co sleeping - Is there a way to do it so I actually sleep?

[MerlinsBeard]

DS3 is only 5 weeks old so i realise its early days but i seem to be pushed into co sleeping or i will not get ANY sleep at all!

How do you do it so that you actually sleep though? He seems to feed onctantly from about 8 until about 9/9:30 and then i try and put him in his moses basket but he will just grunt and groan until next feed where i will put him in with me, attach him and doze. In the night i will swap him over to the other side but because DP is in bed there is v little room!!

Is the key to co sleeping to have the bed to yourselves? That just feels cruel!

[sushistar]

We managed - I would latch on ds lying down, and when he fell asleep I'd slip my boob out before he noticed. But I would stay facing him with my aRM round him. Then in the middle of the night he would wake me up asking for more, and I'd roll over with him and do the same on gthe other side. It's not an ideal way to sleep, but you get more zzz this way than if you had to get up every time he cried!

Be encouraged tho - ds is now 4 months and is gradually spending more and more time in his basket, nearly all night last night.

[MerlinsBeard]

that sounds like what i do at the mo and oculdn't describe!

[sushistar]

i know you don't sleep as well as without a baby, but i reckon it's better than being woken by a crying child 4 times a night!

[policywonk]

Firstly, I'd say that he might be having a growth spurt, or the constant feeding is a way of encouraging your milk supply - he won't be feeding like this for long. Quite soon it should settle down into feed - sleep for a few hours - sleep.

Secondly... get a superking bed. Really. Having a lot of space makes so much difference. If you can't afford to buy a new bed (or don't want to), try getting rid of the divan for a bit and putting your double mattress on the floor with a single mattress next to it.

[sundew]

we bought a bigger bed - and my SIL did what policy suggests and put the mattress on the floor.

It works for some people and not for others - for me it was a lifesaver

[Sputnik]

We have a 3-sided cot attatched to the bed like a sidecar. I lean in to feed then usually towards the end of the night DS complains til I pull him out and put him next to me. At least I get most of the night with room to turn over though.

[MerlinsBeard]

we haven;t anyroom for a bigger bed or a mattress by the side, or even a cot the moses basket is all we can fit!!

Am clinign to teh fact that its a growth spurt, i remember ds2 was horrendous around 6 weeks