Thursday, October 1, 2009

Adventures in co-sleeping



Who wouldn't want to wake up and roll over to this?

I really can understand why people don't co-sleep with their babies. The first few nights were a tad tenuous. He just seemed so fragile and I was nervous he would suffocate or Tim would roll onto him or something. I barely slept. A pack-and-play was tempting. After getting used to having this new little creature in our bed though, it's so, so wonderful and easy and I love it. He just goes to bed with us, he wakes up and doesn't even need to cry because I hear his little whimpers and roll right over and nurse him. We do the laying down nursing thing sometimes, but usually I fall asleep and he's not so good at re-latching on once he's off so I usually sit up and nurse him, change his diaper right there in the bed, swaddle him, and he's off to dreamland again. He's sleeping a good 3-4 hours at a time usually and our whole routine doesn't take too long. We've kept our bed on the floor (no bed frame) so I keep the diapers, wipes, burp cloths, etc. as well as a lamp to turn on right beside me for easy access. If I didn't have to get up to rinse out the cloth diapers I really would not need to leave my bed at night. I don't know how long we'll keep him in bed with us, probably until it ruins our sex life or he's sleeping through the night and we can transition him into his own bed either in our room or the one next to ours. Either way, for now, we are enjoying it.

Conclusions: Co-sleeping, I'm a fan.




And yes, my baby is chowing down on a pacifier. I never thought we would do it, but my mom bought them, shoved it in his mouth when I wasn't looking, and he loves it. He's still a breastfeeding champion, so I'm not complaining TOO much.

7 comments:

  1. They say pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS, and I wouldn't worry about the breastfeeding now that he's got the hang of it.

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  2. Hi, Cait, he certainly has a good latch, so the pacifier shouldn't alter that. But watch your supply . . . it tends to go down too far (over time) when a pacifier is used.

    Oh, and who said you had to have sex in your bed? You'd be surprised . . .

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  3. A few things: Co-sleeping IS amazing. I definitely agree. Eliza has slept so much better since she has been sleeping with me...even though my mother is opposed to it. Also, I was there to see Suzanne give little Atticus a pacifier and I must say- he is STILL one hungry little boy! He sure does like that pacifier, but it definitely isn't better than milk. For sure.

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  4. hey, caitlin, i`m curious. bryan and i are into organic and natural things, trying to get more into it, and I was wondering how you prefer to treat diaper rash. also, do you use hemp nursing pads, if so, do you like them? i`m considering using them when the time comes for the next baby.

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  5. We have a thing of Boudreaux's Butt Paste that my mom bought that I really like but I've only used it once and it's pretty natural. I had a sample of Desitin and it was disgusting to me. Way too much fragrance. His diaper rash right now is caused by yeast though, so we are using a prescription anti-fungal cream right now. My neighbor used pure almond oil on her baby, I've read you can also use regular olive oil.

    And I do have hemp nursing pads, I like them but my favorite are the Bravado Moisture Wick cotton nursing pads. I think it's the shape. The hemp ones are more absorbent though but a little bulkier.

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  6. Desitin`s is pretty fragrant. I like Boudreaux`s too. Aunt Linda gave it to us. They have an all-natural one now, I guess that`s the one you use, and I want to try that when we use up our supply. I like California Baby too, but it`s like 13 bucks for a tiny tube. Two more things. You said something about a liquid you use to clean his butt when you change him. What`s in it? Does it take the place of wipes? Those things are expensive. Huh, almond and olive oil. Never would have thought of those. If you are interested in trying hemp diapers, I know someone who makes them. I`m not a fan of cloth, as you know, but even I thought these were pretty cool. We are trying the falafel tomorrow night. Any tips?

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  7. It does take the place of wipes- you can find different combos online but I use water, a squirt of baby soap, a teaspoon or so of olive oil and vinegar. Works great! Mmmmm... falafel. Tim is the expert at that, I've never made it myself.

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