Co-sleeping is sure a controversial subject. Lots of blog posts here on adoption.com have been written about it, both pros and cons.

Here’s my own list:

Pro:

• It was necessary when K was a baby. She wouldn’t sleep at all, was sick a lot, and couldn’t sleep flat for a few months. Laying on my chest we helped her sleep.
  As a baby when she awoke, she was right there and didn’t have time to scream, waking up Daddy in the process of waiting for me to get to her.

• 
  I love snuggling up with K in the middle of the night.
  K is very attached to both of us. Sometimes she wants to sleep on my pillow, sometimes Daddys.

• K is secure.

• When she has a bad dream, or is sick, or calls out for me, I am right there and don’t have to get up.

• As a new mom I didn’t put a mirror under her nose to check if she was breathing. I could feel it.

Cons:

• She takes up half of our King size bed because she sleeps sideways. Our 80 pound lab mix takes up another quarter of the bed, and our cat takes up a smidgen. Hubby and I are squished really tight on one pillow on the edge of the bed clinging to each other so we won’t wake up as we fall out of bed.

• Last night, when I got up at 1:00 am to get some medicine for my cold, she awoke within a minute and I heard her call: Mommy, where are you? Where did you go?

• She doesn’t sleep by herself very well. This is a big drawback. When I’m up, she’s up. She never learned the very important skill of soothing herself back to sleep.

I have loved co-sleeping with K, and luckily, we was adopted before the state (national?) regulation of having foster children in their own rooms after eighteen months.

Part II coming soon: Some professionals opinions on co-sleeping.