4 week old will only sleep on me!

[Shimpie]

Originally Posted by chillimom another thought - when she sleeps on you, she's on her tummy right? And I assume when you put her down it's on her back? Some babies just plain won't sleep on their backs. My DD only slept on my chest until 4 weeks old (when we gradually transitioned her to in bed beside me), just like you're describing, and, in hindsight, I think it was as much about being on her tummy as being on me. I know on the back is what is recommended, but, for me, with the one I'm growing right now, if she'll only sleep on her belly then belly it is. However, she'll be in the bassinet right beside me so I feel comfortable with that.

This was exactly DD's issue. She refused to sleep on her back.

[aimeelee76]

Originally Posted by chillimom another thought - when she sleeps on you, she's on her tummy right? And I assume when you put her down it's on her back? Some babies just plain won't sleep on their backs. My DD only slept on my chest until 4 weeks old (when we gradually transitioned her to in bed beside me), just like you're describing, and, in hindsight, I think it was as much about being on her tummy as being on me. I know on the back is what is recommended, but, for me, with the one I'm growing right now, if she'll only sleep on her belly then belly it is. However, she'll be in the bassinet right beside me so I feel comfortable with that.

Yep, when she sleeps on me, she's on her tummy, with her head just below my shoulder. And my mom has told me numerous times to just put her on her belly, but I'm really terrified of SIDS. When she was swaddled in our first week at home, she was always on her side, so maybe it's just that she refuses to sleep on her back. ARGH!! I feel like if I put her to sleep on her tummy, even if she's right next to me, I won't sleep a wink because I'll be obsessively listening to her breathing...but we have her one-month pediatric appointment coming up, so I'll definitely run this by her doctor and see what she says. If there's no loose bedding in her co-sleeper, and she sleeps with a pacifier in, and we have a fan going, maybe our risk of SIDS will be low enough that we can get away with putting her on her tummy to sleep. Am I a helicopter mom already?!?

[BSWmama]

If she's your first/only, I'd just hold her. I could not put my first son down at all for naps. I read a lot of issues of The New Yorker that had been piling up, but didn't get much housework or cooking done. He also did not really like to be swaddled, but we did end up letting him sleep on his belly from around 7 weeks on. Like you we were worried, but ridiculously sleep deprived. He did somewhat better with that. Also, if she takes a nap, you should take a nap. I kept doing that even after my son was sleeping through the night. So, yeah, it was held during the day, sleeping on his belly in our bed at night. It worked out fine, and he was a difficult sleeper for a while, but around the time he turned 1, he became an awesome sleeper, and still sleeps like a champ at 2 years old. Basically, it is a season of life that will magically become a distant memory soon.

My second son is a swing addict since I don't have the ability to always hold him and play with the two year old. The swing is the only place he will sleep for much of a stretch. On a rough night, he'll even spend a few hours in the swing. Ours does not plug in and we're going through D batteries like crazy! I don't think it is messing him up - I can't see how it is any worse than laying on his back in a crib?

[EmilytheStrange]

Originally Posted by aimeelee76 MANY people saying this product gave their baby plagiocephaly or torticollis, and that their baby now needs PT and/or to wear a helmet, and others complaining about toxic flame-retardants...plus there was a recall due to mold growth on some of the products.

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but the whole 'back is best' is what has contributed to the increase in most flathead-ness. My child dealt with that (although not the actual misaligned ears, etc of real plagiocephaly and torticollis). The doctors explained to us that, unfortunately, the 'back is best' has given rise to the cases of this. Add to that, my child hated tummy time.. and... well...

are you swaddling? That generally helps babies sleep. Mine slept on me at that age or right next to me all swaddled up. I just didn't use a blanket for my side. dressed in night clothes (which isn't normal for me generally) so that the blanket wasn't an issue.

[EmilytheStrange]

Originally Posted by aimeelee76 Yep, when she sleeps on me, she's on her tummy, with her head just below my shoulder. And my mom has told me numerous times to just put her on her belly, but I'm really terrified of SIDS. When she was swaddled in our first week at home, she was always on her side, so maybe it's just that she refuses to sleep on her back. ARGH!! I feel like if I put her to sleep on her tummy, even if she's right next to me, I won't sleep a wink because I'll be obsessively listening to her breathing...but we have her one-month pediatric appointment coming up, so I'll definitely run this by her doctor and see what she says. If there's no loose bedding in her co-sleeper, and she sleeps with a pacifier in, and we have a fan going, maybe our risk of SIDS will be low enough that we can get away with putting her on her tummy to sleep. Am I a helicopter mom already?!?

I understand this fear, I really do... but.. most recent studies have shown that the risk of SIDS stems from an unhealthy lifestyle in utero and then being around smoke, etc as a newborn. Of course, that's an unpopular stance because the whole 'Sudden infant death' thing is, by definition, 'sudden' and unexplained.. but.............. the truth is that common links have been found between the vast majority of cases (some exceptions apply).

it may take a little time before you trust her to sleep on her stomach, but in the long term, it might be the best solution. A few sleepless nights now, but good healthy sleep habits over the long haul.

[Tris]

She sounds like she wears a lot clothes at night!! Neither of my girls liked clothes, they went to bed in a diaper. Sometimes a light fleece sleep sack if they fussed, but honestly for the most part I have hot babies I guess.

[EmmaGM]

Faolan would not sleep on his back at all until he was 6 months old and even now he only sleeps on his back for naps.

Tummy sleeping may just be a preference but you may also want to check for reflux or silent reflux. Faolan has it bad though he didn't turn into a total nightmare until about 2 months. Refusing to sleep on his back was our first clue.

[aimeelee76]

Originally Posted by EmmaGM Faolan would not sleep on his back at all until he was 6 months old and even now he only sleeps on his back for naps. Tummy sleeping may just be a preference but you may also want to check for reflux or silent reflux. Faolan has it bad though he didn't turn into a total nightmare until about 2 months. Refusing to sleep on his back was our first clue.

What are the other symptoms? She definitely seems to have some digestive issues, although I thought it was normal baby gassiness.

[EmmaGM]

Originally Posted by aimeelee76 What are the other symptoms? She definitely seems to have some digestive issues, although I thought it was normal baby gassiness.

Reflux lots of spitting up. But with silent reflux they don't spit up, or not often. Faolan makes this weird.. clicking sort of noise. Like the sound right before you throw up? But then he never actually does. That's the acid coming up and going back down. It's worse, causes more damage to his esophagus.

http://www.m.webmd.com/heartburn-ger...-reflux?page=2

The official symptoms but Faolan had none of that and his milk scan was BAD.

[EmmaGM]

Also, have you considered food sensitivities? Faolan is sensitive to dairy and the only sign of that we had was gassiness (but farting, not burping), so I figured it was normal for months until I just quit bfing and put him on nutramigen.

Forgot to mention that arching the back is a sign of discomfort in infants.