Co-sleeping question
Hi all, I'm a FTM with a 2 week old LO. We currently have been co-sleeping because she just can't sleep in the bassinet. She hates to be swaddled and she absolutely does not tolerate being on her back. The only way I've been Ble to stay sane these last few weeks has been to prop myself up with pillows and have her sleep on my chest with the boppy pillow on my lap. I am also breast feeding and she is usually up 3-4 times in the night.
with all that said I've been catching a lot of crap from people about how we are sleeping because its dangerous and I'm not being a good mom. How do you guys combat those kinds of comments? I also had her 2week appointment today and the pedi said something about it because I was honest about how she's sleeping and she just gave me a really hard time about it. I'm already exhausted and feel like I'm not doing anything right and have been having a hard time adjusting so I don't get why's people are so incredibly rude and opinionated.
sorry this kinda turned into more a a vent, but if you have any insight or words of wisdom that'd be great!
Re: Co-sleeping question
I don't know much about co-sleeping, but I'm sure the other mamas can share safer ways to do it and resources to refer you to.
I do hope that things get easier for you soon. The first few weeks are the hardest and it does get easier.
I've seen some people on here mention issues with LOs not sleeping on their backs and I think reflux has sometimes been a reason why they can't do so.
Our situation was similar to yours. LO wouldn't sleep in the Pack'n'Play next to our bed, but I had been warned that co-sleeping was dangerous. I slept for a few days with him on my chest in a recliner, and then started doing some research on safety and co-sleeping.
Co-sleeping can be quite safe when done correctly, and is a great bonding experience for you and LO. If you want to bed-share, research safety precautions and bed-sharing. There are other similar safe options too, like using an arms reach co-sleeper or sidecarring a crib next to the bed so that LO is next to you but not "in" your bed. We still bed-share with our LO and have no plans to stop soon. We really love being so close to him.
Here is a link to get you started on safe co-sleeping:
https://kellymom.com/parenting/nighttime/familybed/
Our pediatrician also gave us a hard time about co-sleeping and wanted us to let LO cry it out from day 1! Whenever she asks us how he's sleeping, I say "great!" and change the subject!
This sounds exactly like my situation! My daughter slept on my chest for the first week or so and I made sure pillows were propping up my arms so there was no way I would be able to move and I was in such a light sleep those days that even her slightest movement woke me up. I found after a couple weeks she was able to sleep beside me but still on her side so I got a little sleep cot that goes in the bed in between my husband and I. This was I could still hear if she was fussing and was able to just put my hand in to pat her bum back to sleep and clean up if she spit up (acid reflux as PP mentioned). Now she is a couple month old and in a couple weeks we are going to put her crib right next to my side of the bed. My family thinks its weird for us to have her co-sleep but it works for us and that's all that matters! Breastfeeding every 3 hours and her spitting up so often because of the reflux makes it silly to have her in a whole separate room, this is much easier for me! AND now that she's so close to me I really love it....I feel like I will cosleep with her forever! Lol- or until she's ready to move into her own room.