By Dilshad Bhamgara
I’ve co-slept for all the 33 years of my life.
Being born and raised in a South Asian country, bed-sharing was the norm and we did so for many years. And I’ve co-slept with my husband for almost a decade now.
But before my son was born I wasn’t so sure I’d co-sleep with him.
How did that happen? I’d co-slept all my life after all. Shouldn’t I have been immune to societal pressures and fear-mongering?
From sleeping in the hospital bassinet to sleeping in his cot in our room. For the first month, we actively tried putting him to sleep in the cot. His cot was in our room which made it a tad bit easier but we both weren’t sleeping well. The most he slept in the cot was an hour. Halfway through the night, I’d get him into bed with me and he’d sleep upright on me.
He’d sleep on me for longer and I noticed his breathing would completely even out unlike when sleeping in the cot.
Five months down the line I knew I couldn’t do that for long.
Googling baby sleep solutions, the internet is flooded with outright sleep training and some well-concealed ‘gentle sleep solutions ‘, quick guides to teach babies ‘sleep soothing’.
Years of co-sleeping and my instincts at least helped me call BS on this.
I was pretty sure any sort of sleep training was ridiculous and downright dangerous as I eventually discovered through research.
And then one day Facebook suggested a group called The Beyond Sleep Training Project that changed our lives for the better.
Sleep solidarity, sage advice to have realistic expectations and a ton of articles on co-sleeping and safe bed-sharing made me feel confident enough to go ahead and sleep with my wee one.
