A weekly post about what I promised myself I wouldn’t do as a new mom, but found myself doing it
– Back to Sleep – Not happening
It is recommended that you put your baby on his/her back in an empty crib with just a sheet for them to go to sleep. They drill it into your head when you’re pregnant in all the classes, as well as when you’re still in the hospital before taking your baby home. I tried putting Lukas on his back from the very beginning, however it never worked or happened with out swaddling him. They don’t really tell you how the baby flails their limbs when they are first born. They have absolutely no control over them in the beginning. We had to swaddle Lukas a lot in the first month, to control his limbs. After the swaddling phase, due to his reflux, he spit up or had milk come through his nose whenever he was placed on his back. He woke up a lot throughout the night, especially during those first couple of month feedings.
Recently, we have been putting him on his stomach to sleep. He holds his head up very steady, and moves it from side to side, so I’m not as worried about suffocation. I know that its not the recommendation, but he falls right asleep and hardly has spit up issues. It is also recommended to not leave loose comforters or blankets in the bed with the baby. On those cold nights, I lay a cotton cloth over his legs and feet to keep him warm. When he starts waking up, he kicks the covers off and lets me know he is hungry or ready to wake up.
When he wakes up from sleeping on her stomach, he lifts his head up and lets out a cry to let me know he is awake. He even looks from side to side for me or someone to come get him. Sometimes when his nap runs into 2 hours I turn him on to his back, and he stretches out his arms and legs and then opens his eyes.
His crib is in our master bedroom so I watch him through out the night. I would never do anything to my baby that I thought was a bad idea. My husband I discussed it, and it seems to work for us. I read a lot of forums and it seems like a lot of moms have resorted to placing the baby to sleep on their stomach. I feel like a lot of what was taught to me while I was pregnant changes once your baby comes. The classes scare you in to believing that you have to do certain things or else your baby will die. There are many articles on SIDS and I have read them all. At the end of the day, as a mother, you know what is best and you have to do what is the best for your baby.
As a new mom, I don’t think the rules necessarily apply. There are certainly guidelines that should be followed, but its whatever works best for your baby and family. I think if you do decide to stomach sleep your baby, just watch them and make sure they are fine. It definitely makes me feel better.
Pumping While Typing 