Special Saturday snugglies

A lot of people swear by co-sleeping, but it's not been something that's interested me for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that we have only a full-size bed and space is tight enough as it is. However, when I was on maternity leave (and had the bed to myself after The Husband left), I would sometimes--maybe once a week--lie down in either our bed or the futon in the nursery with Baby B to feed her and we'd snooze together for a couple of hours.

This morning, when she woke up at 8:30 a.m., ready to eat, I brought her back to bed with us and let her nurse there, hoping maybe we'd both get an extra hour or so of sleep. (This wasn't a last-minute decision; I'd already decided the night before to try this out today.) We got situated and she ate, then she went to sleep as expected, and I followed shortly thereafter. I woke up when she started changing positions slightly, and I looked down to see her sleeping so peacefully. And I have to admit: I loved the closeness we had as a family during this special Saturday morning together.

A lot of people who co-sleep say they swore beforehand they'd never do it, but end up trying it out (often as a last resort when dealing with a crying baby that nurses often during the night) and sticking with it. I can tell you it's something we definitely won't be doing on a nightly basis. For one thing, in order to do it so she can eat whenever she wants--which is a big advantage to co-sleeping--I'd need to sleep on that one side all night long, which is comfortable for long enough for a nap, but not for overnight sleeping. Also, having her between us restricted where I could put my arms, and I could see how the bed would feel too crowded if this is something we did on a nightly basis.

But I do love the idea of doing this as a Saturday-morning treat for all of us, as a way to sort of forget about the sometimes-hectic life that awaits us on the other side of the bedroom door. It's special times like these that make all of the hard work 100% worth it.