A conundrum

I don't know what to do about this sleep situation with Ess. She's been sleeping in her crib, in her bedroom, for the last three months, and I've been getting up in the night to nurse her in the glider in her room, which is right next to ours. That has been manageable when she's up one to three times a night, but it's no longer feasible when she's waking five or six times (not to mention when I have a fever).

These days, she's still starting the night in her crib, then coming into our bed whenever I can't stand to get up anymore. Last night, that was at midnight. So for the rest of the night I didn't have to get out of bed to nurse her... nor did I get very much sleep. Because for all the nice things kellymom and other breastfeeding sites say about co-sleeping, it just does not work very well for us. D and I are both cramped and uncomfortable (particularly when Ess wedges herself into my armpit), and it takes me forever to go back to sleep once she's nursed. And that's another thing; while I am getting better at nursing on my side, it's never been particularly comfortable, in part because there's just not enough room in our queen-sized bed for me, Ess, D and a pillow under my back. As much as I'd like to invest in a king-sized bed, it's not feasible financially -- nor could we get it up the steep, narrow stairs in our house. And, lastly, I think co-sleeping doesn't work well for us because it encourages Ess to wake and nurse more often than she would if she were sleeping alone.

Lastly (for real this time), I really treasure the room in my bed, the child-free space, the ability to read before I fall asleep and to talk to D late at night. I don't want to give that up again.

So I am at a loss about what to do. The answer may be to do nothing, since presumably I will start feeling better in a few days and eventually Ess will return to her normal sleep habits (she says hopefully). In the meantime, though, I'm curious if you guys have any ideas.