Talk to me about cosleeping/bed sharing...

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So, DD2 is 7mo and BF. She has never been a good sleeper, and getting some sleep for 3 hours straight is classed as a good night. Recently she has become increasingly difficult to settle after wakening, and it can anywhere up to 3 hours to get her to sleep. This may be due to teething and a recent chest infection she has developed... She sleeps in my bedroom in a travel cot, as she has outgrown the crib and a bigger cot will not fit. But I have been considering bringing her in bed with me.
I have heard it can improve sleep dramatically for both baby (and therefore mum), as well as strengthening bonds etc etc.
However, although this appeals to me, there is a side of me that is scared of cosleeping - what if I roll on her or she moves. I can push the bed against the wall and make it safe but I still worry. Also, I don't want this to become a permanent arrangement - so what if the habit of cosleeping becomes difficult to break when I return to work?
Does anybody have any stories for or against? Any tips or advice? Is it worthwhile keeping her in her cot rather than bed, maybe letting her fall asleep on me and then transferring her into the cot. I had no problems with DD1 who was bottledfed and so am first timer with considering this!!

Hi yah, I had a similar problem, from when my son was 5/6 months his teething started. I had nights where he wouldn't settle from waking. It wasn't for a feed as I'd dropped the night feed by then it was his teeth. He was in his own room by then as he'd outgrown the moses basket.
Just one night,we took him into our bed and over a year later he's still there every night! he won't even go in his cot to start it's straight in our bed all night every night.
We have tried everything to get him to sleep alone controlled crying ( was awful) we moved the cot into our room didn't work, then made it into a bed right next to me still hasn't worked. He just loves the comfort of being with his mummy and daddy. Although I love it and have been using it to my advantage of working long hours and getting an early night with him it's also really difficult especially now im pregnant with my second and I just feel it's going to continue. How can I have a baby waking every couple of hours for a feed an disturbing him? I really need to change things before baby is born and of course as I get bigger it's going to become more uncomfortable than it is now!
so I would say no to co sleeping because in the long run its harider than getting over this bit xx

We co slept from 4 months after ds was badly affected by the 4 month regression & had a d&v virus for 4 weeks. He fed to sleep every night and for naps, never slept more than 2.5 hrs from birth, sometimes he would wake every 45 mins. It nearly finished me as EBF.

Although we had a co sleeper crib it wasn't enough for him & he only slept slightly better when literally lying alongside me, touching me. I spent 2 months going to bed with him at 7 pm which was the best thing I did as I finally got some sleep albeit broken. I was convinced I would never get my evenings back & would co sleep forever!

Ds went through a stage of being awake for a good 90 mins in the early hours, I found he settled so much quicker when we just nodded off together. My breathing slowing had a noticeable calming influence & still does now if he's over tired or upset. At about 10 months we managed to stop feeding to sleep with minimal fuss, then tacked sleeping in the cot at the start if the night, extending it to falling asleep in the cot and staying all night.

He now falls asleep in minutes on his own at 7 and usually sleeps through unless teething or unwell. I waited til he was ready & followed his cues.

Co sleeping saved my sanity. I think sometimes you just have to do what's right for you at the time and deal with any fallout in due course. I found I stayed in the same position all night, never had a problem with either of us moving about. Just follow the safe co sleeping guidelines.

I had a wonderful time co sleeping with ds2, who then transferred into his own room reasonably easily at 9 months. However, it's a known risk factor for cot death. Never do it if you've been drinking.
Oh... and a friend who did it with her son still had him coming into bed with her every night till he was 9 years old!! Be warned!

I co slept in the early days as I was becoming severely sleep deprived. It would only be for the second part of the night when ds was very wakeful, and dp would go into the spare room . It worked and I look back so fondly at those days , so special , esp as he will be my only baby.

Now he's 8 months he hates it lol and will never get into bed with me for a cuddle :-(