My midwife would kill me!

[Jemima1988]

I have a gorgeous baby boy who is 3 weeks old.
He WILL NOT be put down ever!
We are currently living with my parents and I'm breastfeeding.
every night he sleeps on my chest or if I have breastfed on the side he will just fall asleep next to me. If I move him into a cot he screams!!! This puts me in a difficult situation as there are 7 people living in the house with us who all have 2 go 2 work the next day.

Please please please tell me other people have had the same problem and there is a solution. I'd ask the midwife but I know she will go mad if I tell her.

I did this with all of mine for the first 9 weeks or so. They were breastfed and it was the only way. I didn't even mean to fall asleep half the time.

My midwives weren't actually that bothered by it. I feel your pain though!!

Wind him really well before putting him down. Try feeding him after you have put him in his sleeping bag. Try warming the basket first! Try these and see if it helps.

Its fine! Follow the safe co sleeping guidelines and enjoy your night time cuddles. No smokers in the bed, no alcohol or medication that makes you drowsy. Don't swaddle the baby and ensure he is safe from duvets and pillows. Perhaps buy a bed guard so he cant fall out. Don't put him between the two adults. Sleep on your side curled around him, you wont roll on him that way. Google safe co sleeping for up to date info.

Read up on safe co sleeping. What you are doing is natural and perfectly fine to do, but just do it safely

No loose covers
No pillows
If you smoke / drink, don't co sleep (if partner does, don't share bed)

It is easier to IMO to co sleep with baby when this you and breastfeed.

You could take side off cot and push cot right up to the side of your bed (if cot lets you do this). Make sure there are no gaps.

Congrats btw

I worried so much about this in the early days with my first - by the time I got to the third one, I'd stopped bothering. They are so tiny for such a short time and at that age you really really honestly can't spoil them or get them into bad habits - they don't have the brain power to form habits like that until they are older. If he wants to be held (as long as you are getting some sleep), just hold him and enjoy it.

*young not you

Congratulations on your lovely baby!

Sorry to say this, but i've been there! I never found a solution unfortunately. My DS is 2 in January and give or take a few nights where I decided enough was enough and attempted to force him into his own bed (to no avail!)- he has been in my bed since he was born! He did get a bit better at being put down, but only once he was about 8 months old and could play a little bit more independently.

Sorry- this is not helpful!

The midwife does not own you or your baby! Co-sleeping is fine IMO. Do look up safety guidelines as a pp said. For those first few weeks, I seriously recommend doing whatever it takes to get some rest, day or night. You can start working on a bit of a routine from around 6/7 weeks, when they're going a little longer between feeds. You cannot spoil a baby with cuddles!

My daughter was like this I even asked for tips to get her to sleep in her own bed. Done properly co-sleeping isn't dangerous so don't stressed too much when they are tiny the just want to be near you.

My DD is 4 wks old and is suffering with colic. The ONLY way she will sleep is on my chest. I am following the guidelines and am very careful to ensure I am unable to roll/move so she is as safe as possible. This is really my only option as DH has to go to work and needs sleep! Totally empathise xxx

Can you feed lying down? Then it's not so much that the baby sleeps on your chest, but that you share a bed. I found once we learned the skill of feeding lying on our sides life got a lot easier because baby would feed to sleep, and then be lying comfortably in bed, and I could (evenrually) extract myself and do other things. Good luck.

Thank you so much this mas made me feel a lot better my midwife is under the impression you co sleep your baby dies and that's that!

We took a side off the cot and tied it to our bed..DS still didn't sleep in it as wanted to be close to me but it felt safer as he couldn't fall out the bed/didn't feel like I could roll on him. He's 9 months now and we are still co-sleeping and it's great. He now sleeps in the middle and we get to wake up to him chattering, laughing, etc etc etc. happy mornings in our household

Aw don't worry. Follow the guide lines to the letter and enjoy the snuggles.

I coslept with both my boys because they wouldn't have it any other way! Several months down the line we did some very mild sleep training and eventually they made the transition to the cot.

Whatever you do, don't feel bad - the babbies love the closeness. Just make sure you have support and baby-free sleeps whenever you can (in the day when your partner/friend/parent takes DC for a walk).

It'll be a distant memory in the twinkling of a eye!

No duvets
Baby in growbag
Firm mattress

I used to wear a cardigan in bed and have an empty duvet cover and a blanket over me from the waist down.

Congratulations on your newborn! If your baby has issues lying on his back, you may want to look into the symptoms of silent reflux. Sometimes babies who won't sleep in their cots because when they lie down, acid comes up and is uncomfortable or painful. It may not be the case at all but something to consider.

Ds would only sleep on my chest for the first six weeks. If I put him in his cot, he would wake up as soon as his back hit the mattress. I wore a lot of fleecy layers and didn't let the duvet go higher than my waist. We also took the side off his cot and sidecared it too the bed. Meant that he couldn't fall out of the bed and that it was easier to get him used to sleeping in the cot when he was ready. Some babies just need a lot of closeness. It doesn't last forever, ds is 11 months and sleeps in his cot in his own room. He is also the least cuddly baby ever now.