Sleeping on Belly - East Brookfield,MA

First let me say that you have to go with YOUR gut sometimes as a mom. Let me also say that I am not telling you to do this but rather I am telling you what I did...some will disagree and that is ok but it worked for me! Both my kids were healthy with NO underlying conditions to consider. I have also included a few other observations.

When my son was born in late 1991 the big campaign was for babies to be on the belly so as to not choke if they were to spit up. My son always slept on his belly whether it was on my chest, in the bassinet, in the crib, or in the bed. Later after that they changed their minds due to SIDS...now every thing indicates a child should sleep on their backs. My daughter was born in 2006 and would not sleep on her back unless in my arms. She slept like an angel on her belly. My husband (first time dad) was extremely nervous the first few times but he got over it and we all slept better. Let me also tell you that neither of my kids had any problem w/ neck and muscle control (lifting their heads or sitting up).

My nephew slept (when he slept) on his stomach and had some issues and hated tummy time. My cousin's "grand child" has trouble lifting his head and hates tummy time. I have seen doctors recommend belly sleep for some babies due to specific health concerns.

My daughter would never sleep with me like I wanted her to. I co-slept with my first one for 3 months because it made breastfeeding easier. Well, my #2 wouldn't have it and she would never sleep on her back. I found that she would sleep just fine on her side and it was good too b/c she had reflux and would spit-up in her sleep. The back IS the safest, but sometimes babies are stubborn. Do what works best for you and your child. Just be safe about it.

The moment our daughter was laid on my tummy when she was born. I said her name out loud and she lifted her head and turned it towards me.

At 3 weeks our daughter started rolling to her tummy. I tried propping her, wedging her.. nothing helped. Our child always slept best on her tummy, so I let her sleep on her tummy. The bassinet was right next to me and I could hear her. I mentioned it to the doctor and he said if she is rolling over let her go for it.. At 6 weeks, she slept pretty much through the night.

I just felt she needed that sleep to grow and boy did she. She walked at 6 months no kidding..

Maybe when she naps you can keep an eye on her while she sleeps in the middle of the bassinet?

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Both of my children would only sleep on their stomachs.....I think with some kids that is the only way they will be comfortable. Both of my kids were great sleepers, too (sleeping 10 hours by 10 weeks old). Do what is best for YOU and YOUR CHILD and don't be bothered by what other people say!

when my son was born he had trouble with his lungs and he was in nicu for two weeks everytime i went in there to see him the nurses would swaddle him with him arms in the blanket just as they show you... well he would be crying when he was swaddled like that so i started swaddling him the same way but with his arms out of the blanket and his hands up by hid head, and he would go right to sleep... it may not be what she needs but anything when your this tired is worth a shot. good luck and as many other moms said.. trust your instics...
nballou

Hi,
I would continue to try and swaddle. My baby girl cried when she was swaddled in the begining too, but then she got used to it and loved that snug feeling, and it was reassuring for my husband and I knowing she was nice and snug and on her back, (safe). It's scary when they are on their belly esp. that young. I would just try to enstill laying on her back, until she is older. When she starts to roll over, then she will go on her back, but her head will be to her side. Until then, I would be careful. God forbid you fell asleep and something happened to your baby while sleeping on her belly. I would try and just keep putting her on her back. The fact is that SIDS does exist, and the rates have gone down quite substantially since laying our babies on their backs. Good luck to you!! =)

All three of my babies slept on their tummies. As long as your baby can lift her head to move out of the way of any spit up, then your baby should be OK. All of my girls could lift their heads straight out of the womb so they had no issues sleeping on their tummies. Do what works for you - tummy sleeping has been around for centuries!

I am sitting here nursing my fifth baby in the middle of the night who is 23 days old. When I am finished I will lay her in her crib on her tummy like I have with my other four who, incidentally are still alive and well. I have used the zip-up blankets so they can't accidentally cover their heads when they move around and no other bedding with them so there is no chance of suffocation. As far as "SIDS" goes we just think it is a fancy way of saying doctors have no idea what caused the babys death and think it has nothing to do with sleeping on tummies. People have put their babies to sleep on tummies FOREVER and there was never any marked number of babies dying for no reason in the middle of sleeping So that's my two cents-

It's a pricey suggestion (about $100), but they do have a monitor that also acts as an alarm. It's a mat that goes under the matress & an alarm will sound if the baby stops breathing. It also can act as a regular baby monitor. My son has fairly bad asthma and this help allievate my worrying when he chose to sleep in the bassinet & not in bed with me (which wasn't often lol). Anyway, you could let your daughter sleep on her stomach & not have to worry quite as much. They sell them at BabiesRUs. Good luck.

I agree with Lynn M. You have to trust your instincts as a mom.

Here is my experience...
I currently run an in-home daycare. I have cared for several children when they were infants (under 1yo). According to CO state law, childcare providers must put infants to sleep on their backs. I do that. I have NO problem doing that with other people's children. They go to sleep right away and have great naps.

My children, however, are another story. ;o) I have a 4yo son. When he was an infant we tried putting him on his back to sleep. He wouldn't do it. We finally gave in and let him sleep on his tummy. We checked on him all of the time and worried for a while. Finally we relaxed and just let him sleep and we got our sleep as well.

I also have a 3 mth old son. When we were pregnant for him, I was determined I would do it the "right way" this time. Well, he had a different plan. :o) He was like your daughter. He is a cuddler. He always wanted to be held. Slept great if he was right next to me, but terrible if I tried to put him down AT ALL! I saw a lactation consultant when he was about a week old and discussed this with her. She said, "Follow your gut!" This baby was inside of you, a part of you, next to you... for 9 mths, all of his existance so far. It is really hard for some babies to get used to being away from Mama at first.

So... I let him sleep with me. And he did great! We all got more sleep that way. Slowly I tried moving him out of my arms, eventually out of our bed, eventually out of our room. I didn't push anything but let him lead. By 3 weeks I could lay next to him sleeping without holding him and he would sleep well. By 5 weeks he was in a pack n play in our room. By 6 weeks he was sleeping 6 hours a night without waking. By 8 weeks was in his own crib in his own room sleeping 8 hours a night without waking. By 9 weeks he was sleeping on his own for 12 hours at a time! And, yes, he sleeps on his tummy. Yes, I know that is not what is recommended. But, yes, I feel comfortable with it. He has an angelcare monitor (with breathing sensor) on at all times. We check on him often. He has no medical conditions. He can hold his head up well and there is no smoking in our house at all.

I don't know why I don't seem to have any issues putting other children to sleep on their backs. My mother-in-law says all of the children in their family slept on their tummies. Maybe it just feels better to them for some reason.

Go with your gut. If she sleeps well, let her sleep.

I know you'll get a ton of answers saying that I did that with my kid and it worked, and I have no doubt that it's true. I also agree you do need some peace and some sleep yourself. But, I will just say that all the SIDS studies say that it is so much safer for them on their backs. I'm sure you knowa bout SIDS, but it wouldn't hurt to just read a few recent articles before you make your decision to go to the tummy. Personally, I would keep trying to get her to sleep on her back. She is only 2 weeks old. She is still wanting/needing that warmth, closeness, cuddling, which is probably why she wants to sleep with you and why she sleeps on her tummy, b/c it reminds of her of you and is warmer and cozier...but do you want to take the chance?

My kids didn't dig the swadle either. I did use sleep sacks from carter's. I like them the best b/c they are full sacks with arms. They are warm and cozy but aren't tight like the swaddle so my little ones could flail their arms around. Plus, both my kids were wigglers and they wiggled around the basinet and crib. In fact, neither of them were real happy in the basinet and I ended up putting them in their crib pretty early on.

I'm sure my thoughts will probably be in the minority, but I felt like I had to add them. Ultimately you need to do what you're comfortable with and I can't and wouldn't judge you for needing some sleep.

The only way I would do it is if you have an Angelcare Monitor.