Co Sleeping

[flumpandme]

Hi

could some one explain to me co sleeping, is it just sleeping in same bed as your baby ?

Isnt this against the advise of the health professionals etc?

thank you

Vicky

I am curreently trying to reestablish breastfeeding after not doing it for 4 weeks my lo is 5 weeks old, it is extremly difficult and i am combination feeding at the min but my lo is getting very frustrated

 

[abigail_71]

it is sleeping in the same bed which you should not do if you have had a drink or drugs (prescriptive or otherwise). Some research has shown that co-sleeping with a breastfed baby has a protective effective against cot death. But generally health professionals discourage it because research in general has shown it increases the chance of cot death.

 

[Kate&Lucas]

Yes it is, and nope, it's not against the advice of health professionals. At least not the ones I encountered when having Lucas, I was given advice and leaflets on how to co-sleep safely

 

[Gemie]

https://www.cosleeping.org/

 

[NaturalMomma]

Co-sleeping means sleeping in the same room as mom. But it can mean in the same bed. Just being in the same bed is bed-sharing. We bed-share and co-sleep (ds1 is not in our bed, but in our room). Some health professionals warn against co-sleeping because of reports of moms rolling over on their babies, but in all these cases they're talking about UNSAFE co-sleeping where they fall asleep on the couch or mom/dad has been drinking or doing drugs. There is a safe way to co-sleep and co-sleeping reduces SIDS.

 

[Xinola]

It is my understanding that co-sleeping entails sharing the bed (either the same actual bed or having a sidecar). The sidecar arrangement, which is the one that we have because our bed is small, is fine to the extent that Sini sleeps in it, and she only comes to me for the boob, afterwards I return her to her bed. It is very useful for baby and mum if you are breastfeeding. Some people also talk of the family bed.

With regards to health advisers. Mine only advised me against co-sleeping because, from her point of view, i was spoiling my baby and it would be extremely difficult to move her to her own bedroom. So, as I said, that is her point of view, which I do not share. I guess because I am in no rush to send Sini to her own room.

If co-sleeping does not look like a choice to you, since you want to re-establish BF, perhaps, you could try to lie down next to your baby while he naps, so he feels you close, smells you.

Altogether, I think that co-sleeping is only for you to decide. If you don't feel that it is for you, then don't do it. In my opinion is about being comfortable and not worrying.

Good luck with re-establishing BF.

 

[Rachel_C]

I would agree that co-sleeping is sleeping in the same bed as baby, or using one of the co-sleeper cots. Sharing the same room is just sharing a room and is recommended by pretty much every health professional for the first 6 months.

Unsafe co-sleeping is against the advice of health professionals but done properly co-sleeping is actually better for baby e.g. it reduces the risk of cot death (it's not called COT death for no reason!) and encourages a good BF relationship. Unfortunately, there are so many idiots out there who would ignore the guidelines that many health professionals just find it easier to say "DON'T CO-SLEEP" because those idiots would just hear "Sleep next to your baby" but wouldn't listen to how to do it safely, things like don't do it if on drugs (legal or illegal) that would affect you, don't do it when you've had alcohol or if you smoke, don't cover baby in a heavy quilt, keep baby away from pillows, make sure both parents are aware that baby is in the bed etc.