# Co-sleeping toddler, but may have c-section, anyone have experience?



## lovinmommahood (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi all,

I have been co-sleeping with our ds since he was 4 months old. He will be almost 3 years old when our second son is born. I am trying for a VBAC, but it is looking more and more like I might have a repeat c-section, so I want to try to be prepared either way. I am trying to get my ds to sleep alone, but he still needs me--he hangs onto my neck with both arms to fall asleep and still wakes through the night looking for me (even when I am right next to him). Does anyone have any experience co-sleeping and then having a c-section and still co-sleeping? Am I crazy to even think there is a way? Any advice either way would help greatly. I want the best for all my kids, my husband, and myself. I just am not sure how to achieve it all. Thanks for your advice!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

No experience with a c/s and co-sleeping. But one thing that helped me transition my oldest ds to his own bed was to get Dad to help with the nighttime parenting. We also put him on a full-sized mattress on the floor in our room so one of us could go sleep with him if he woke a lot (which helped a lot). We also let him pick out his own (Thomas and Wiggles) sheets which he thought was really neat. He eventually started refusing to sleep in our bed. And by the time my 2nd was born he was ok with Dad going in and snuggling to go back to sleep when he woke at night.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

I did it...it was fine...I just made sure I talked to me ds about my "owie belly" a lot! I also spent most of my time pointed at my dd so it was less of an issue...she wasn't long enough o kick my incision.


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## lovinmommahood (Apr 5, 2008)

Thanks! It helps to know others have been successful. How did you deal with the hospital stay? Was your son ok being without you? or did he sleep in the room with you?


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## tatermom (Jun 11, 2005)

I had a c/s and started sleeping with a pillow between my abdomen/ lower body and DS (actually I started this in late pregnancy because DS occasionally would kick me in the stomach in his sleep). DS did not mind the pillow because he could still cuddle above it and I felt *much* safer with the pillow between me and him.

As for the hospital stay, well, it sucked. It was a very hard week for our family, but we survived; DS stayed with a friend's family the first night when DH was in the hospital with me (his friend's mom was nice enough to cosleep with DS!) and the rest of the time he was with DH a lot, but he definitely felt anxious about having me in the hospital and it took another week (or two) before I felt reconnected with DS. There was no way that DS could have stayed overnight at our hospital, in fact it was hard for him to visit for more than an hour at a time because I had to share a room (there were a ton of babies born at the hospital at the end of July!) and the room was so tiny and I was so nervous about DS hurting me when he wanted to sit with/on me. It was just really tough... but part of that was that the c/s was unexpected and DS was still a bit too young (2.5 yrs) to really understand. Your DS should do better if your c/s is planned (at least as a possibility) and since he is older. Good luck! You'll figure it all out and in the long run it will all work out, I'm sure!


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