"Welcome to the world of sleep deprivation".
That's what one of our lovely friends (a mum of two boys) wrote on our congratulations card on the birth of Ollie. I remember reading it and laughing.
What a thing to write? It won't be that bad for us. We're organised. We've got the whole sleep situation sorted. Silly me...
I hadn't given it a second thought in pregnancy. We just did what everyone else does. Moses basket in the bedroom, cot bed in the nursery.
But the nights are challenge. Some weeks are better than others, but there were days that I felt truly exhausted after continuous disturbed sleep.
My back ached from lifting Ollie in and out of his Moses basket trying not to wake him. I sat at the side of the bed nursing him, trying hard not to fall asleep. Ridiculously, on the nights he did eventually sleep for a longer stretch, I found myself getting out of bed to peer into his crib, checking on him. I just wanted to see him, to hear him breathing and to know that he was safe and sound.
Ollie didn't sleep all that well in his Moses basket either. It turns out that many babies, mine included, rest much much better when they are close to their mummy. From the moment they enter the world, they need us. They need our smell, our touch, our warmth. That's where they feel safest. He would regularly start to cry as I walked away from the basket.
And it's not just the babies who like to be close. I completely underestimated the bond I would feel to Ollie. Until you're a mum, it's hard to comprehend. All those hours spent staring at him sleeping, just watching him dream.
I longed to bring Ollie into bed with us. I could nurse him laying down, keep a close eye on him. But Co-sleeping or bed-sharing is not recommended by Lullaby Trust due to the increased risk of SIDS. We tried hard to help Ollie settle in his crib next to us, but 4 months in, we were still challenged.
You wouldn't believe my excitement when I was asked to review SnuzPod, a "3 in 1 bedside crib that provides a safe alternative to bed sharing". I was praying that this would be the answer to my sleepless nights, it didn't disappoint.
The SnuzPod is a beautiful quality piece of furniture. Sturdy and strong. It took about 40minutes to build.
We went for white to match our bedroom furniture, but it's available in 4 neutral colours.
The sides are soft breathable canvas so there's no knocking and banging when Ollie is waving his arms about during the night. I love the mesh panel too, you can see straight into the crib without having to stand up and peer in. It's very reassuring.
We were given the SnuzPod when Ollie was 4months old. He's now almost 6months and we're still using it. It measures 42cm/100cm, so It's substantially bigger than our Moses basket which only lasted a disappointing 11 weeks before Ollie was too tall for it.
It's small enough to use from birth, as it's not as overwhelmingly large as a crib would be for a newborn baby, but great to know you won't be buying another medium sized crib before your baby moves on to his own room.
Formerly part of The Little Green Sheep family, the SnuzPod is low in VOC's and is formaldehyde emission free. It's great to know that Ollie isn't going to come across any nasty chemicals.
I love that there's a little storage shelf at the bottom for storing Muslins and books.
The SnuzPod can be used in three ways. As a free standing crib, as a bassinet or attached to the side of your own bed.
The bassinet lifts off the stand really easily. It's sturdy, but lightweight enough to carry downstairs for nap time during the day.
When the crib is freestanding you can gently rock it. Ollie loved being rocked when he was tiny. This would be perfect for a newborn. The free standing crib would also be a great way to transition your baby into their own room. It would be quite a shock to move straight from sleeping next to mummy every night to a big cot alone in a room. The stand alone could be used make that transition smoother.
While the SnuzPod has 3 functions, we've mainly been using it as a bedside crib. This is what really makes the difference. It allows you to sleep next to your baby, with the reassurance that they are safe in their own sleeping space, as advised by The Lullaby Trust.
You can attach the SnuzPod directly to the bed with hidden white straps. The side of the Crib quietly unzip and you can zip back up between feeds.
We have a bedstead rather than a divan, so there's a very small gap between the bed and the cot, but I just roll up a cellular blanket to make it smooth.
Ollie wakes noticeably less and settles down much faster since we began using it.
Nursing him in the night is so much easier. I just gently pull him towards me and feed him laying down. Then slide him back onto his SnuzPod. There's no lifting or lowering, I don't even sit up. The lower back pain I've had since pregnancy has now completely gone.
Those early weeks of breast feeding are the toughest, it's why many women choose not to continue. If breastfeeding is important to you then this will undoubtably help to make those early days more comfortable.
The best thing for me however, is the closeness you get from the SnuzPod. Sleeping face to face, hearing him breathing is one of the most wonderful and precious feelings in the world.
These newborn days whizz by so quickly, and the moments spent watching him sleep, a hand on his chest hearing his little heart beating. Nothing compares to that.
Of course, it's no miracle cure for sleepless nights, but the difference is remarkable. I'm completely sold! If we are lucky enough to be blessed with another baby, we will definitely be using the SnuzPod from day one.
I just wish we'd skipped the £300 spent on the Moses basket, separate crib (and all the accessories) and gone straight for the SnuzPod originally. I'll be sharing that with all my new-mummy friends from now on!