WHY I CHOOSE TO CO-SLEEP

So let me start off by saying that I am not your doctor.  I am not advocating that you follow what I do.  Let me also state that as parents our job is hard, the decisions we make for our family is even harder and while you may not agree with my decision I ask that you respect my choice to make it...if you can’t do that then this blog post is not for you so you may just want to skip this one but hopefully you’ll come back for my other content 😃

When I was pregnant my plan was not to co-sleep.  The American Pediatric Society (APA) and countless other organizations warn against and frown upon the practice; and as a physician I understood the literature, warnings,  and the risk.

​When my little one arrived I tried the back to sleep however he hated it...like would not sleep at all!  I put a pillow in the crib in the hospital for him to sleep on thinking that it was not comfortable because it was hard and that helped a little bit but still it was not a long term solution.  When we got home I put him in the bedside bassinet and that worked slightly however having to breast feed him presented a challenge post C-Section.  I would have to turn and contort my body into an uncomfortable postion all while trying to lift him out of the bassinet every few hours to breastfeed.  So one night after almost dropping him I decided that I had to find what would work for me and my family.

I stopped putting him in the bassinet and put him in the bed with me and my mother—she was sleeping with me at the time to help me🤦🏾‍♀️.  In an effort to try to be as safe as possible in my decision my mother suggested that I buy an Owlet.  For those who have not heard of this product let me give you a quick rundown.  It’s a device that goes on your little ones foot that tracks their oxygen saturation and heart rate.  If there is abnormal readings based on set parameters it will alert you and it will also alarm on your cell phone if you have it programmed.  While this device is not intended to be used in the manner that I did; it did bring me peace of mind and helped me rest a bit easier with my little on by my side. 

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As Jeremy got better with latching it made breastfeeding easier. As he got older he would find the nipple all on his own and I would wake up to his suckling 🤱🏽. Now that he’s weaned from breastfeeding we co-sleep for necessity due to out inter generational living situation (i.e. I’m staying with my parents house—stay tuned for a vlog about that 🤣).

However, I also continue to co-sleep because it gave me a bit more time with him as a working mother with late hours. The freedom to hug, kiss, and pray over him during the night all from the comfort of my bed is a joy. For me waking up to hear him laugh in his sleep is reward from the months of being awakened by him crying needing to be fed and changed and cuddled. Laying in the bed with my eyes clothes while he stirs is such s joy. It’s so cute to experience all the different moods and ways he wakes up. Sometimes he wakes up because of a bad dream. Other times he wakes up with a “Hello! How are you?” as he turns uses his hands to force my eyelids open.

Now of course I miss being able to sprawl and sleep all over the king sized bed by myself. I miss relaxing and sleeping in lazily. I miss getting up and going to the bathroom without fear of arousing him (he’s a light sleeper at times). I miss having the pillows and covers to myself. I definitely could do without the intermittent foot kicks to my belly and occasionally my face when he turns to lay perpendicular to me 👣👶🏾. I miss watching the news first thing in the morning in favor of watching Paw Patrol and learning all about what is going on in Afventure Bay 🤦🏾‍♀️.

While I would not recommend co-sleeping for everyone I will say that it was the best decisions for me and my family. I would advocate for always operating in what’s best for your family mode, taking care to try and mitigate possible pitfalls with decisions that go against the grain and always be prepared and educated in regards to the risks that you are taking. While I’m sure I’m making some cringe I hope I empower and support others who have made this difficult choice and feel judged by others for their decisions.