 1130! It was amazing!
I think we will sleep together for naps or as needed when he is a little older, but for now, the bassinet next to my bed will have to do.
Hey! I understand your conclusions and give you props for giving it a try!
ReplyDeleteI am scared to talk about co-sleeping on my blog because it brings up such strong emotions, on both sides! Even though most people probably already know what we've done with our babies. Just a quick question - why would you have to sleep only on your left side all night? I will move Jo to my other side when when we wake up to have her latch on. And I just hold her over my tummy to burp her so I don't have to get up. (I think it describes that in the book)
What size bed do you have? I think having a King makes a big difference for Mike, cause he feels like he has more room. He's also more comfortable with it because he's familiar with it. I can understand how it could be hard if no one you knew had the baby in the bed.
We have a queen size bed. As it is, I am nearly falling off the side of the bed when I have him in bed with us. I don't feel comfortable turning my back to him, so that means I have to either be on my back or left side. Because I also don't feel comfortable having him on the edge of the bed. They do mention holding the baby over your side to burp, but I don't seem to have the right leverage while laying down to get him to a sitting position. Plus, there is usually a fountain of spit that follows, and I'd rather not have that running down my backside (because again, I don't have the coordination to catch it while laying on my side). I don't really mind getting up to burp him (when I haven't fallen asleep during nursing him). But again, that isn't the problem that I've been having, really.
ReplyDeleteIs there anything you could push up against the bed to keep him from falling off the bed? Like either the bassinet or possibly pushing the bed up against the wall? We did that for a while and it calmed my fears about Lou falling off the bed entirely. I know it's scary to think about the little guy getting caught between the wall and the bed but you could make that safe by using a rolled up towel or something in the gap. Another thing that makes the bed safer is using a firm pad (we use these pads from Babies R Us that I I got that are supposed to be for cribs...they are so great because instead of having to wash the sheets if she spits up I just use the pads) It also seems to help with the rolling over onto their faces. If Josie does this at least she isn't breathing in the loose sheets. Anyway, I really honestly can say that co-sleeping can be very safe. We wouldn't do it if we didn't believe this. Babies do die in cribs just as often as they die in beds. I don't know if they have exact statistics but one cannot argue that cribs are 100% safe by any means. Again though, it is up to both parents so you should both be on the same page. :) Sorry if you ever feel like I'm pressuring you with my comments. If you ever feel this way let me know! I'm just happy to share my experiences and I know I liked hearing about other people's experiences when I had my first.
ReplyDeletelove ya!