Maybe I'm being overly sentimental, because I know El is my last baby. But practically speaking, sleeping with her is the only way I can get even the smidgen of rest I do get. I can't imagine how I would do it, getting out of bed several times a night (or even twice, which is her normal awakening routine), spending twenty minutes rocking or nursing her back to sleep, then putting her down and crawling back into bed to spend another twenty minutes getting myself to sleep, only to be awakened an hour later to do it all over again. Some might say (and have said, ad nauseum) that she'd sleep longer if left in a crib. I call b.s. on that - just because I know my kids and neither one of them cottoned to sleeping by themselves, except, thankfully, for daytime naps.
I don't know, call me crazy if you want. It has been awful lately, with her going through whatever phase she's going through these days, and waking up every five seconds at night. Don't get me wrong, I am human and I'm not a very nice one when I haven't had enough rest. There's something primal in the brain, something that can't help but feel hostile toward any creature that threatens your survival in one way or another. It's just part of the deal. At those times, you pass your baby off to the other adult in your household, assuming you're lucky enough to have one. But many nights I lay there with her, even after I've lost count of how many times she's woken up, and enjoy the feel of her little weight sprawled across me, the softness of her head, the happiness of being able to make her feel better after she wakes up with her little face all scrunched up and sad. I wait until she's sufficiently unconscious, then ease her over to her side of the bed. Then she's all peaceful, angelic baby face. Sometimes I watch her for a bit, but never for long because sleep takes me over pretty fast once my body is free and I know that my baby is safe and content. When she wakes up again, I won't have to move very far to help her. And it'll all be over a nanosecond from now.
Isn't co-sleeping great? I'd be in the loony bin from sleep deprivation without it. I love barely waking to the sound of my baby starting to stir a little, getting him latched on, and falling right back to sleep, cuddling him. If we start him out in the bassinet in the evening, sometimes I can't sleep until he's in bed with us.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I may not be TOO unhappy when he (and therefore I) starts sleeping through the night in his own crib.