Co-Sleeping

I never intended to co-sleep. We have several large dogs, lots of cats, etc. It just wasn't going to work.

But it's not natural to place your newborn babe in a separate bed. His whole life before birth was spent inside your womb. He was never alone, you were his constant companion. He listened to your voice, the beat of your heart.. From the moment he was born, he could recognize you as his mom. Why would you doom him to spend his first nights outside your womb, away from you?

Lukas taught us right away that sleeping alone wasn't going to cut it. We humored him, wondering if our dogs could share their bed. Our (poorly trained) dogs were able to give Lukas and us our space, and sleep off the bed. For a few nights, anyway. Then they started sneaking back into bed and sleeping at our feet after we'd passed out, exhausted as only a new parent can be.

Three months later, our living arrangements are kind of odd so the dogs aren't sleeping with us at all, but Lukas is still at my side.

And when people ask us if we get any sleep? We smile and give all the credit to co-sleeping. My husband is never woken up by the baby, and Lukas never even wakes up fully to eat.

Does co-sleeping spoil Lukas? No. You can't spoil a baby. We're instilling trust into our child. He's learning to feel safe, secure, and confident in his life. These are skills he'll need as he grows up and begins to socialize. They'll help him on his journey throughout life.

In the end, it's what works best for us. He's happy, and we're happy.