Three in the bed plus the cat!! (Bed Sharing)

Member Name: weeonelass

Product:	Bed Sharing
Date:	29/11/01 (105 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: special bond, helps prevent cot death

Disadvantages: criticism

When I was pregnant I was absolutely paranoid about cot death. I used to have nightmares and wake up in cold sweats. This was until I read a book called 'Three in a bed' which was about how to help prevent cot death.

It explained how in other countires like china and sri-lanka cot death does not exist because due to poverty and over crowding babies sleep with their parents. However in New Zealand cot death is extreamly high even though babies share the parent's bed. This is due to the high number of drug abuse, smoking and alcoholism.

So we decided that we would try to have our daughter with us but fully understood that she must not be over dressed which could lead to over heating, we did not smoke or drink alcohol and if any of us had to take medication or had the flu we slept elsewhere.

The first night our daughter was bron I had her in the bed with me much to the nurses on the wards discuss and I was woken all through the night so they could talk me into putting her in the crib as they strongly disagreed with my decision. By the time I got home it felt so natural for us to have her with us. Although I did try to put her in a crib next to the bed as people really began to criticise. When she was five weeks old she was in her crib and she stopped breathing. We nearly lost her. From that point on I did not feel guilty for her sleeping with us and anyone who did not like it received a mouthful.

I breast fed too so it was so easy as I did not have to get up with her, she just lay on her side and fed and went back to sleep.

Some people thought that we would roll on to her or suffocate her but this was impossible as we were so in tune with her, aware of her at all times. She always slept soundly unless she was ill of course.

When she was a year old we decided that she was too big to be in with us anymore and attached a smaal bed to ours anfd put her in bed there. She was glad of the extra s
pace and settled in really well. She is now 2.5 and is in her own bed in her own room and we have no problems with her at all. She might sneek in with us about 6am and have a cuddle for an hour which we do not mind at all.

She has a special relationship with both of us and has a very strong character which oozes confidence and security which I am sure was developed due to her sharing with us.

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