I write this tonight after laying with my little one who took (what felt like) hours to go to sleep tonight. Busting into some Oreos I left out, she managed to sneakily grab one past our normal time I would allow a dessert.
(sorry, not sorry, Oreos are a guilty pleasure of mine.)
Finally after completing a cute Melissa and Doug puzzle at 10:15pm, I wondered if I was losing my mind. We ended up with a night cuddle session. Just the little one and I. Longing for closeness and comfort. And wanting my attention as I was doing some late night work which I usually do once the kids sleep. I will admit to praying that she would just tire herself out and fall asleep.
I snuck out of the room quietly. It was only a short minute once I was with her that she quickly went into her sweet slumber. I think we as humans desire that closeness. Longing for companionship, care, nurturing.
Many hospitals in the US offer rooming in now. Some hospitals still have nurseries, but in my personal experience, having the baby stay in the room with the parents is ideal. It is ideal not only for bonding, but for that milk supply. Not so good for sleep, but that is life. Some sleep deprivation is part of parenthood. We need to talk about that more. Expecting to get 8-10 hours straight of sleep after having a vaginal or cesarean delivery is unrealistic. If someone has a different story, please tell me because I've yet to find someone who has.
Infants cry. Infants wake frequently. Infants don't have words to be able to communicate every need. Sure, there are cues, but being around your baby gives you the knowledge of what those cues are. Bottom line is babies desire that closeness. Even breastmilk has benefits from this closeness! It is pretty amazing that breastmilk can adapt and change to tailor the infants needs based on their environmental exposures, germs, etc.
Safe sleep is important. How can we room in/ co sleep/ bed share without jeopardizing our sanity? La Leche League and the Sweet Sleep book saved me https://amzn.to/3S1YvmK
so here are the options...
Put baby in a crib in a room where you're not sleeping
Pros - baby can have a quiet space; allows for more privacy with your partner to sleep
Cons - baby is away from you, there can be delays in responding to cues; if you have to feed the baby you have to get out of your bed and walk down the hall to the baby's room when you could've just rolled over in bed and done side-laying breastfeeding and both could go back to sleep quickly or nursed sitting up in cross cradle and then put baby back in the bassinet when done
2. Put baby in a crib in your room where you are sleeping (room sharing)
Pros- baby in same room allows for timely response to cues; gives you and your partner some space in bed, especially if one is a starfish sleeper
Cons- still have to get up out of bed to pick baby out of crib to nurse. If you're pumping and bottle feeding, you'll probably have to get up regardless.
3. Side car type bassinet /co sleeping mini crib that goes right up against your bed.
Pros- good choice to ensure baby still has a firm mattress and is now VERY close for you. You're more likely to get more sleep and you don't have to worry about those nights wandering and stubbing your toe in the dark.
cons- still have to scoop the baby up out of the bassinet to nurse, but this is rather quick
4. Bed sharing
Some argue the riskiest of scenarios.
Bed sharing is done in cultures around the world... For Scientific information on bedsharing and evidence-based information, check out Science Direct. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/cosleeping
CDC suggests infants have a firm crib mattress and to avoid any pillows or stuffed animals https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/features/baby-safe-sleep/index.html
If you or a partner have ANY substance use/controlled drug use happening then bedsharing is NOT a good idea and should be avoided! Pillows or blankets covering the baby could lead to suffocation. Due to the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), the CDC recommends against it. https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/about/terms
So what does La Leche League say?
You're more likely to get more sleep when bedsharing. Follow the "safe sleep 7."
Bottom line, Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor and family to come up with an informed choice that's best for you! https://llli.org/breastfeeding-info/sleep-bedshare/
Thanks for tuning in. More to come!
Kommentare