Apparently, one of the more traditional baby doctor experts has decided that it can be beneficial to allow your baby to sleep in your bed with you. There's an article, here, about it from the NY Times last week.
I'm so glad the hi-falutin' physicians of the United States have finally caught up to the wisdom of mothers across the globe, and across the millenia (I'm so totally sure that the cave-women let their babies cry for hours in the back of the caves, attracting predators, alienating cave-mates, and creating self-soothing individuals, ha ha).
The Kid NEVER slept in his crib. I tried to make him cry it out for three days when he was about 9 months old. It was horrible. He went hoarse. He threw up all over himself, and he never slept, except after about 5 hours of LITERALLY CONTINUOUS CRYING, and at that, he fell asleep sitting up. I just couldn't stomach that.
With all of the behavioral issues he's had, all of the discipline issues at school, the anger and rages, I am so grateful for our awesome emotional connection that we have. In the midst of last fall's terrible drama, The Kid and I were able to still have a very open, loving mother-son relationship, communicative in emotional depth (for a 5-year-old) and The Kid never waivered in self-confidence in our relationship. I don't think his self-esteem was very adversely effected by any of the trouble at school. Dare I say it was due to our attachment? I nursed him for almost two years, and we co-slept. I also talk to him every day, read to him, and he's just naturally awesome, but I do have to wonder, had I perservered in the "let him cry it out" sleep issue, what would last fall have looked like?
5 comments:
right on molly. we all know how far behind drs are in reality!
Good for you! In grad school I read an article about how colic is non-existent in non-western cultures. Researchers believe this is largely due to the fact that in most non-western cultures, mothers sleep with their children and infants are carried or held by a family member constantly. Very interesing!
I cannot imagine doing anything but co-sleeping. Why on Earth do people not do it?
Mr. Lady: I think it has something to do with the fact that people equate the act of SEX with the bed. You know, because we all break out into acts of sex in our sleep and stuff. Especially when we are breastfeeding and only sleeping two to five hours per night, and only showering every eight days. Sex is always the first thing on the mind of parents of newborns, right?
Many people also associate sex and the backseats of cars, but that's where we by law have to put our children until they are 70 pounds or something. Seatbelt laws are so totally perverted!
Ha ha.
People do not co-sleep because it is a serious risk to the child. In 2006 more than 50% of the infants that died in Tucson, AZ were due to co-sleeping. This is including any and all diseases and still births.
One of those was my daughter who was sleeping with her babysitter.
PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!
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