Yes, Tycho co-sleeps. This was never our intention. We got a bassinet and a crib, and he doesn't use either of them for sleeping. Sigh. I did want to, but long story short, I didn't know how to swaddle or the purpose, Tycho scared me by sleeping on his side, and I was paranoid even though his bassinet was right next to the bed. And I was going to transition sooner, but I was still so tired from multiple night feedings. Get out of bed? Ugh. I had to do that last night and it was the worst. I still nurse Tycho about two to three times a night (he's ten months old). He eats when he needs to.
But I just wanted to give some advice and share my experience with co-sleeping. First of all, I would like to say that I followed certain rules for co-sleeping to reduce certain risks. I don't smoke or drink, so there's the high risks removed from co-sleeping. I also made sure Tycho was away from pillows, our bed didn't slouch where he and I slept, so okay there. He could kick off the sheet--the only blanket I really had close to him, so no issues.
The good: initially I could only do a cross-cradle position for nursing so I would get out of bed with Tycho to sit in the rocking chair. Let's just say, angels must have been present because I did fall asleep with Tycho on my lap a few times... so dangerous! I was eager to learn how to lay down and nurse him. So I did when he was about four months old. It took time, and we were proficient when he was five or six months old. Huzzah! Once we got that down, I could nurse in bed easy peasy. I loved it. Because before I would probably get out of bed like 4 times at least. Ick.
We both roll over and return back into a deeper slumber most of the time now.
Also, when he's sick, I can help Tycho much more when he's sleeping next to me. He tends to wake up more often when he's teething or sick, so I can usually just stay in bed and comfort him. I'm lazy? Or just desperate for sleep?
The bad: have you ever slept in one or two positions? Your body aches so much. I would go to bed with Tycho, and take Greg's side of the bed so I could sleep on the other side of Tycho. Bliss guys. I also slept with a pillow in between my legs so my lower leg wouldn't get so much pressure and so I could nurse easier. But it was so hard! Not sleeping on my left side was the worst. Now Tycho is older and we have a king-sized bed, I sleep on my left side but not as much as I would like...
The other hard part is making sure Greg gets adequate sleep. Tycho sleeps like a baby, and he's noisy and climbs on Greg when he wakes up. When we had a queen-sized bed, one of us (me) was always on the edge of the bed, bit a larger bed has made it easier to sleep.
The ugly: spitting up or peeing in bed. Need I say more?
If I had to do this over again, I would probably co-sleep still. Or just put Tycho in the bassinet at his bed time and then bring him to bed later when he gets up. But having a baby and getting up at night is something that go together usually, right? Oh well. We're pretty happy now.
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