Hospital Birthers: Were You Able to Bedshare with Your Newborn? - Page 3

[GardenStream]

I had my DS2 in a baby friendly hospital. I had a c-section, so I was in a hospital style bed and DH slept on a bench that converted to a bed. DS was always sleeping with me in bed, or on DH's bed with him. Nobody ever said a word to us and they definitely knew that DH was sound asleep with the baby in his bed.

[Tizzy]

DS1 was a C/S and thus we spent two nights in the hospital (he was born at 11pm and I spent one more night there). My lovely night nurse was a real cow about me sleeping with him. I was VERY careful with extra pillows, side rail up etc. but she still made a huge fuss. I was not on any pain medications but it took several hours for my spinal to wear off. So I was basically paralyzed from my stomach down.

Every time the night nurse came in to check on me, she'd take him and put him back in the bassinet. When she left, I would lift him up using the blanket as a sling and bring him back to bed with me. Highly annoying but I was beyond the point of throwing a fit. DH was not able to stay overnight with me at all.
Then she made such a fuss the 2nd night because I knew I needed to be up and walking around to ensure an early discharge, so I didn't mind walking the halls with DS. She kept trying to take him from me so she could walk with him, and I kept telling her there was no way she was taking him out of my sight. Besides, I wasn't going to have any help at home so I'd better figure things out pretty quick myself The poor day nurse was so nice to me but I was already pretty crabby from my overnight experiences.

[nia82]

I was very much out of it due to Mg-Sulfate for 24 hours, but was encouraged to bedshare to keep DS's temperature at bay (he was very tiny and got cold quickly). I didn't know or read much about co-sleeping at that point and was just happy DS was fine, not vaccinated, without vitamin K shot and didn't get eye ointments and that nobody wanted to circ him I guess. Next time I will have baby with me all the time (depending on my condition, of course).

[MaddieMay]

I was too drugged up from an unplanned c-section, so we didn't bedshare the first night. DS slept either next to me in a bassinet or with DH the entire time. I did sleep with DS on my chest beginning on the second day and no one said a word to me about it.

[Lovinmum]

I bedshared with my first, no problem. The nurses just assumed I would since I was nursing.

My second was in the NICU and we did kangaroo care for 3 days straight until he was released. I have never been half naked so long in my life. lol

[meganmarie]

a nurse came in the very first night while DS was sleeping next to me and I was dozing, and she said that I shouldn't let DS sleep in my bed that night, because the drugs in my system from my C-Section might still be dulling my reflexes and making me sleep heavier than is safe while co-sleeping.

While I'm a passionate advocate for co-sleeping, I actually do side with cautious nurses on this one: mamas taking percoset etc. medications for c/s really, really should not bed share. Its just a whole other level of risk. My RN-sister took care of a mama in the hospital recovering from c/s, who checked out early (understandably wanting to be home with her baby). They learned the next day that she had overlain her baby while on the medications. Horribly tragic.

I do wish some hospitals would be a little more lenient with mamas who aren't on any meds however. With baby #1 they were absolute martinets about it and discouraged rooming in because you weren't even allowed to BE ASLEEP while your baby was in a bassinet next to you. You could technically room in, but someone needed to stay awake the whole night if you did. Totally absurd. You can bet your behind I took my healthcare dollars to a different hospital for baby #2.

[Ahappymel]

When my 1st was born, I was told that he had to be in the bedside bassinet for safety reasons (I hadn't even asked or planned on bedsharing...this info was just disseminated by one of the nurses unsolicited).
Well, I fell asleep that first night with him beside me, nursing. A nurse (different one) walked in and I awoke startled, thinking I was going to get scolded. Instead, she saw us snuggled up and just smiled and walked back out

[Ahappymel]

But...I will add that I don't really think a hospital bed is a safe co-sleeping situation. Especially if a mom is drugged somehow. That bed is high off the hard floor and those rails don't prevent a little baby from falling off.
I think the hospital actually has some justification in wanting the baby in a safer sleep space. They are also thinking of liability issues as well as safety ones.
Having said that, I am still glad I had my little one with me in my arms those first two nights.

[Girlprof]

With baby #1, we got a little flack from one nurse who walked in and couldn't find the baby - he was snuggled up with me. She sort of said "We don't really approve of that" and I just shrugged. With baby #2 (different hospital), no one ever said a thing.

[wbg]

My hospital births were in Australia and co sleeping was their idea! It was just part of the norm there, so I did not even think about it.

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

I bedshared without any trouble from staff, and I hadnt even begun to read MDC co sleeping boards yet. I had never even heard of the term. I just wanted to sleep so bad, and he didnt want to be in that little bed thingy. SO I swaddled him and curled him up in my arms and took a nap. I remmeber a nurse walking in, and I thought, "is she going to yell at me?" but she never said a word.

[mata]

my first hospital birth was in NY 10 years ago-no problem cosleeping.
second hospital birth was in CA 6 years ago-also no problem.

[Bluegoat]

With dd1 who was a section I knew nothing about co-sleeping but ended up doing it with no comment.

With dd2, another section, I was so tired the second night and she wouldn't settle and the nurse suggested I just take her into bed with me, just to set up the pillows so she couldn't fall out.

I do find the hospital beds a little nerve wracking for co-sleeping.

[April Dawn]

I was woken on my son's first night by a nurse freaking out and snatching him out of my bed to put him back in his plastic bassinet. My hospital was definitely NOT ok with bedsharing!

[ShadowMoon]

They put DS in a bassinet next to my bed. I would take him out to nurse him and we would fall asleep together. The first two times the nurse came in, she would take him and put him back in the bassinet. (I was sleeping or pretending to). I would wait till they left and put him back in bed with me. After the second time, they left me alone and didn't say anything. I'm not sure if they had a policy on it or not, but they didn't fight against it.

[zjande]

With baby #1 who was born 18 years ago, bedsharing was not allowed at all. In fact, they only brought her to me from the nursery when they decided it was time for her to eat.

Baby #2, 11 yrs ago, bedsharing was strongly discouraged but I did it a bit anyway, even though the nurses made me feel guilty for it.

Baby #3 was born 4 yrs ago with a midwife & *not* bedsharing was never even mentioned!

The next 2 babies were born at home so it was never an issue.

It is truly amazing how much *everything* has changed since I had my DD 18 yrs ago!

[LiLStar]

before my first baby was born, the idea of bedsharing in the hospital sounded kinda dangerous because of the hospital bed with those metal rails that a baby could get trapped in or something, and not being able to make it safe like we do at home.

I ended up with a c-section and when we were first in the room dd was in the little fish tank thing and we were sleeping (she was born a little after midnight, we were exhausted!) then, she starts crying and I couldn't get up to go get her! dh wouldn't wake up, even though I was yelling at him to wake up and bring her to me. Then a nurse came in (my nurse, not a baby nurse) and I asked her to bring her to me. She was like, "umm..you want me to pick her up? I've never actually held a baby before.."..SERIOUSLY! So I had her wake dh and he brought her to me himself (and he had never held a baby before either!) He has no memory of that! From then she slept with me only and the fish tank thingie was used only as a changing table.

It quickly became VERY obvious that she was perfectly safe sleeping there, no matter how deeply I slept. Having just had surgery, I couldn't move without immense effort. The possibility of rolling over onto her was laughable. Whatever position we would sleep in, there was simply no way that position was going to change unless there was very specific and deliberate effort to change positions!

[GardenStream]

Originally Posted by LiLStar

It quickly became VERY obvious that she was perfectly safe sleeping there, no matter how deeply I slept. Having just had surgery, I couldn't move without immense effort. The possibility of rolling over onto her was laughable. Whatever position we would sleep in, there was simply no way that position was going to change unless there was very specific and deliberate effort to change positions!

That's exactly how I felt. Scooting over a few inches required concentrated effort. Rolling over was excruciating, no chance that would happen accidentally.

[mrsjtc]

At our hosiptial - which is pretty natural birth friendly (unfortunately not very vbac friendly - they expect that you will room-in and sleep with your baby. The nurses even helped me get comfortable nursing while laying down so we could sleep together. The only time they ever took my babies away from me was when I asked for some time to rest before going home. They also let us go home after about 8-10 hours. I had to bring baby to my ped. office (which is across the street from my house) a couple days later but no issue other wise.

[cappuccinosmom]

In the first hospital, with my first son they made a fuss about it. "What if you fall asleep and squash him".

Next two babies, different hospital, no problem.