Co - Sleeping, an innate & safe option

The practice of mothers and babies sleeping separately is both a recent and a Western one. On the contrary it dates back in history and was the NORM. For the overwhelming majority of mothers and babies around the globe today, co-sleeping is an unquestioned practice. There is no need to fear it. Co-sleeping is safe despite popular narratives. It’s creates Attachment, and your baby is an extension of you. This attachment causes the parts of your baby's brain responsible for social and emotional development, communication, and relationships to grow and develop in the best way possible. This relationship becomes the foundation of your child's ability to connect with others in a healthy way.

I discover co- sleeping when I had my 3rd baby. It changed motherhood for me. Night time was so much easier and I got so much more sleep.I kept asking myself, “why was I told never to share a bed with my baby, when once I started it it seemed like the most naturally innate thing, like this is how it was supposed to be.” It made life just so much sweeter and easier.

-BENEFITS OF BED SHARING-

Improved breastfeeding outcomes:

Several studies have demonstrated that babies who sleep in close proximity to their mothers have better outcomes relating to successful initiation and duration of breastfeeding. Bed-sharing is associated with more frequent night-time breastfeeding, which is important to maintaining milk supply, as prolactin, the milk-making hormone, has a diurnal pattern with higher levels noted at night. Bed-sharing is associated with reduced supplementation of formula. Evening milk also contians more seretonin and nutrients, so baby is getting all the benefits.

Improved maternal sleep:

Sleeping with a baby has been reported to make nocturnal breastfeeding less disruptive. Many mothers who bed-share and breastfeed report that they get more sleep compared to mothers who breastfeed and sleep separately from their baby, and compared to mothers who bottle-feed.

Increased infant arousals:

Babies who bed-share experience more frequent arousals from sleep, and more frequent arousals are associated with a reduced risk of SIDS. Interestingly, parents who bed-share as a chosen parenting practice frequently perceive fewer infant sleep problems. According to a Harvard study, Babies who sleep alone have higher levels of stress hormones at night. The term is called glucocorticoid neurotoxicity.

Enhanced maternal bonding and responsiveness:

Bed-sharing and co-sleeping are practices associated with enhanced maternal-infant bonding and maternal responsiveness, particularly if parents had intended to bed-share as part of their parenting approach, referred to as non-reactive co-sleeping. Parents have reported that sleeping with their baby improves their bond with their baby and permitted them to closely monitor their babies throughout the night and to respond if their baby adopted a non-recommended sleep position or had become ill.

So with all this research and information, co-sleeping is a safe and natural option. If you have not tired or discovered it, I highly recommend it.