I want to co-sleep but Im too scared, help please?

[gorgeousmumof]

I have read the sticky thread and others threads on here and really want to co-sleep with my 2 week old as I bf and he doesnt settle and feeds constantly. He is also going through a growth spurt and has colic so I am getting no sleep.

Please reassure me I wont roll over and suffocate him.. and also.. how does it work in that you switch breasts for each feed? Do you just move them to the other side?

The only position I can feed him in atm is him on his back.. me on my side with knees pulled up under him and my arm above his head. But I roll onto my back sometimes when I go to sleep.

I havent slept in 2 days and am shattered.. so also worry if I am mega tired I will be less aware? But last night I was in tears all night in frustration because he goes on the breast, feeds, and as soon as I put him back in the moses he wakes and crys x

 

[DueMarch2nd]

at first i held him in the crease of my arm as i was scared too but then i bought a snuggle nest because my arm kept going numb but even with a numb arm, i got more sleep... AND he refuses to feed laying down but i am still well rested tbh you have way more awareness than you realise. i cant give any advice about feeding while laying down as i have only succesfully done it maybe 5 times! I dont try anymore, for some reason he keeps pulling off and turning his head. Anyway, it is scary at first but if you do it saftely and little at a time, you will learn to trust it. I didnt use the snugglenest long as i learned i was aware of the snugglenest so i would be aware of him and he prefered cuddles anyway. Now we have a bed rail at the side and he sleeps on my side and he is fine in his space and me in mine, good luck!

 

[Tacey]

If you are totally exhausted, is there any chance you could try and get a nap in the day with someone to watch him for an hour or so just before you start cosleeping? The reaosn I say so is because the standard advice is to avoid cosleeping if you're excessively tired.

As for feeding positions, when Alice was tiny, we both used to lie on our sides facing each other for her to feed with my legs bent under her and my arm above her head. To get to the other side, I'd pull her close and roll her over my body to feed on the other side. That didn't last too long though as I soon found I could lean my body over more and she'd still be able to latch from the other side.

As to awareness, one of the arguments I find really compelling is how many times have you fallen out of bed as an adult? Although we're asleep, we're aware where the edge of the bed is, so how much more will you be aware of your own baby?

Just make sure you use a blanket rather than a duvet, keep pillows away from him and make sure the bed is either pushed up against a wall or use a bed guard. We coslept from a week in, and it was the best decision I made! Good luck!