[Santosha]

My baby girl is almost 3 weeks old and until last night has been the sleepiest baby known to womankind to the point that I was waking her for feeds! I believe this was thanks to her prematurity (5 weeks early) and now that she has reached 'term' and is getting stronger, she has found her voice!! I've had cuddles in bed with her but have always put her back in her cradle next to the bed before I go to sleep for fear that I might smother her.

Last night she was really unsettled - had wind pains that finally resolved in spectacular style after about 4 hours of writhing! All I wanted to do was take her into bed with me where i could comfort her and keep her warm enough that she could be free of her blankets and therefore wriggle her legs around to help sort out the wind issue. Just being close calmed her instantly and even though she continued to wriggle, she stopped screaming.

But here's the problem. I couldn't relax and let myself fall asleep. I've read enough on co-sleeping now that I know that I'm unlikely to roll on her and that her risk of being smothered is remote (I don't smoke or drink) but I'm still terrified that I'll wake to a suffocated baby. Now I'm absolutely knackered as of course, I couldn't bear putting her back and having her cry.

I'm really keen to co-sleep. It makes sense to me. It feels right. But I'm scared. Can those of you who've successfully co-slept with infants tell me EXACTLY how you do it?

- how close is baby to you - against your body or a few inches away?
- do you always sleep facing them - if so, what if you want to roll over and face the other way? (I sleep on my side but tend to toss and turn quite a bit)
- what level is baby's face - level with your face, or closer to your chest. Where is your pillow positioned?
- what kind of bedding do you have? How do you ensure that it doesn't cover baby's face?
- how do you make sure that baby doesn't roll out of bed?

TIA ladies.
oxoxo a slightly anxious but blissfully enjoying new mummyhood,