Breastfeeding Blog Day 5: Night Time Parenting

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Blog Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Timbra Wiist landslidephotography {at} hotmail {dot} com. Today's post is about Nightime Parenting. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed in the comments section at www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com The Carnival runs July 16th through the 31st! 

When both boys arrived they started out by sleeping in our room in a bassinet.  I've never been comfortable with having my tiny babies in our bed and when I've even laid down to nurse them I haven't been able to fall asleep because I've just been too afraid of squishing them or something happening to them.  I've always wanted to keep them close though so I could respond to the first signs of them waking up and being hungry.

Monkey wasn't able to sleep for more than a couple months in our room because his daddy snored too loud and would wake him up.  We moved him into his room which was down the hall with a monitor and he slept much better but I was able to respond to him at the first signs of him waking up like I was with him in our room.  Kangaroo was different.  He was able to sleep through the snoring for quite a while and we had his crib set up in our room when he grew out of his bassinet (besides I was afraid of Monkey hurting him by accident if he tried to climb in the crib to cuddle his brother-he's always been VERY lovey towards Kangaroo).  When Kangaroo was 7 months we packed up to move to Oregon (from Utah).  In our "new" house Kangaroo needed to sleep in Monkey's room.  It all worked out and they have been sharing a room for almost a year now.  Kangaroo wasn't sleeping through the night still (and I've always had a monitor in his room) and didn't until he was about 14 months.  Sleeping through the night is technically a 6 hour stretch.  Kangaroo would rarely go more than a 1-2 4 hour stretches.  He would often be brought in to bed with me to snuggle and nurse though that became a problem as he became more mobile.  Hubby decided eventually he needed to leave our bed if Kangaroo sleeps with me.

Kangaroo got to a point that he wouldn't nurse laying down.  That was at about 10-11 months.  I would have to sit on the couch with the Boppy to nurse him 1-4 times during the night.  He's 18 months and will still come to snuggle with me in bed often (while Hubby pouts and runs out to the couch).   A few nights ago he fell out for the first time and I felt HORRIBLE.  I don't know what to do now.  He was able to stay in bed if he'd run in to a pillow and now that doesn't even stop him.  Fortunately he hasn't got up since that night but I honestly don't know what to do now.  We ended up snuggling to nurse on the couch after that and I sat clutching him for the last few hours of sleep.

Since I was an only child I don't remember what the arrangements were when I was a baby but my mom tells me that the arrangements were similar to that which we did with Monkey.  We really haven't taken a lot of outside advice on our sleeping arrangements and just have done what we felt best.  When I've been concerned about the amount of sleep that each boy was getting and when we were trying to wean from Monkey HAVING to fall asleep either in the car or his swing I looked to these books (disclaimer-these are affiliate links.  Your purchase helps us buy homeschooling books and supplies-Thanks!)




I feel like my kids know that we are there for them if they need us during the night.  We respond promptly when they need us and I feel like that's a very important thing to help them feel safe and secure in our home and attached to us.