How to wean a parent from co-sleeping?
We have been co-sleeping since my daughter was a newborn until last month when we finally converted a small room to be her room. She is 32 months old. She has her own Twin bed now. The problem is: I can't sleep without being next to her. I have always been a terrible sleeper - taking an hour or two laying there to fall asleep. When we had the baby, I couldn't sleep when we put her in the crib because I was paranoid not hearing her breathe even though she was in the same room. So we co-slept and my mind was at ease.
As a result I have become an incredibly light sleeper. I was never a deep sleeper to start but because of co-sleeping, the tiniest movements or sounds could wake me. Now when I try to sleep in the next room, I feel like I am just waiting for her to call me in the middle of the night and I go and sleep with her.
I wanted to go on an overnight with a girlfriend but I am afraid I won't be able to sleep and it will be a miserable trip. I feel like I need to get over this before I do that so I don't waste my money.
Other things to note: I am the primary person doing the bedtime routine but my husband does participate more on the weekends when he is home earlier to read her books. I am also pregnant so I won't take sleeping pills or the like.
I am training her to stay in her room for bedtime without me laying there now. But the problem is how will I sleep? Anybody else go through this? What did you do?
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To add to Rhea's answer:
There are special excersises for preagnant women. They are designed to be safe for both future mommy and her baby, are beneficial for your health (and therefore for your baby's health) and, which is why I'm writing this here, being moderately physically tired will help you go to sleep. You must watch out not to over exercise during first few sessions, at least until you know your capabilities.
You can also try some herbal teas. Melissa is safe when drunk in reasonable amounts. If in doubt, ask your doctor if you can drink one cup in the evening. It should help you soothe your mind and let you fall asleep more easily.
I will offer thoughts on my plan:
Just like my daughter, I think it just takes getting used to and I just need to practice. Also I think adults could benefit from a bedtime routine as well which I don't have. I also don't have a set wake up time so I would implement that as well as being conscious of other factors:
eating 3 hours before bed
doing a non-stimulating activity to wind down such as reading or yoga/meditation
setting a time restriction for the computer/phone
adding more exercise to my day
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