Co Sleeping.
- Kaja Cardinal-Bilou
- Dec 9, 2016
- 3 min read
This is my personal journey & experiences with co sleeping. Before Knox came into the world I was totally against it (as I am a very restless sleeper), but all of that changed; quite quickly.
When Knox was born, his sleeping patterns were like any newborns, sporadic, always eating, etc. He was good sleeping alone though. Around 3-4 weeks old, he started the hate sleeping alone (probably the 4 week leap not helping). We would occasionally co sleep with him on this flat pillow in the middle of Kyven & I. I mostly did this at this point in time because he had the weirdest breathing since birth, & I felt so much better with him beside me.
By 2 months, we were co sleeping full time. Everytime I put him in his crib, he would wake up within minutes & wouldn't stop untill I was holding him or sleeping right beside him. I had just dealt with him being totally nocturnal, I was so tired & over it. Then he started to not sleep untill I was holding him, & that was THE worst. I took to sleeping on the couch with him. It's not considered the safest, but it was for me for the time being.
You see, whenever I would fall asleep with Knox on top of me in our bed, in my sleep I would end up rolling over on my side & he would end up on his tummy & nearly squashed by me. SERIOUSLY. I'm not going to lie here, & thank god kyven was home at these times to wake me up, & fix the situation before the outcome became very, very bad.
I know when I sleep on a couch, I never turn over. So I would prop myself to the side, & would have him sleep on me. This happened for nearly a month. He started sleeping through the night at this point & It was working out, but I missed cuddling Kyven so much.
So, I started training him to nap in his boppy daily it worked. (Yay! My boppy is a lifesaver for naps & breastfeeding). But, he still hated sleeping alone. So from then on, he's been sleeping flat, on our bed. He is now on the outside as I don't quite feel safe with him sleeping in between Kyven & I as were both restless sleepers & love to cuddle.
Basically what happens is Kyven & I squish to one side, he ends up getting more bed than both of us combined. I put pillows on the floor in case he falls (never has happened), I put my head level to his so I don't throw the blanket over his face. I lay him on his separate blanket & burrito his legs, and usually lay on my back or towards him.
This has been awesome for us. Nothing ever happens & he sleeps amazingly (besides this 4 month sleep regression where he's waking up 3-5 times a night to feed). Kyven & I get to cuddle, he's happy, we're happy.
Never in a million years would I have thought I would end up co sleeping. Being a mum changes you though. I used to be the most restless, aggressive sleeper ever. Kicking, taking up all the bed I could; tossing & turning like mad. Once I started co sleeping with Knox; I swear some nights my body doesn't even move a bit. Mum adrenaline can do some crazy things I suppose.
Also, co sleeping is awesome when you breastfeed, although I end up a lot of times falling asleep with the boob out, hahaha. But I really have fallen in love with co sleeping. Before I would wake up even when Knox was not to constantly check on his breathing to see if he was okay (like every parent, my biggest fear is SIDS). But now I dont, & knowing co sleeping actually reduces the risk of SIDS even more when done properly, even more than having the crib in the same room, I feel at ease.
I'm not going to transition knox into his crib untill I'm ready, right now I'm not. I'm thinking I might be & hopefully he will be too in about 2-4 months. Honestly, when I have my second I definitely will co sleep again if it works out. I love attachment parenting, & this is part of it.
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