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01-21-2013 at 9:04 PM
Justtee33
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3 week old sleeps best on stomach...help!

So, after a fussy day, we put our 3 week old on his stomach and he wonderfully and magically fell asleep so soundly that we were dancing with joy. Then we stopped dancing for joy and checked on him constantly (I mean constantly!) to make sure he was breathing and started googling SIDS. So while we were thrilled with his sleep, we were terrified at the same time. 

Baby sleeps generally in his rock n play or pack and play crib. Sometimes we put him on our firm, blanklet-less and pillow-less mattress for naps during the day when we're awake and around. But I'm finding that he startles and wakes himself so easily and quickly when on his back. Also, at night when he wakes himself, I put him on my chest and we fall asleep after I nurse him, while I'm sitting propped up. He's getting used to the stomach thing. And so am I because it gives me a moment to sleep! 

 What to do!!?? I worked in daycares with infants from the time I was 16 until after college and we put all the babies on their bellies without thinking twice and they were all fine. Now I know we know more/different know in regards to SIDS and we should be careful now that we know but is stomach sleeping THAT bad or wrong? 

Any ideas on how to transition him to sleeping on his back? Do you think it's ok to tummy sleep for naps when I'm alert and around? Any positive helpful support is welcome :) Thanks! 


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01-21-2013 at 9:22 PM
heymommy
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Congrats of finding this out now! If that is what he like let him sleep that way. Just keep the room cooler, fan going and dress him lighter that normal. My LO has been sleeping in her tummy since she was 5 weeks old ( with out me standing over her). Tummy sleeping does not " cause" SIDS.

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01-21-2013 at 9:40 PM
zeinas
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My son was like this when he was born, and it does cause sids!!! While your LO may enjoy sleeping on his belly, it may cause enough pressure on his chest which may cause him to stop breathing, this is the answer I got from my pedi. This is the exact reason why we stopped stomach sleeping. Imagine you left him to sleep like that all night, and he stopped breathing, how would you know? It freaked me out as well and it changed my whole perspective cause I never figured it was an issue.

If your comfortable letting him sleep that way than go ahead! But for our LO we  raised the mattress 30 degrees and just let him sleep on his back, sure his arms were flailing all night long and he kept startling himself, but he got use to sleeping on his back after 3 to 4 nights. Now he sleeps through the night on his back and his arm movements have decreased drastically and no longer wake him up!

 

 
01-21-2013 at 9:43 PM
brachysira
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Have you tried swaddling?  This is cozy like stomach sleeping and really calms my LO.  I like the halo newborn fleece sack/wraps.
 
01-21-2013 at 10:16 PM
Kemare20
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I personally would NEVER do something that increased the risk of my son dying. SIDS has decreased 50% since the back to sleep campaign. Sleeping on his back is safest.

When we got pregnant, we signed up for the sleepless nights. This time will be gone before you know it. 

 Those that have lost their baby to SIDS due to putting their baby to sleep on their belly would give anything in the WORLD to have their babies back and waking up with them every 1-3 hours.

Please don't be selfish and do what is safest for your baby.

 


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01-22-2013 at 12:15 AM
AmyG*
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yeah sleeping on tummy at 3 weeks I would not do it at all.

when they sleep on their tummy, they sleep deeper, partly due to not being able to inflate their immature lungs as easily/as deeply.  so they breathe more shallower.  deep sleep in a young baby is dangerous, that is why sleeping on back, pacifier use, cosleeping with mom in the same room as baby are all recommended for they tend to keep baby in a lighter sleep


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01-22-2013 at 12:45 AM
Justtee33
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Yeah, I know the facts and statistics about stomach sleeping and SIDS. I was looking for ideas on transitioning back to back sleeping and other positive, helpful ideas for this difficult moment. So thank you, Brachysira, we actually pulled out the swaddleme again tonight. Baby wasn't feeling it last week but we're gonna pull through the night with it tonight. He's sleeping happily in his rock n play right now. Hopefully for more than 30 minutes :)

Heymommy, I do agree with you that stomach sleeping "causes" SIDS. I read so much about SIDS last night and the first thing they say is that no one knows the actual cause. What scared me the most was not stomach sleeping. It was the possibility that any baby, even a back sleeping back, can have an under-developed swallowing ability, causing choking. So, that could happen even if you think you're the perfect back sleeper! Crazy. 

Oh...guess who's waking up! :)  


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01-22-2013 at 6:30 AM
Tennis Chi...
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Not worth risking my child dying over getting a couple extra hours of sleep...but that's me. While the exact cause of SIDS is still unknown the fact of the significant drop in SIDS deaths when the 'back is best' campaign came out shows a definite correlation. 
That being said, if you've tried swaddling, white noise, putting a t-shirt next to LO when sleeping and none of it works...you may just have a crappy sleeper. This phase will pass so hang in there.

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01-22-2013 at 10:49 AM
mandapie
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I didn't put LO on his back at night but for sure I did for him to nap during the day so he would sleep better at night. It was right around the 3wk mark where it worked for us. He did eventually outgrow it though and now he won't stay asleep at all on his belly. I say for a time where you can watch him it's fine, but I'm personally to nervous to do it at night. It will also help with the back of his head getting a flat spot which my DS2 started to get by the time he was 1mo and has since gone away.

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01-22-2013 at 11:03 AM
Stillharbo...
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We had the same problem.  Because LO was in the NICU, she got used to sleeping on her stomach too.  The swaddler saved us.  Wrap LO up nice and tight, and she's OUT!
 
01-22-2013 at 11:45 AM
Justtee33
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Well we had a pretty good night with the swaddling. But first, for clarity, we never let baby sleep on his tummy at night, ever! Only once or twice during the day when someone was basically sitting right next to him. Way too scared to leave him unattended AND stomach sleeping! So I tried our swaddle me but he breaks out of it while crying. Finally, I tried to recreate the wonderful hospital swaddle with a blanket. He cried, it took a lot of pulling and shushing but he quieted down and we laid him down for the night. He slept for 2 hours which is perfect. Then he woke up, nursed and was swaddled again. He fussed but much less and slept for 3 hours. So...I guess I just needed to go back to swaddling after a few weeks of him just not liking it. Lesson: when all else fails, start at the beginning : Thanks for your ideas!

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01-22-2013 at 12:27 PM
browneyedj...
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HI! I'd like to first point out that my generation, those born in the 80's, all slept on our tummies and there's still a crap load of us around. Second, if you dive into the reseach on SIDS, they believe that babies who die of SIDS are predispositioned to from the begining. It has something to do with certain baby's brains, not being able to tell the baby it can't breath and to move it's head. Third, I'd like to point out that while yes SIDS death as dropped dramatically since the back to sleep campaign, there no place you can get the statistics for known reasons of infant death (I've tried they ignore you once you ask for that bit of info), that being said my question is do just as many babies die each year, but that since we have the technology and more knowledge thay are able to label them more specifically than just SIDS? And last my daughter is the same way, I'm not convinved that sleeping on her tummy is right or wrong, but I only let her take naps on her tummy when I am able to check every few minutes. What I have found that worked for us is, when she was a new born, I would put her in her bouncer after eating, here she slept great. I know you're not supposed to leave them in there, but laying flat on her back she would wake and sream every few minutes, and raising the bed just made her slide down. Now shes three months, I put her on her tummy on a boppy after she eats, this helps strenghthen her neck muscles anyway and laying on your stomach helps with digestion, once she starts to fuss, I turn her over and let her get sleepy then I take the bobby away and she'll sleep fine on her back. Also, at bedtime after her last feeding, I lay her on her stomach until she falls asleep and then I roll her to her back. This has been working very well as she is sleeping about 8 hours a night!! So point is you are MOM, you know what's best for your baby, don't ignore advice but find what works for you. You'll know if something isn't right if you listen to your mommy instincts, and also if you have a good pediatrician, they will help you find sleep solutions rather than just saying what the poster on the wall says.
 
01-22-2013 at 12:48 PM
Tennis Chi...
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browneyedjerserygirl:
HI! I'd like to first point out that my generation, those born in the 80's, all slept on our tummies and there's still a crap load of us around. Second, if you dive into the reseach on SIDS, they believe that babies who die of SIDS are predispositioned to from the begining.


Yeah...the "well I'm still alive and I slept on my stomach" is the weakest argument there is. It's like saying my grandpa never wore a seat beat and he's still alive so why would I? 

OP: This is a direct quote from the SIDS website: belly-sleep has up to 12.9 times the risk of death as back-sleep*. 
No one can make the decision for you, the information about other techniques (which it sounds like swaddling might be it for you) to help babies sleep is out there. It's ultimately up to you to ask questions and do your own research.

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01-22-2013 at 12:48 PM
Tennis Chi...
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browneyedjerserygirl:
HI! I'd like to first point out that my generation, those born in the 80's, all slept on our tummies and there's still a crap load of us around. Second, if you dive into the reseach on SIDS, they believe that babies who die of SIDS are predispositioned to from the begining.


Yeah...the "well I'm still alive and I slept on my stomach" is the weakest argument there is. It's like saying my grandpa never wore a seat beat and he's still alive so why would I? 

OP: This is a direct quote from the SIDS website: belly-sleep has up to 12.9 times the risk of death as back-sleep*. 
No one can make the decision for you, the information about other techniques (which it sounds like swaddling might be it for you) to help babies sleep is out there. It's ultimately up to you to ask questions and do your own research.

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01-22-2013 at 2:23 PM
divajackie...
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When you really dive into SIDs statistics you basically find out that there is a .01% chance of your baby dying from SIDs while back sleeping and .02% chance while tummy sleeping. Most SIDS studies use an odds ratio calculation that can easily overestimate the true risk, and is often confused with relative risk. There a few articles I found explaining this.

http://www.heracliteanriver.com/?p=97

In any case I don't think belly sleeping causes SIDs personally. The SIDs chance increases when babies are in a deep sleep and babies sleep deeper on their belly. 

I don't let my son sleep on his belly at night. He sleeps in a Rock N Play. During the day and he takes naps on his belly, but he is also always wearing a Snuza. I do not leave the room if he is sleeping on his belly. He also naps in a swing, on his back swaddled, and on my chest.  He sleeps lots of different ways even sometimes with me...which is also an increased SIDs risk. 

SIDs is really scary. Even with the Snuza I don't feel comfortable letting him sleep on his belly at night and I probably never well until he can roll and I can't stop him.  


 


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01-22-2013 at 3:02 PM
Justtee33
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This was definitely a controversially topic! Im totally on the side of tummy sleeping isnt the "cause" of sids, that there are a variety of other factors and even those aren't definite causes. I'm super aware of the risks AND I've slept every child I've worked with and cared for on their belly until now, having my own. I won't tummy sleep unattended or overnight, but if baby is fussy and I've gone through everything, if tummy sleep works, it works! I posted hoping to find new ways of helping baby back sleep and thanks to those who gave ideas and not statistics : Anyway, I trust that we're all great mommies doing our best for our baby at all times...cause they are so cute, right! Thanks for the ideasnd

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01-22-2013 at 4:25 PM
AppleJacks...
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With DS three years ago, it was obvious he slept on his belly much better. I would let him do it in the pack and play during the day downstairs with us awake during the day, but not overnight. But, just like you op, during the night one of us would end up dozing off in the recliner with him laying on us. You just have to tough it out until they can roll themselves over on their bellies . 

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01-22-2013 at 4:39 PM
browneyedj...
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Umm...I didn't use the "well I'm still alive" argument. If you had read it the way it was written it was to point out the ratio to SIDS death and the amount of alive people in their late mid 20's to mid 30's. And the direct quote form the SIDS website comes from the American Academy of pediatrics. The same ones that tell you floride in infant water is good for them. Even though they have no teeth and flouride was used in Nazi concentration camps to subdue them. Why do you think the toothpaste tells you not to swollow it. They are also the ones that tell you all vacinations are safe, but forget to tell you the ingedients, and I'm not talking mercury=autisim, but chemicals like Formaldehyde. They tell you that these things are ok, but refuse to see a correlation in the amount of children with learning disabilities, ADD and ADHD. It's people like you, no offense please, that listen to whatever they read online. Statistics and research can be made to go anyway the researcher wants it to. I'm not saying that vaccinations haven't done any good, or that tummy is best, but what I was saying, of which you seem to have missed the point, as do the researchers at the American Academy of Peds is that ALL BABIES ARE DIFFERENT and should be treated as such. If the only way your little one can get a little relief is by sleeping on thier tummy and your there to watch him or her, why make baby suffer because you only believe what people are paid to tell you. And just keep this thought in mind when next time you or your little one goes to the doctors and they prescribe you something. The doctor only prescribes you something that has been sold to them by a pharm. rep and they only know what it's used to treat. I dare you to ask the doctor what the side affects are and what the interactions are and whatever else you want to know about the drug. They will only tell you what they have been told by the rep. My point? Don't believe and put complete faith in everything your told just because they hold a higher degree than you. Mothers need to trust thier instincts, and take in all the information and make the best decision for them and thier children. And a side note....babies that sleep in cribs with bumpers are also at an incresed risk for SIDS, yet last time I walked into a babies r' us the shelves were jam packed with crib bumpers. And as I pointed out in my last post babies who die of SIDS were already predispositioned to before they were even born. The problem is they can't yet identify the ones that have a higher risk so they make to same rule for everyone, but as humans we are all different. If you're going to do everything your "supposed" to by the book, babies should be put in a bubble until they are old enough to walk and talk.
 
01-22-2013 at 7:58 PM
bjlucas1
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I have an add-on question. Is it okay for my baby to sleep on her belly on top of me after eating when I am sitting semi-upright? Perhaps for up to an hour? How about on her belly, with head turned, across my lap for up to an hour? Thanks! 

 
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