sleeping buddies

I'm excited to confess that I sleep next to a studly guy all night every night - what I lucky girl am I!  He's cute and cuddly.  He's sometimes hot and sweaty.  He snorts and snuffles all night long... (ugh)! 

I didn't start out on my parenting journey thinking I would ever be a person who sleeps with her baby.  I remember the first days, weeks, and months as a new mom.  In my delirium, I would get up in the night to help my little one's hunger and sleeplessness.  I would sit up in my bed nursing him, eyes reluctantly peeled, staring at the clock, waiting (impatiently) for my sweet little man to fall back to sleep so that I could do the same. 

Then I discovered nursing in the "side lying" position.  Still, I would lay there, nursing baby, eyes peeled so that I wouldn't break the code the hospital and all the parenting literature told me I must not break - I mustn't fall asleep with my baby!

Then I did.  Guilt insued.  But I got over it.  Still, baby number 1 slept mostly in his own bed, but sometimes spent time in mine, as well.

Then came baby number 2.  He liked to nurse every hour and a half to 2 hours ALL NIGHT LONG.  If you do the math, you will quickly ascertain that if I did not sleep with my baby, I would rarely get more than one hour's worth of consecutive sleep at any given time per night.  This baby started out the night in his own bed, only to spend most of it in mine.  And I grew to prefer it that way.  At least I didn't have to get up to feed him every time he needed it!  What a relief it was to embrace the OKness of co-sleeping. 

Along came babies 3 and 4... not nearly as demanding as number 2, but wowie!, was it nice to be able to lay in my bed while meeting my baby's needs for milk and comfort.  And I could allow my tired body and nursing hormones to lull me into slumber.

Four years came and went before we had baby number 5.  I had no intentions of keeping any other sleeping arrangements with this baby... until I held her at bedtime.  And I just couldn't lay her down in in her bed.  What was one night?  She was so sweet, how could I lay her down all by herself?  And so began my true co-sleeping love.  Even when baby woke, I'd "hook her up" to nurse her, and we'd both fall right back to sleep.  Even though I may have to feed her several times through our long night together, we were both surprisingly well-rested.  I had the joy of snuggling with her all night long, and she had the same.  Better yet, she never actually had to cry at night.  I knew when she was ready to eat before she needed to cry to let me know - thereby not waking fully and not struggling to fall back to sleep. 

I was so pleased with this arrangement that I have been co-sleeping with sweet little baby number 6 since the day he was born.  I get to hold his chubby body, smell his sweet baby scent, and breathe in the joy that pours forth from his soul even as he sleeps.   I'm a lucky, lucky girl!