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11 Week Old Baby Won't Sleep on Her Back

I am a first time mom of an 11 week old baby girl. Right after birth my family came up to help out and when my mother took her shift at night she put the baby on her tummy to sleep because she slept better and that's how I had slept. She watched her almost every night for 2 weeks so that I could recuperate. I really appreciate all that she did to help, but now I have a child that has been sleeping on her tummy since birth and when she is put on her back to sleep, she will either wake up immediately, or she will only sleep for about 20 minutes. I know that it is my fault that I continued to let her sleep like that, but with my husband away for 5 days at a time, I was desperate for sleep. The last 3 times that she was put down on her back she spit-up and choked on it, and now I'm afraid to put her to sleep on her back. She has not had any problems with sleeping on her tummy as she has great head control, however, I haven't gotten any great sleep because I am constantly getting up to check on her because of everything I have heard about SIDS. I will say that she definitely sleeps well on her tummy, since she is only 11 weeks and is sleeping for a 7 hour stretch at night and then a 4 hour stretch. I just am not sure whether to let her continue sleeping like this or to try and get her to sleep on her back since she is starting to roll over now. Any advice anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated.

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Alisha,

I know you need some sleep, I have four kids myself, but I would just never put her down on her tummy. No one wants to live with the "what if's" should something unthinkable happen. And as you know, you can't sleep well knowing she is on her tummy anyway. Do you have a carseat/carrier? Get her all ready for bed and put her in the seat, tuck a blanket around her and put the whole thing into the crib. My kids always slept great this way and it helps with the spitting up to. My pediatrician also says this is fine to do.

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Here are few things to think about.

-Let her fall asleep that way then once settled (20 min or so) gently turn her over. Have you ever noticed how once babies are in a deep sleep they can be moved? She will begin getting use to sleeping on her back.

-Checking on her constantly is more disruptive to her sleep then you might think it is, so try to retrain her sleeping position so you can stop this habit soon.

-You may consider elevating the head of her crib mattress slightly by propping feet of her crib up on that end. That way she is not laying completely flat on her back, this may help with her spiting up.

-Eventually she may begin rolling herself onto her stomach on her own if you place her on her back to sleep. Once she does this on her own...it is fine to leave her that way. IF you can retrain her to be a back sleeper before that it would be better, but you don't have to force her if she does it on her own.

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SOme of my kids were born when you layed them on their tummy's and then the other half was when they were to be layed on their backs. I don't know which way is "right" except I let those who liked their tummy sleep on their tummy, and those who liked their back sleep on their back. And a few really liked the wedge so they can stay on their sides, and to this day that is still how they sleep. I don't really have any advice accept to say do what works for you and your baby and take lots of naps, the dishes and laundry aren't going to attack you if they don't get done. :)

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My younger son hated sleeping on his back and I tried those foam wedges which allowed him to sleep on his side. They worked great!

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We let our first sleep elevated. It did very little to help with his spitting up. We let our second sleep with the wedges and that worked very well. Your daughter will spit up less on her left side. Remember pregnancy heartburn? You can both elevate and side sleep, but we found the wedges did the best for that. Also, the second one got great sleep that way. He still has never slept on his back at 18 months. Congratulations! Enjoy that little one.

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