cosleeping with a baby on the way

[mcs]

i have two daughters- five and three, both shared a bed with my husband and i for the first two or so years and then transitioned easily to their own beds, but they both still come in to sleep with us almost every night at some point. the night bed line-up usually goes dh, dd1, me, dd2- with various dolls and stuffed animals in between and a cat somewhere too.
i am now 6 months pregnant and not very comfortable sleeping by myself, let alone with the circus of arms and legs and pillows that i have for company. the girls are also having a new competition for my cuddles. i wake up worn out and annoyed with the kids before the day even starts. and, of course, i am worried about when the new baby is born- we just don't have enough room.

so, i want to get them out of our bed in the next month b/c i don't want them to feel like they are kicked out b/c of the baby plus, i want a little comfort before i surely loose it again. right now they share a twin sized bed, hopefully, we can squeeze a bigger bed into their tiny room (we are looking to buy a bigger house now but will not be in before the baby comes)....maybe that will help with one of us going over till they are asleep again,,,,but it is still a problem with my youngest b/c she only wants me in the night and i can't imagine dealing with both she and my baby.

so, my question is how?? how can i stop them from coming to our bed and how can i get my youngest to be more comfortable with my dh in the night?

thanks in advance!

[zensven42]

I'm not sure if you have room now, but if you are planning on moving maybe it would work to have their bed in your room. That way they are near to you, but have their own space to sleep.

[mcs]

right now, they are in an adjoining room- with just a curtain for a door, but i want them to become a little more independent, not to move them closer. plus, i think that they will need a more quiet space- nights with a newborn are so often full of action. this is another worry i have... b/c of the adjoing room....

but, i talked to them earlier this week and just said "none of us are getting enough sleep b/c we have too many people in the bed. we are all tired every morning and it makes us grumpy. so, i need you girls to cuddle with each other when you wake up and not come first thing to us. if you feel afraid of something, call for us and then we will come ever here....." So, it has worked- a little. my younger dd is still coming over, but i have been trying to give her a little less attention when she comes so that she gets used to not being my sole care in the night. but, my older dd has taken it pretty seriously and just calls out "lulu??" when she wakes and finds her sister gone or "mama papa? i feel scared."  This works out pretty well, b/c i can handle one and a baby in our bed. and, of the two, she is a much less wild sleeper- her feet tend to stay where the feet should go- lol.

but, i would still love to hear how others work this problem out. any one else?

[porcelina]

Just wanted to say that this was a concern of mine with DS1 who was used to having me at night, when I was pregnant with DS2. I tried to get him into his own room, but he did not take to it well because he was used to having me there. So, I figured, we'll just work it out. Well, now with DS2 here (7 weeks) it is definitely a problem. He wants me to comfort him when I have to be with the baby, and I just can't. It has led to hours of screaming. I'm sure your girls are different, but just wanted to encourage you to get an answer while you're still pregnant so that your worst fears about nighttime craziness won't come true! (mine did)