How do you co-sleep and actually sleep? Help please

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Hi I have already posted regarding sleep but this question is slightly off kilter from what I wrote before.
Basically having major sleep problems with 6-month refluxy ds2. I have no energy physically or emotionally to deal with sleep solutions such as PUPD right now as I am dealing with issues re DS1 and I would like to deal with one problem at a time and concentrated on sorting out ds1 issues.

Anyway I keep trying to co sleep with my baby as an interim way of dealing with sleep deprivation but it is not working very well. Could all co sleepers out there tell me how you co sleep practically e.g. where do you put pillows, baby etc and what is comfiest? I always end up with ds in the crook of my arm and it is breaking my back and I don't think very comfy for him plus his constant fidgiting keeps us both up. Soooo frustrating as co slept successfully with ds1. Thanks

Hi.

I always slept with mine in the crook of my arm like you describe. You're right about the back pain this can cause though.

Lots of people swear by a co-sleeper cot so you have the best of co-sleeping, and laying them in their own cot.

Hope you get your various sleep issues sorted

Crook of my arm works well for me, so I can't be much use. However, if he's refluxy, have you tried raising the head of his cot on a pair of big books?

Bumping for you -she's my friend- if anyone is reading this...she's got a co-sleeper cot and tried raising it with books but it doesn't make any difference to his sleep.

I know, get that stinky dh of yours to sleep in spare room and DS2 can sleep on his side???

dd sleeps next to me on her own pillows. When she was little shehad her own blankets but now she's under the duvet - she's 4

Dd2 sleeps next to me but on top of duvet and below where the pillow is in a sleeping bag. When she needs feeding I roll over and have her in the crook of my arm, then when she falls asleep I roll back on my back. I do have back pain from the feeding but I find it helps if you prop a pillow behind you.

piccalilli2 do you use a king size duvet? I find that if we do this, then neither DH nor myself have enough duvet on either side

allnew, I have solved this problem by banishing dh to the spare room. Not an ideal solution, admittedly, but it's working for me.

You can get co-sleeping 'nests' - it has pop up sides I think, or permanent sides and I am pretty sure it has a base which maybe you can raise a little?

As for how I do it, DS sleeps on the outside of the bed if DH is in too, but at least my arms length away from it, with a bolster under the sheet incase he learns to roll He has his own blankies, and DH and I share the duvet. Once baby is done feeding I tend to back away towards DH so baby has enough room. DH gets abit squished though!

Blankets , not blankies. Sorry in baby talk mode!

piccalilli that would definitely work for me - think DH would complain though

DD lies beside me and I curl up around her on my side - one arm bent over her head, the other on my side, and my legs bent up beneath her. She has her own blanket, and I push our duvet down so that it only covers my legs (I get a bit chilly sometimes...). When she stirs for a feed, I move a little closer and pop her on the boob. She stays asleep and I drift off again. When she next stirs, I scoop her up and roll her over my tummy to the other side.

We have a really big super-kingsize bed which makes it all easier.

I got my DH to take the side off the cot that DS wouldn't sleep in, raised the level of the base of the cot so that the two mattresses were at the same height, and shoved the cot up against the bed. It didn't mean that DS slept in there but it did give us more space and DS couldn't roll off the bed.