We cosleep!
Some people can find that can be a hard thing to say or admit! There seems to be a bit of a stigma to cosleeping. I've met many mums who feel they can't admit that they bedshare to MW or HV because they will be told it's wrong!
It's not wrong, it's YOUR BABY, YOUR CHOICE!
Co-sleeping can have so many benefits for your breastfeeding journey too!
**You get more sleep! When you share a bed with a baby, you can fall back asleep easily once baby is fed. You don't have to get up, cold, pacing the floor or looking at a lamp.
**You make more milk! At night, your prolactin levels are higher, this is the milk hormone. So the more often you feed your baby at night can help boost your supply.
**You can create a healthy supply! By sleeping with your baby and having skin-to-skin time, this can also enhance your milk hormone.
**Your baby will cry less! This is a good one, isn't it? By responding to your baby's cues quicker, your baby will become more relaxed. They will learn they don't need to cry to say they are hungry as you respond to their early cues. This can also be done during the day too.
**You will be less stressed! When the baby is not in bed with you, you may only know they are hungry when they start to cry. You may need to pace around and calm them before you can feed them, doing this while tired can cause stress and upset.
If the baby is in bed with you, you will be more relaxed and calm.
Our cosleeping set up is Alexander is in the bed with us. He wears only a nappy and I wear a sports bra and jammy bottoms, which means he gets skin to skin connection all night. He is under the (thin) duvet with us. Depending on what breast he fed last, depends on what side he falls asleep. I move him to the other side as he starts to stir in the night for his next feed. He falls asleep on the breast and stays on that side till the next feed.
We have the snuzpod next to the bed, this is a fab wee thing but it just doesn't get used. We have tried it a few times but he wakes if he touches the side. So as you can see in my 'real life' picture, it's become my side table! It holds nappies, wipes, water and biscuits. We cosleep safely and have a set up that works for us but everyone is different and you do what works for you.
Just remember to be SAFE, these rules apply to both parents in the bed:
**NO ALCOHOL
**NO SMOKING
**NO DRUGS OR MEDICATIONS CAUSE DROWSYNESS
**NO EXCESS SWADDLES OR BLANKETS
**NO PETS
Do you cosleep? What's your set up? In bed with you or in a side cot?
Laurna x