Dreams
I have these dreams of motherhood.
No really.
Almost nightly, I've been having very vivid, very real dreams about raising our baby. Cuddling, cloth-diapering, nursing, consoling. These have been some of the neatest dreams I have ever had. I think that's the case mostly because those are some of the dreams that I hope to make a reality in a little over five months' time.
I can't begin to describe my giddiness over the prospect of cloth diapering! Of nursing this baby. Of co-sleeping. Of baby-wearing (not the latest fashion trend of wearing-your-child-as-an-accessory; the carrying of one's child out of comfort, convenience, and closeness). Of cuddling and soothing and rocking and loving. I look at the rocking chair that's been in our room for months, and I imagine the moments that will be spent in it. I pass by the nursery on my way to the kitchen or on my way to our bedroom, and I think to myself, "Soon. Soon there will be a sweet little one in this room. Crying, cooing, sleeping." I can't wait!!
I know that it can be done safely, and although it's not for everyone, I would like to try it. For me, the benefits outweigh the risks, as long as I follow the general rules (for starters, I don't plan on drinking alcoholic beverages, and then crawling into bed next to my newborn). Sleeping near my newborn will give me peace of mind that I wouldn't have if he/she were sleeping in another room. As the articles state, I will be aware of his/her breathing more so than I would be if I were listening to a monitor. Also, nursing my newborn will be easier when he/she is within arm's reach for each feeding.
But, I know there are a few risks that do apply. One of which is having the baby sleep with you on a less-than-firm mattress. Ours is less-than-firm. So, I started investigating "side cars" or "co-sleeping bassinets." Here's a co-sleeper that I'm interested in since there's not a lot of extra floor space (at least on my side of the bed) in our bedroom. I like that it's completely portable (from one room to the next, from our home to a hotel room, etc.), that it can be used as a changing table, and that it has storage.
So, those are a few of my dreams.
Have any of you cloth diapered or co-slept with your kiddos?
Success stories? Funny anecdotes? Failures that you'd like to get off your chest, so that, you know, I don't make the same mistakes?
I'd love to hear your thoughts...even if you want to try to convince me to go a different route. :)
So go ahead.
Share!
No really.
Almost nightly, I've been having very vivid, very real dreams about raising our baby. Cuddling, cloth-diapering, nursing, consoling. These have been some of the neatest dreams I have ever had. I think that's the case mostly because those are some of the dreams that I hope to make a reality in a little over five months' time.
I can't begin to describe my giddiness over the prospect of cloth diapering! Of nursing this baby. Of co-sleeping. Of baby-wearing (not the latest fashion trend of wearing-your-child-as-an-accessory; the carrying of one's child out of comfort, convenience, and closeness). Of cuddling and soothing and rocking and loving. I look at the rocking chair that's been in our room for months, and I imagine the moments that will be spent in it. I pass by the nursery on my way to the kitchen or on my way to our bedroom, and I think to myself, "Soon. Soon there will be a sweet little one in this room. Crying, cooing, sleeping." I can't wait!!
So, I'm sure you caught the co-sleeping line.
Yes, I'm very interested and have done much research on the benefits (and the risks) of co-sleeping. This article, in particular, was very informative. I know that it can be done safely, and although it's not for everyone, I would like to try it. For me, the benefits outweigh the risks, as long as I follow the general rules (for starters, I don't plan on drinking alcoholic beverages, and then crawling into bed next to my newborn). Sleeping near my newborn will give me peace of mind that I wouldn't have if he/she were sleeping in another room. As the articles state, I will be aware of his/her breathing more so than I would be if I were listening to a monitor. Also, nursing my newborn will be easier when he/she is within arm's reach for each feeding.
But, I know there are a few risks that do apply. One of which is having the baby sleep with you on a less-than-firm mattress. Ours is less-than-firm. So, I started investigating "side cars" or "co-sleeping bassinets." Here's a co-sleeper that I'm interested in since there's not a lot of extra floor space (at least on my side of the bed) in our bedroom. I like that it's completely portable (from one room to the next, from our home to a hotel room, etc.), that it can be used as a changing table, and that it has storage.
I'm also sure that you caught the cloth diapering line.
I have wanted to cloth diaper for years. Literally. Before we got married, while we were still in the very early stages of dating, I told The (now) Husband that I really wanted to cloth diaper any children I might have. I think he looked at me in bewilderment. After much discussion, I think he's finally come around to the idea. I don't know that he adores the idea like I do (and he's certainly not giddy about it), but he understands the benefits. We really like the fact that it's healthier (for baby and for our bank account). We like that it's very doable. I realize that we won't always be able to cloth diaper our child/children. Occasionally, we will have to supplement disposables. But for the most part, cloth diapering is the way we intend to go. A few websites I found informative were this one, this one, that one, and the "plus, they're just TOOOO cute" one over yonder. Because cloth diapering can be expensive at the beginning (but so worth it money-wise over the long haul), the majority of the items we've registered for (so far) have to do with that.So, those are a few of my dreams.
Have any of you cloth diapered or co-slept with your kiddos?
Success stories? Funny anecdotes? Failures that you'd like to get off your chest, so that, you know, I don't make the same mistakes?
I'd love to hear your thoughts...even if you want to try to convince me to go a different route. :)
So go ahead.
Share!
How interesting! I don't think I ever even considered cloth diapers. But yay for you for putting in the extra effort and up-front expense. I mentioned to you before I was on my own with #1 for the first 6 weeks (and most of the first 6 months), so she slept with me. A lot. She was NOT a good sleeper till she turned 4 or 5. Seriously. I'm still catching up on my sleep. She was diagnosed with reflux but in hindsight I think it was colic. She slept great on her stomach but I was nervous about that so mostly she slept on her stomach on top of me. We had a rough first six months. Lots of crying (her too!). :) With #2, we put her in a pack-n-play in our room for the first two months. Then an easy transition to her room. We used the Miracle Blanket on #2. Truly a Miracle. Highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard wonderful things about the Miracle Blanket, so it's been on my registry for weeks :) My nephew didn't sleep through the night until he was *I think* 5 either, and he had terrible colic early on. I'm so glad that you and my sister both had "easier" kiddos the second go round. :)
DeleteYou're having wonderful dreams!! :) As you know, we did both cloth diapers and disposables. They have come a very long way with cloth ones since your sister was a baby. LOL I will be excited to see how well the cute little cloth ones work. The co-sleeper you are showing is a great idea - we had the cradle made by your PaPa and certainly used it in the beginning. Did you see that Zulily also sells co-sleepers? You are the best researcher-mommy-to-be I know, so keep searching for the perfect items for little "sweet orange." Love you.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't see that Zulily carried them, as well. If we don't receive one through amazon where we're registered, then we'll have to take a look at Zulily since their prices are far lower than anything else I've seen. Thanks for the recommendation!
DeleteYou know I co-slept with the twins for better part of 3-6 months (Caylin was longer). Brynna is 50/50 as to where she sleeps now. I personally love sleeping curled around her little body and love waking with her right there. She sleeps much better (and longer stretches) when next to me also. It's better for both of us when mommy has had more than 2 hours sleep. So you do what is best for all of you..like you said, it's not like your drinking or doing drugs before crawling in bed with the little one.
ReplyDeleteI applaud you for trying cloth diapers!! Maybe if I ever have another, I will give it a go..
I love that you get to spend that quality time with Brynna :)
DeleteWell, you know, you and I have always said we wanted to be pregnant at the same time..... :)
Okay, so I will just tell you as the mother of 5 that co-sleeping was NOT something that I found workable. Don't get me wrong. We kept Jr. (or Jr.s, as we finished with) in our room right near us for the first 6 weeks for obvious reasons...nursing, changing, nursing, changing, nursing, oh and did I mention NURSING?! Our little one(s) were either snug in a bassinet or a little baby chair (so he could be upright to reduce reflux) ultra-close. However, once we hit the 6 week mark we graduated our half-pint(s) to their big-boy crib in their own room. This allowed for some much needed rest for the ever sleep-deprived mom and dad! Plus, I think you will find that intimacy with the HUSBAND is complicated by co-sleeping. Now, our choice to move them into their OWN room may be why we have 5 and didn't stop with just one!!! Hahaha! Also, I will add that while co-sleeping wasn't the route of choice, I do have fond memories of snuggle/dozing time with each of my little ones in the early morning hours when Ryan brought them to me for their early feeding and he headed off to work, leaving just the two (or three) of us in bed. So...I think you can achieve this closeness with your baby on occasion, even if you sleep them in their own room. However, if I were to go the co-sleeping route, I definitely think the side-car option is your best bet! Don't want to accidentally roll over on your little pumpkin! So there are my two cents, for what they're worth!! Cousin K
ReplyDelete