I'm a Co-sleeping and bed sharing mama !

I’m a co-sleeping and bed sharing mama and have been since the day we brought our son home from the hospital. My son Easton was born 6 weeks early and when we brought him home he was so so tiny and slept the best when he was sleeping on my chest and to be completely honest I feel the best when he's sleeping on me too. I can feel and hear him breathing so I know he's safe, and that puts my mind at ease.   When I would tell people we co-sleep and bed share I heard everything from "your making a mistake he'll never sleep in a crib" and "oh you shouldn't do that he needs to learn to sleep alone" or "your gonna spoil him, you'll be sorry later ". The list goes on and on. Being a new mama I thought oh no am I doing the wrong thing even tho I feel its the right thing?  I questioned myself as a mom and my husband said " honey your dong the right thing and your a great mom , this works for us and our son, and you know whats best for our baby. mama always knows best".  After he said that I was like yes he's completely right mama  knows best always  and I'm not gonna feel bad for my decision. As a mother I'll always do what I feel is best and I'll trust myself  that it's the  right decision for my son. Sleep training may be for some families and it may work great for them but it's not for ours. When my son was born and I was rocking him in the NICU I made a promise to him that I would never let him go to sleep crying.  I cant listen to my sweet baby scream and cry for me until he falls asleep , It would break my heart more then I could ever put into words and I know I'd never be able to forgive myself for it.  He feels safe in my arms,  he sleeps through the night and has since he was a month old because he sleeps with me, we're all happier this way and all get great sleep.  Yes my son is now one and we are still co-sleeping and bed sharing and we still love it !!

  Our son Easton will be our one and only and as much as he loves cuddling all night with me I love it just as much.  I soak in every cuddle , every giggle, every sweet little kiss. I know this stage won't last forever , this is the only baby stage we'll have so I will enjoy every moment and trust me I am. Co-sleeping has really given us a secure attachment we get to have an extra 10 -12 hours a day to snuggle together.
I love that when he wakes up because he needs a diaper change or isn't feeling well from teething he doesn't wake up screaming and crying he softly nudges me , he'll also wake me up with his sweet baby kisses or when he's not feeling well he just moves his head around a lot and I know he needs something.  It's great not being woken up by my son crying , and when he does wake me up the best thing is I'm right there next to him to comfort and tend to his needs immediately. Also when I was breast feeding he's right there in the bed with me so he could latch on when he needed and never had to cry to be fed, which also means my husband rarely has his sleep disrupted which I love because he's the sole provider for our family and I want him to get good sleep , he works so hard for us everyday.

 Co-sleeping for me just feels natural and really it is. Since the beginning of time mothers co- slept with their babies to protect them from danger , most other countries practice co-sleeping today and it's the normal. Since my son doesn't cry at night because we co-sleep and wakes me up in other subtle ways his cry is an alarm to me and when he does cry I know something is really wrong.  Our son Easton is such a happy baby,  I really think it's the result of us co-sleeping.  He always feels safe and secure, he doesn't fear going to sleep because he's not alone and he doesn't waste all his energy on crying himself to sleep. Studies have shown that letting your child cry it out to fall asleep can actually cause them to have anxiety later , babies don't self soothe in isolation they may end up going to sleep from being worn out from crying , too much crying can also develop trust issues as well.  Also babies grow from being held and there bodies actually get dis-regulated when they are separated. Studies also show that you can not love your child too much , you will not "spoil" them and most importantly you should not force Independence on a child .  Forcing Independence can actually cause more dependence later on. Also letting your baby cry it out can result in a more aggressive and whiny child that will scream and cry to get what they want.  I've done a lot of research of my own especially when people would make me feel bad for my decision  to co-sleep .  I feel that us co-sleeping makes us even closer as a family and it really just feels right for us. I understand that this isn't right for everyone and that's OK . Every parent and every child is different and all have different needs. Do in your heart whats best for you and your family and that will be the right decision . Remember that mama always knows best and just trust yourself .  Statistics show that over  50% of parents co-sleep or bed share but not very many will actually admit it,  I am one of those that will and I'm confidant that my decision to co-sleep and bed share is whats best for my son.  If your one of those mama's that do the same you are not alone and don't let anyone make you feel bad about your decision.  I will co-sleep and bed share until my son is ready to sleep on his own and when that day does come I know a part of me will miss these days.