On Co-sleeping

Since my daughter was born she has slept with me, beginning skin to skin, always lying on me, heart against heart - a beautiful thing. I know co-sleeping is not for everyone, but it has definitely been the right choice for me and my baby. I have enjoyed the closeness, the beauty and trust of that arrangement and I believe that since people have been sleeping like that throughout the ages and only in this culture do we put newborn babies into their own rooms and expect them not to be afraid or lonely; it just seems right. I have heard a lot of noise about SIDS and co-sleeping but I thoroughly researched it and always felt comfortable that my child was safe with me - no pillows anywhere, no blankets, no smoking, drinking or drugs and certainly no obesity (those pregnancy pounds don't count, even for me). I have loved it, every minute of it, watching her tiny face relax into sleep, watching her laugh and smile through her dreams - it has been a great part of my experience as a new mother. Ez has been wonderfully supportive in this as in everything with her, never asking me to change even though he was terrified of rolling over on her (again, highly unlikely as long as the aformentionned things are taken into account) but he has mainly been sleeping on the couch, or worse, at the foot of the bed, wrapped in blankets. Of course, I know that he has to come back, so I knew it was time to start moving forward with the sleeping. She has been taking one or two of her naps in her own crib in her own room, though nighttime is our together sleep-time, but we wanted Daddy back too, so Kate lent us her co-sleeper and last night was the first night with that. I was nervous about how reactive I would be with her not immediately beside me - I wake up for anything she needs, I am so aware of her in the night. I was worried that she wouldn't accept it, that she would fuss and cry - but I am proud and amazed that she was again a superstar - not a peep out of her, she was brilliant again - and momma survived too, it was actually a really great night, all of us really together the way it should be. This child continually amazes me with how good she is, how wonderful and good-natured and fabulous she is - we are indeed extremely lucky people to have a baby like this. And we will live to sleep another day...