Do you tell your pediatrician you’re bedsharing ?

@creator123 This is what happened to me at my daughters 12 m appt. She’s 19 months now. I love our ped but at the 12 m appt she literally told us to get ear plugs and let her CIO in her crib when she wakes up for milk, to cut out bottles(and to throw them all away) to this day she still drinks bottles and wakes up at night, every night. Her dad and I just got in the car and I was like I’m not doing that and he said agreed we will not be buying ear plugs 🫣
 
@person47 With my first my pediatrician asked, and then proceeded to lecture us while I cried. The next time she asked I told the lie “we have a bassinet” (we were not using it). With my second I had switched pediatricians (this was the first of many reasons I did not like her) and the new pediatrician did not ask once about sleeping arrangements.
 
@sammypants thinking about switching mine. so sorry that was your experience. crazy scary how normal it for mothers to be shamed especially by professionals for doing what’s in our nature (being close to our babies and comforting them).
 
@person47 The comments are wild. I can’t believe there are cases where you can get reported to CPS for cosleeping (unless you’re like, on a sofa, medicated, or drinking, etc. as well).

I live in Japan and it’s totally normal here and my pediatrician has never asked anyway. We have a bunch of forms to fill out regularly for checkups and such, and they ask about all sorts of things (parents drinking/smoking, breastfeeding/formula use, how much your baby is eating, etc), but not about the sleeping situation so far (or at least that I can remember, maybe one of the first three months where cosleeping isn’t recommended here either they asked, but my baby still tolerated his bassinet then).
 
@person47 Nope. LO is 6.5 months and we've lied at every check up. At his 6th month appointment, the pediatrician asked me if he still nurses in the middle of the night and I said yes. She said to wean him off it and that he should learn to self-soothe. I was shocked to hear that and am generally non-confrontational so I just nodded.

When I go in the car, I told my husband we're not weaning off night feeds and he was on the same page.

In the last week or so, my LO feeds less often at night and has slept longer stretches and I didn't change anything.
 
@person47 I do. I won’t lie to my ped office. When I said we co-sleep, I saw the doctor clearly to try to mask a response, so I started taking about the safe sleep 7 from LLL. I think the ped was pleasantly surprised and seemed much more comfortable with it, though she didn’t say anything.
 
@person47 Mine has never asked about where the baby sleeps, but i’m 100% up front and unapologetic. I think it’s important to bring awareness and make it a mainstream thing 🤷🏻‍♀️ However, my ped is also an IBCLC and it’s a pretty crunchy practice. I’ve been up front from day 1 that we aren’t interested in sleep training or night weaning and tht we would be EBF on demand, day or night, until baby chooses to stop.
 
@person47 Nope. Back when baby was still using her sidecar bassinet, the pediatrician gave me shit even for that. So I don’t dare mention that we bedshare now, even though we have a different pediatrician now. I just smile and nod and go along with their “safe sleep” rhetoric
 
@person47 I’ve lied every time and will continue to do so. I don’t like bedsharing, I’d love it if my babies slept in their own cribs/bassinets, but they haven’t and I doubt the next one will. No amount of lecturing will change it so it’s not worth sitting through that again.
 
@person47 I do. His chart always has a note that says “discussed safe sleep” or something like that but she never actually pushes back or says anything other than “ok!”
 
@person47 Mines 10 months old and in the beginning we tried to have her sleep on her own. It was terrible and I never slept but I spoke to them about the effort. As time went on and became official cosleepers I’ve never mentioned it to them. I’m always like yup her sleep is improving.
 
@person47 I do. I just got a nod and they moved on.

Tbh I just wanted to be honest, but after reading some other people’s experiences that some doctors will report them to cps, I probably never would have. That sounds terrifying. Glad my doctor seemed relatively chill about it!
 
@person47 At the 1 year shots the nurse asked me how sleep was and I said horrible, be wakes constantly and she handed me a pamphlet about bedsharing and the safe sleep 7. Toom one look and said, yea we already do that it's not helping lol.

When we go for our well checks with the doctor I'm always very open that we bedshare because I do believe it is something they should know. Especially when I talk about his sleep habits because then I can be very clear that I know for sure how he sleeps because I'm right there as well. My doctor doesn't care just reminds me about safe sleep 7 and moves on.

I think hiding it is fine, unless you have sleep issues that you're discussing with you doctor. Then they need to know everything. But remember what you do and don't tell you're doctor doesn't affect them it only affects you. If you don't want to tell them then w.e but I personally don't see the point in hiding it. There are other suggestions my doctor made that don't fit my parenting style and I just say "nah that's not for me Thanx" and move on.
 
@person47 I have 3 kids who have all co slept to some extent. Especially my third who is 15 months and sleeping next to me now. I don’t recall our doctor ever specifically asking. But I have that we do while explaining other things. Like I know he has an ear infection because he squirms and cries in his sleep. He has never batted an eye. Thankfully. If he did, it wouldn’t sway my decisions.
 
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