I love co-sleeping with our son, Noah. He will be 5 months on February, 11th, and he has slept in our room literally since the day he was born. I am still breastfeeding, and find it both convenient and necessary for Noah's dietary needs. Below are some facts taken from various sources regarding co-sleeping (aka: room sharing, bed sharing). Having Noah in the Arms Reach Co-sleeper next to the bed where I can pull him out to nurse allows both Caleb and I to rest soundly, never fully wake-even to nurse, and enjoy waking up as a family. The morning is when our little guy is in the best mood all day and he just smiles and is happy that our faces are the first thing he sees.
*Co-sleeping; room sharing with baby, is perfectly normal. In most countries around the world, children co-sleep until age 5, not saying that I plan to do so.
*Co-sleeping/bed sharing, provides both emotional and nutritional benefits for baby-especially when nursing exclusively.
*Epidemiological data show that, in the presence of an adult caregiver, roomsharing infants are approximately half as likely to die of SIDS than infants sleeping either alone, or in the same room as siblings.
*A baby's nervous system is wired to signal danger if left with no sensory contact with the mother or other caregiver.
*High brain levels of stress in baby result in higher levels of stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol can lead to lasting changes in important brain structures.
*After gestation; where baby can hear mom, feel her breathing, it's no wonder baby longs and needs to be near her night and day.
*Sleep-sharing pairs showed more synchronous arousals than when sleeping separately. When one member of the pair stirred, coughed, or changed sleeping stages, the other member also changed, often without awakening.
So here is what we've been taught, manage your baby. Control him. Teach her to sleep through the night via phases, methods, and foods. One mother put it perfectly when she stated that nothing about a baby's eating nor sleeping patterns is similar to that of an adult, yet many, many books make millions each year from eager parents who want to reveal to their peers that, "little Billy does sleep through the night!" I want to know how the average adult would feel if someone put them under such high expectations to comply with methods to control their slumber? Or perhaps, it is because we cannot empathize given that we ourselves cannot completely remember those feelings.
Until about 12 months a child cannot remember it's primary caregiver's face. If that person leaves the room, the child might protest with tears because they believe the caregiver is gone forever.
There are a lot of myths about co-sleeping and bedsharing, the number one reason is in regards to suffocation of the infant. However, new studies have proven that regular, responsible co-sleeping parents who do not smoke, and are not under the influence of alcohol or extreme fatigue, will in fact adapt to and maintain awareness of their infant. If and when Noah passes out in our bed, we make sure to sleep in such a way where pillows and blankets cannot suffocate him. When he stirs during the night one of us is right there to soothe him. We never have to walk across the hall and spend 15-25min calming him down.
I think most new moms do not plan to co-sleep. The market for nursery gear wouldn't thrive the way it does if so. I'll admit, I figured I would co-sleep, but I still have a beautiful crib with matching changing table, and bedding to boot. Noah has yet to ever take a nap or sleep in his "nursery." And, while this bugs my mother a bit, I cannot back down from what is a well oiled machine. Noah will not sleep in our master bedroom forever, but while he's a baby, nursing, and proving to need night time comfort, he will get it. Not just for empathy sake, but for the good of the order.
*KBA*
Referenced: AskDrSears.com, R.G. Carpenter et al., "Sudden and Unexplained Infant Death in 20 Regions of Europe: Case Control Study, J.J. McKenna and L.E. Volpe
