When you read about co-sleeping, most articles touch on how bed sharing affects the bond between a mother and her baby. But what is rarely mentioned are the ways co-sleeping affects your marriage, even though there are many possibilities. Depending on the way your relationship works, bringing a baby into or near your bed each night can cause both stresses and successes in your relationship. Although I imagine for most people who make this choice, experiencing a little bit of both is to be expected. (At least that's how it played out in my experience when the littles were snoozing by my side.)
In order to enter into co-sleeping with any chance of being successful, both spouses should agree and commit to the arrangement, according to Pregnancy and Baby. Being on the same page will help you avoid some of the downsides to co-sleeping that can often cause riffs in the marriage. It's also important to remember that everyone has a bad night, so when those come around every once in a while don't be too hard on yourself or your spouse. But if the bad nights start to eclipse the good ones, it may be time to take a look at how this arrangement is taking a toll on your relationship.
To find out what co-sleeping can really look like in everyday life, take a look at these nine ways having a baby in the bed affects your marriage and decide if a family bed is right for you.