Earplugs - Check! What other tips for the super light sleeping/uber-responsive mom? I need...

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I am co-sleeping with my 4 month old daughter.  We also co-slept with your 9 year old for many, many years.  I am a very, very light sleeper and tend to be aware of all my child's squirms and noises in the night.  I think in an effort to have the child stay asleep I tend to respond to the child all night long, usually by nursing.  What happened with my first child and what I'm seeing beginning with my second is a growing dependency on me to respond during light sleep/arousal phases of sleep.  

I would LOVE some suggestions on how to limit how often I am responding throughout the night.  I in no way want to limit how much food child child needs/wants in the night but I would greatly prefer for her to eat 3 or 4 times (perhaps even less...dare I dream?) rather than on and off the breast 50 times/night.  

I used earplugs last night, which were helpful with DC#1.  What other tips, suggestions, words of encouragement do you wise mamas have for me?  

Thank you!  

[mkksmom]

I was the same way, very alert when my LO was in bed with me to the point where I did not sleep hardly at all. What ended up working best for us was to put her in a crib which I put at arms reach next to my bed. I then could sometimes just rub her back or lay my hand on her, and she was far enough away that I could block out the wiggling without worrying about rolling on her. I knew she was safe, but I also had her right next to me. It was the best compromise for me. Funny because I thought the co-sleeper would be the best and it turned out that the crib worked better for us. She kept smushing her face against the side of the cosleeper, and I worried about rebreathing.