The sleeping arrangement (Day 83)
As I write this, Otto is asleep in our bed. Yes, not his crib, but my husband’s and my bed. This little person is occupying this big bed and has driven my husband out of it. Mostly because he is afraid he would squish Otto by tumbling in his sleep. So he rather sleeps on the couch so that he gets some sleep.
I have thought about it how we got to this sleeping arrangement, and to be honest, I think it was always like this. From the first day home and even in the hospital. Our little boy just feels when he’s being put down from someone’s arms into any other surface. I remember on the second night at the hospital, my husband spent two hours holding him, walking around and shushing Otto so I got some sleep.
So when we got home, we were prepared by placing a Moses basket on my side of our bed and we used it for I believe just two nights. Because every time I got Otto to fall asleep, I woke him up by placing him in the basket no matter how slowly I did it. So I figured I need to help him fall asleep in a way that he wouldn’t be moved. And now, almost three months later, we’re where we are.
I breastfeed him to sleep (although most of the time he just uses my nipple as a pacifier — and no, he is not so easily fooled by a real pacifier) on the bed for all the naps and the nighttime sleep. Most of the time I sleep or rest with him, but I also got better at leaving his side super quietly and have some hours to myself or with my husband — especially in the evenings.
We are pleased that Otto is such a good sleeper and we wish for him to remain one. However, we are thinking of transitioning him to his crib so my husband can get back to our bed. But we know that I won’t be able to help him make this transition, because he is so accustomed to me soothing him a certain way and he expects nothing less.
So we decided to try to help him learn to sleep on his own when my husband has his two-week work leave around the holidays and in the first weeks of January. I know it will be hard because he will cry a lot. We committed ourselves we would try. But we still don’t want to stress Otto too much or interfere with him getting enough of quality sleep.
Fingers crossed.
Motherhood in numbers:
- shower: one with hair washed
- exercise: none
- meals eaten: three
