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Re: Help, 6mo. old sleep habit

Posted by Stephanie on November 07, 2001 at 11:59:49:

In Reply to: Re: Help, 6mo. old sleep habit posted by tired in nm on November 07, 2001 at 10:26:52:

You might want to contact a La Leche League group in your area for more support, they can be a great encouragement, and even give you more "evidence" to show your husband that you are doing the right thing. A great book to read is "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". It has all sorts of great advice about things besides breastfeeding like co-sleeping, feeding solids, etc. You also might want to look up some breastfeeding websites for helpful information. If I were you, I would also call and talk to your pediatrician, explain your situation and your desire to continue night nursing until your baby is ready to stop, and ask for his support in convincing your husband that it is a good idea. If your pediatrician is NOT supportive in this area, it might be a good idea to look for a better one. Many pediatricians are NOT well informed in the area of breastfeeding and are not aware of recent developments in this field. A lactation consultant would probably have better information if you can find one.

My computer recently crashed, so I don't have any links to articles about co-sleeping or breastfeeding, but if you use a good search engine, you should be able to find some. (I like Dogpile.com and Alltheweb.com search engines)

I would encourage you to "stick to your guns" and arm yourself with medical information that supports your position. Sometimes it takes a while to get through to husbands. :-) If you show him that it is HEALTHY for your baby, he may change his mind.

Oh, by the way, I nursed all my children to sleep, and they all slept in my bed for at least the first year and usually longer, and they ALL sleep just fine on their own now, even my 2 1/2yo.!!! It is a purely cultural thing to force babies to sleep apart from their parents. It was only because the middle classes started to imitate the behaviors of the rich elite that cribs and nurseries became popular. It was a show of wealth, not to benefit the baby. Studies are starting to point to evidence that babies are DESIGNED to co-sleep with their mothers. There are physiological changes that only occur when you co-sleep. Baby's breathing can be regulated by co-sleeping, and mom/baby couples who co-sleep will develop syncronised sleep patterns, so they both come into light sleep at the same time, making nursing much easier than trying to rouse a mom from deep sleep so baby can nurse. Co-sleeping regulates body temperature so that baby does not get too cold or too hot. There is even a theory that co-sleeping may aid in preventing SIDS by keeping an infant from falling into a deep sleep for excessively long periods without being able to wake themselves. Plus co-sleeping babies who night nurse get more nutrition than babies who sleep in cribs. Not to mention the emotional rewards of snuggling with a sweet baby all night! If you had a choice between sleeping with the person you loved most in the whole world, or sleeping alone, which would you choose??? :-)

If I find those links, I will post them here for you.

Best wishes!!!

Stephanie


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