bed rails and co-sleepers, anyone?

[chrysalis]

has anyone ever used those bed bugz side rail thingys? how do they attach??? i want to be able to sleep on this queen size bed in between my 2 kiddos when baby comes. it is not against a wall, just in the middle of our living room (its a murphy bed, regular box spring/mattress on a metal frame). or do u know of any cuter looking bed rails???

also, besides the arms reach, are there any other co-sleeper options?

i am realizing i am soooooo not ready for this upcoming birth. and now with not knowing if oregon health plan will cover the birth center w/ a lic. mw, i may have to go to the hospital which reallllllllllly stresses me out BIG TIME, you can say i'm a little freaking out here. hospital birthing has my head spinning like ok what do i need to know as far as my rights...........i don't HAVE to have an IV, right? i don't HAVE to give my baby to the nursery people (i refused w/ megh.......) and i don't HAVE to let them bathe my son.......or give PKU or any of those things....ugh this is too much to think about. i'm so stressed out from all that's been going on this pg.:

[Googy]

We did buy bedrails for our bed. We never had them with DD, but now DH is really paranoid about the baby rolling off one of our chests or things getting too squishy with the 2 girls in bed with us at least some of the time. We got these:
http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/...mSource=Search
The are the biggest ones on the market, so I felt confident that they would work for our queen-size bed. They fold down too, to make making the bed easier.

The Arm's Reach is the only co-sleeper that I am aware of, but you can also do a snuggle nest (http://www.amazon.com/Deluxe-Snuggle.../dp/B0001Y9VN2) or just pull a crib or pack-and-play right up to the side of your bed--whatever makes you most comfortable.

As for the hospital birth, you can relax! First of all, you do NOT have to have an IV or put baby in the nursery. The only time an IV is required is if you become seriously dehydrated or if you get an epidural. And the nursery is there is YOU want to put the baby in it, but you do not have to. DD roomed in with us the whole time, even after I had a c-section. You can sign waivers to cancel any of the tests/procedures that make you uncomfortable (though this is easier to do in some states than others--I know NY makes things really difficult). If you are strong in your convictions, no one in the hospital cam make you do anything. YOU are the patient--you make decisions about what happens to you and your baby. I would check with your friend's doctor and with your doula friend to confirm, but I doubt that you will have a problem in Oregon--they tend to be pretty progressive in the northwest.

[bloomingmomma]

I live in Oregon and I'm pretty sure you do NOT have to birth in a hospital and can choose any midwife under OHP. You can birth at home or in a birth center.

And like Googy said you can refuse hospital procedures, but having an advocate with you would probably make that easier to do- since you might be tired or otherwise out of it when the time comes to state your wishes.

[pixiesmommy]

I bought a nursing nest to add a little protection at first for DH's sake. He was worried about rolling over. He is not much of a tosser and turner though, and pretty much stays put once he's asleep (which takes him all of 3 seconds to do!)

I plan to get a http://www.humanityinfantandherbal.c...familybed.html as soon as we can afford it. I like the fact that it has a waterproof pad attached and there is not a crack that you have to worry about. It's expensive, but I've read if you shop around you can sometimes get cheap shipping at certain sites.

With Pixie, I started her out in the co-sleeper, but that didn't work for us- she wanted to be right up against my body/chest all night, so this time I'm using it downstairs as a changing table. She has her own room now since she was 5 yrs old, but I'll allow her to co-sleep on weekends again now if she asks (I don't plan to offer, but we'll cross that bridge....) I didn't have a rail or anything for her (I was a single Mommy then) until she started really rolling and then I had a cheap-o wooden thing from Walmart or something on the one side, and me and the co-sleeper on the other side (I kept the co-sleeper up to use kind of as my night table )

If you look in the co-sleeping forum, they have lots of ideas of how to side-car a crib to your bed if that would be easier for you. I know sometimes a crib is easier to get than a co-sleeper or something. You should join freecycle for your area. You can do a search on Yahoo. Just make sure you check out the stuff before using it and make sure it's safe (inspect it and then google it to make sure it's not recalled.)

Glad you're doing okay. Don't stress too much about the hospital. I had a decent hospital birth with Pixie in a very "non-progressive" birthing state, and am hospital birthing again. Your doula should be able to help you write a birth plan and advocate for you and to also tell you which hospitals are best.

Manda

[AimeeandBrian]

I have an Arms Reach and a snuggle nest. Right now the snuggle nest is in the Arms Reach as a body positioner.

[chrysalis]

thank you mamas! the humanity family bed was what i had in mind...i couldn't remember the name... do you know if it at all takes up any of the bed space? seems like it does although not as much as would a pillow like i always have on one of my sides now...once baby is out of my belly though i'll be much more able to sleep easier in whtever position! i will get one of these humanity family beds...