Sleep Sharing
Babies and mothers are
designed to sleep next to one another. Why? For one thing, sleep
sharing makes breastfeeding simple: When your baby wants food,
you simply turn over and start the meal. No crawling out from
under warm blankets, trudging down the hall, picking up your
baby, settling into a rocking chair, and then nursing. If you
share a bed, neither of you has to fully wake up, and that makes
falling back to sleep easier for you both. Another bonus: When
your baby stirs in the night, you can soothe her to sleep before
she has time to become fully awake. And a soothed, relaxed baby
sleeps more and cries less.
Cries less? Yes. Studies show that babies who are in close
contact with their mother cry less. Not less frequently, but for
shorter periods of time. When your baby wakes, you can comfort
her before she has time to work up a full head of steam.
Sleep sharing lets you touch your baby more, and all that
skin-to-skin contact is good for her physical, intellectual, and
emotional development. You'll feel good, too -- and so will your
partner. Dads who sleep share say they feel closer to their baby
as a result.
You can better monitor your baby when you're sharing a bed -- no
more lying awake wondering whether she's still breathing in the
next room. With your baby beside you, you'll soon learn what each
whimper, sniffle, or cry means and know how to react. Studies
published in Pediatrics and Sleep found that mothers who
routinely sleep with their baby become more sensitive to their
infant's behavior and needs. In turn, they feel more emotionally
secure about parenting.
Studies funded by the National Institutes of Health show that
babies who sleep with their mother nurse twice as much and three
times as long as babies who sleep by themselves. And
breastfeeding moms who sleep-share get as much sleep as
breastfeeding moms who sleep alone. The quality of their sleep is
better, too. Since babies who nurse more often and for longer
periods of time get more milk, they also benefit from a natural
immune-system boost. All that extra milk can help your baby grow
faster, too.
Finally, sleep sharing can be a precious gift of time for you,
your partner, and your baby -- especially if one or both parents
work. Instead of having just a couple of hours after work to
spend together, you can relax, knowing you have the whole night
ahead of you.