Am I being naive if I thought that I could exclusively breastfeed without co-sleeping? Do both go hand-in-hand in the first place? I didn't think so when I decided to breastfeed my third baby. I imagined it would be like my first two mostly formula-fed babies. I guess I was wrong.
At first, it was unavoidable since I was staying at my hubby's brother's place and we didn't bring the crib there anymore. The reason for that was, when I gave birth to my third child, the two older ones were sick. I went there straight from the hospital.
When we went home at last, I would breastfeed her on the loveseat in our room, then set her down in the crib again. During daytime, when I could fight my sleepiness no longer, I would nurse her in the side-lying position on our bed.
The nighttimes after that were bliss. She slept through the night. But, that didn't last very long. The time came when she couldn't sleep at night without nursing. I couldn't let her cry a little to soothe herself because the two older kids might wake up. It seems the only choice we had was to let her sleep beside me on the bed.
This arrangement left me tired in the morning. While other moms may be gushing about co-sleeping, I felt a slight pang of guilt because I could not enjoy it immensely. Another thing is, I miss sleeping beside my DH.
This is just one of the many challenges I have faced in my decision to breastfeed my child. I hope this would not hinder me from breastfeeding until she turns one year old. Thanks to Jenny aka @mamababylove for sharing with me this article about tips for night feedings, which I am reading as of now.
