Hello, everyone. Er... My name is Gia... and... er... I've not admitted this in public before, but.... I am co-sleeping with my baby.
There. I said it.
Admitting that you share a bed with your baby is incredibly difficult. Sure, this post may get supportive comments, but then there will people reading this who think, 'Sleeping with your baby is the most dangerous thing you can do!' and if they feel bold enough, they'll lay into me about it. Then we'll argue back and forth about which study into SIDS is most correct. And it could get nasty and boring.
Let me just say that I never thought I'd be a co-sleeper. My first son settled from day one into his Moses basket, then transferred smoothly to his cot in my room, then, at 4 months, I moved him into his own room where he slept 'through the night' immediately. Easy-peasy.
This son, however... well, it's not been so easy.
I think the problems started with his tongue tie. Feeding was very difficult for both of us. He was incredibly unsettled. I was in pain. He always seemed to be starving and never quite getting enough milk to fill him up. I was feeding him what seemed like constantly both day and night. He wasn't very happy.
Also, I've been almost completely on my own with him. My husband is off travelling the world filming a huge series for the BBC, so I've been single-handedly doing everything- from dealing with a very needy and difficult baby to dealing with my nearly-a-teenager, and running the house.
Having my little one in bed with me at night was, at first, the only way I could feasibly manage. I've got a King Size bed which meant that we each had some distance between us- he was way over there, but I could easily move to feed him without waking either of us up completely.
Now, three months on and neither my husband nor I actually want to move him out of our bed. He is, however, becoming a bit too active now and I'm thinking of getting a bedside cot so that he can stay there with us, but also start getting used to sleeping in his own space.
Of course, I do worry that he will end up staying in our room for years, but I also don't feel the need to make him feel insecure and lonely just because of pressure from others. My first son, as I mentioned, was (and still is) a very relaxed, adaptable and easy kid, so moving him into his own room so early on never caused him to be upset at all. My new son, however, is much more needy... and it's my job to provide for ALL of his needs even if it means sleeping on a one foot wide strip of the bed every night for a while. And I am 100% positive he won't still be sleeping in our bed when he's doing his GCSEs, so it'll all work out fine in the end.
Still, if anyone has any bedside cot recommendations, they will be greatly appreciated. I need to stretch out at night again.