Co Sleeping Part 1

I’ve been looking at the web site for “The University of Notre Dame Mother-Baby Behavioural Sleep Lab”

Very interesting and totally recommend a good look.

I love the questions like - Why We Never Ask “Is It Safe for Infants to Sleep Alone”. This article talks about “poor quality data to generate sweeping public health recommendations”.

I know from our own experience of having Ara in the “Family Bed” it has defiantly made a big difference to our life.
My observations of having Ara in the cot or her own bed are she is more restless and will wiggle around a lot in her sleep. Also once she was able to roll over her self she would always be sleeping on her tummy (not the best thing to prevent SIDS so we’ve been told). But while she sleeps with us she seems to sleep deeper and move less. Every so often a little hand or foot will reach out to check that we are there – in her sleep – and she settles back into a deeper sleep. Ara also spends most of her time sleeping on her back or side while in the family bed which so we’ve been told is the best.

Also the benefits of Co-sleeping on breast-feeding are great. You don’t need to get up and wake up fully to get a baby out of its cot to feed it so you feed more often. This helps to keep your milk supply up, your sleep levels up, your baby well feed in the right amounts and times and also keeps the attachment levels up as well so the baby is not so needy during the day.

Dr James McKenna from the “The University of Notre Dame Mother-Baby Behavioural Sleep Lab” talks about the history or Co-sleeping and also the reasons why it fell out of the norm.

I suppose it cuts down to...if you’re feeling pretty shaky in your relationship with your spouse that you can’t have a small child between you (one that you made) then your better off with out your baby in your bed.
If you are a strong Catholic – the church talks about starving mothers over laying their children. If you’ve been watching too many movies with romantic sex scenes you’ll never see a baby in the cot or bed in the room as well.
You’re worried about the child’s independence (check out http://www.nd.edu/~jmckenn1/lab/ to learn more on that angle)
Or is it germs, which are keeping you from your baby.

BUT we must be careful there are still safety issues.
Parents should not be smoking, taking drugs, heavy drinking, heavy sleepers or very obese.
Sleeping areas should not be waterbeds or couches or beds with too many pillows.

If you really cannot sleep with your baby in your bed it is recommended that you at least sleep with it in the same room.
J. McKenna PhD, J. Sears PhD, P. Leo....and many more just ask and I’ll give you more to read if you need.