The Realities Of Co-Sleeping

Even with a bloodied lip, I still wouldn't trade our co-sleeping ways. Even with 10% of the bed, I wouldn't give this up. Because she needs it. She needs the connection that kicking mommy in the face at 3am brings. She needs to know that it is mommy's bloodied lip that she is laying next to.
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We've all seen the perfect co-sleeping stories, right?

The bedding is top-quality Egyptian cotton... and totally bleach-clean white.

There are often fairy lights hanging delicately from the wall.

There is usually some sort of Ikea hack involved... to allow amazing functionality and plenty of space.

There is occasionally a bespoke storage system in place... perhaps with a handmade headboard, on which the family's initials have been lovingly carved into the wood by delicate forest fairies...

These co-sleeping arrangements are all so very... perfect... seriously, just take a look:

Let me just be very real for a moment.

I woke last night -- somewhere between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. I would assume -- to a bloodied lip and a small foot triumphantly placed across my face.

Little Foot One, Mama's Face Nil.

My darling daughter, light of my life, beat of my heart... had kicked me (hard) in the mouth in her sleep.

Thanks for that, love.

It would seem that 90% of the bed was not sufficient for her little body....she needed that extra space that my face was so rudely taking up. And her sideways positioning didn't help matters, either.

2016-05-22-1463927809-7025340-12787299_10208743180606043_1728662623_o2.jpg

And yet even with a bloodied lip, I still wouldn't trade our co-sleeping ways.

Even with 10% of the bed, I wouldn't give this up.

Because she needs it. She needs the connection that kicking mommy in the face at 3am brings. She needs to know that it is mommy's bloodied lip that she is laying next to.

And in a strange way, I need it too.

Because -- for real -- this is the only way she will sleep. And when she is sleeping happily, I can sleep happily.

Everyone's a winner. Aside from my mouth... which is healing nicely, thanks for asking.

So there you have it -- an imperfectly perfect co-sleeping tale, to give a little roundness and context to those tales of pristine Egyptian cotton and faraway magical tree-house bedsteads.

You're welcome.

Mama Bean has created a free Sleep Relief email series that shifts our focus away from the idea of changing baby and towards the filling our mommy cups instead.

This post originally appeared on MamaBeanParenting.com.

Thank you to mama Sarah for allowing me to feature her picture in this piece. For more glimpses into real life motherhood, join the Mama Bean village on Facebook!

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