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Original poster

I dropped my baby on the floor

121 replies

samebutdifferent1 · 19/06/2023 21:45

Name changed, regular MN user.

Please somebody help me feel less guilty about this, I've beat myself up all day, I've cried on and off, I've cuddled her all day thinking I must of terrified her.

She's 4 weeks old and the past week been suffering with reflux, I've been getting 30 mins of sleep before she wakes up screaming again because of the pain. I had a drs appt for this morning and in between DH and I have been giving her the drops and massaging tummy, bicycle legs, keeping her upright for 30 mins after bottle, we've changed bottles, teats. Tried everything.

DH has been working a 2 hour drive away for the past couple of days meaning he leaves at 4:30am to get on site for 7am. I've done the last two nights in the living room with the Moses basket.

I am absolutely dead on my feet. I picked DD up from another bout of crying and pain from her Moses basket about 4am and sat on the sofa watching tv whilst she was on my shoulder and I was rubbing her back. DH came in at half 4 with a bottle prepared for her.

I gave her the bottle and the next thing I know, she was screaming on the floor and it was 7am. She must have rolled from my lap and I just have just passed out from tiredness.

Luckily our sofas are very low and we have soft carpet, I immediately picked her up and was so upset I called 111. They asked if she was awake and responsive, she was. They asked me to check her head or body for any obvious bruising or swelling/redness, there wasn't any. They asked me what position she was in and I told them she was on her back. They asked if she could follow her rattle toys with her eyes which she could and then they stayed on the phone whilst I gave her another bottle and she sucked away happily until the pain of reflux kicked in again. I told them I had a GP appt in a couple of hours with her and they said she sounds fine, it happens all the time and to mention it to GP.

GP gave prescription for baby gaviscon and I told her about the sofa incident, she checked her over, felt her head and stripped her off, checked her reflexes etc and said she's absolutely fine and it happens more often than we think.

I still can't stop feeling awful. DH has called site and told them he will be in at lunch tomorrow so that I can go to bed tonight and have a full night sleep. He's tried to reassure me and said it could have just as easily been him on the nights that he does (we share nights or do shifts depending on where he's working etc).

I keep looking at her and crying. Please tell me others have done this and all was okay. I keep thinking I should take her to hospital in case her skull is fractured or something 😢

OP posts:
Liana89 · 19/06/2023 21:48

Please do not feel bad about this! You took all the steps to make sure your baby is fine. Your baby is fine!
You need some sleep, I promise you everything will seem better tomorrow, you are trapped in a prison of exhaustion and anxiety right now.
Everything is perfectly okay.

DustyLee123 · 19/06/2023 21:49

It’s fine . You certainly won’t do it again.

ColonelRhubarbBikini · 19/06/2023 21:49

There isn’t a single parent out there that hasn’t accidentally hurt their child. Took their eyes off them and they’ve rolled off the bed, pinched their skin in a zip or helmet, clonked their head on a door frame or getting out the car seat.

Please forgive yourself for this and hopefully get some decent sleep.

PinkButtercups · 19/06/2023 21:49

Oh lovely. The doctor is right this happens. It happened to my sister as like you she was super sleep deprived. You didn't mean to and it wasn't an accident and you got medical advice straight away. It's bloody scary and you will feel awful.

You done all the right steps. Be kinder to yourself. It's easier said than done but when you feel that you're going to nod off have the Moses basket close by etc.

Don't be too harsh on yourself. You didn't do it on purpose.

violetcuriosity · 19/06/2023 21:52

Oh sweetheart, postpartum really is a fucked up time isn't it. She's fine, and you've got the gaviscon now which will hopefully help. As she's being bottle fed there's no reason you both can't get a solid 4 hours sleep each night. Two things that will make you feel better-

  1. When my DD2 who is now 4 months was 4 weeks old I was pushing her down the road and something flew in my eye, I let go of the buggy as a reflex and heard a bang and it had fallen over on its side in the middle of the road. If a car would have been coming that would have been it. I still think about it all the time.
  1. When she was around the same age and we weren't sleeping at all, my partner put the Moses basket on the bed with him and pulled the cover somehow over the whole basket. Luckily she woke up screaming. Took us both a while to get over that one.
Hungrycaterpillarsmummy · 19/06/2023 21:52

I dropped my baby on a marble surface and he had a big scan on the middle of his forehead for a month and a half. When I carried him through to my bedroom and saw blood I can't tell you the panic that went through me.

He was ok. And your little one is too.

You need some help though to restore your sleep. Can you get a friend or family member to come watch her whilst you sleep?

ShyMaryEllen · 19/06/2023 21:55

I dropped one of mine out of her buggy and she landed face down on a pavement. She had been wriggling when I tried to put her snowsuit on and I was distracted and didn't strap her in properly, so when I tipped the buggy to go downstairs she fell out and cut her lip.

I felt terrible, and like you got the doctor to check her over, but she was absolutely fine. Don't beat yourself up. You're tired and doing your best, and it's clear that you are a loving mum.

Coffeeisnecessary · 19/06/2023 21:57

I've done it, my husband did it, almost everyone I know has accidentally hurt their child in some small way, please don't beat yourself up about it, you are exhausted. Get a good night's sleep and keep trying to get help with the reflux, it's so hard looking after a newborn so cut yourself some slack!

Shutupyoutart · 19/06/2023 21:58

Oh op I just want to give you a huge hug! You aren't alone in this happening, similar happened to me when dd1 was tiny, and I too felt awful! they are tougher than they look, please forgive yourself your little girl is fine and she would have forgotten it much faster than you will, I promise you. you sound exhausted, reflux is bloody awful but it will get easier hopefully the gaviscon helps lo a bit, I'm glad that your dh is going in later, fingers crossed that you have a really good sleep tonight! X

Dontopenthetrapdoor · 19/06/2023 21:59

My baby had reflux and it was hell. Be prepared for the gaviscon not to work, with my baby I found all it did was make her vomit thicker and did nothing for the pain. If the gaviscon doesn’t work ask for omeprozole. My daughters’s sleep was horrendous and it was hell and I was a single parent with no partner to help. There were several times I feel asleep from sleep deprivation while she screamed. To make things safer as I was paranoid about falling asleep and suffocating her I would only feed her sitting up in bed and she had a next to me crib that attacched to the bed. I would recommend making the bedroom as safe as you can for the baby and set up a temporary sleeping space for the other parent elsewhere. One of you sleeps with the baby and the other sleeps elsewhere with ear plugs in and you swap at an agreed time. I found once I could get 4 hours sleep in a row I could sort of function.

Jazzybean · 19/06/2023 21:59

I have walked into things whilst holding my kids more times than I would be comfortable admitting. Let alone the number of times I’ve caught their skin in car seat buckles, tripped over them, dropped things on them… I’m a very clumsy, shitty parent tbh!

WulyJmpr · 19/06/2023 22:00

You are a good mum. You are also exhausted. Get as much help as you can with the baby so you can get some rest. You can't be expected to always look after others without putting yourself first sometimes. You can't drink from an empty cup.

Loocheeyar · 19/06/2023 22:03

Omeprazole
colief
and look Into dairy allergies

she’s fine x

Cece92 · 19/06/2023 22:03

Hi OP don't be so hard on yourself/ parenthood is a massive shock to the system and being sleep deprived doesn't help. Your looking after a baby with ad reflux and colic and it's no joke. You done the right thing called 111 and the doctor checked her over. My DD fell off the sofa at 4 months and I shit myself I also called 111 but she had a cry and was smiling 2 mins later. Definitely take the nights sleep offered tonight and make the most of it xx

UsingChangeofName · 19/06/2023 22:05

Liana89 · 19/06/2023 21:48

Please do not feel bad about this! You took all the steps to make sure your baby is fine. Your baby is fine!
You need some sleep, I promise you everything will seem better tomorrow, you are trapped in a prison of exhaustion and anxiety right now.
Everything is perfectly okay.

This

Suprima · 19/06/2023 22:06

Your baby will be absolutely fine- but going forward you need to avoid situations where you fall asleep with baby on the sofa. It is much safer for you to cosleep on a flat, firm mattress in a safe space than risk situations where she can roll and get trapped on a sofa whilst you sleep. Dad could go on the sofa and give you both the bed whilst you get through this period.

I’m not telling you this to kick you when you are down, but just in case you genuinely weren’t aware. Many people end up in unsafe sleeping situations, exhausted on the sofa because they are scared of bedsharing.

You are a good mum and your baby loves you. Please be kind to yourself.

Daisybuttercup12345 · 19/06/2023 22:06

Don't worry she sounds fine and you've had her checked over. You are a great Mum, just so tired xxxx

UsingChangeofName · 19/06/2023 22:07

ColonelRhubarbBikini · 19/06/2023 21:49

There isn’t a single parent out there that hasn’t accidentally hurt their child. Took their eyes off them and they’ve rolled off the bed, pinched their skin in a zip or helmet, clonked their head on a door frame or getting out the car seat.

Please forgive yourself for this and hopefully get some decent sleep.

and this.

Please call a relative or friend or someone you know and trust and ask them if they could come and be with your dc whilst you get your head down for 3 hours.

Seriously, I'd do this for anyone who asked me - a neighbour, a colleague, someone I knew from a hobby. Not just someone close. Just as one Mum for another.

mynameiscalypso · 19/06/2023 22:07

Something very similar happened to me. It was terrifying but DS is nearly 4 years old now and there was absolutely no lasting damage done at all. It does sound like your DH's working patterns aren't sustainable though. I'm glad he's able to give you the chance to have a proper sleep though. For what it's worth, after it happened to me, I made myself stay awake by forcing myself to eat chocolate/sweets all night. Not great but better than the alternatives. This phase will pass, hang on in there Flowers

SockGoddess · 19/06/2023 22:08

It’s fine OP, really really it is. A low sofa onto a carpet won’t have hurt her and I know many many stories of much worse accidental falls and clonks where the babies were fine. One friend lifted his baby up high and hit her head on the ceiling. Another had her baby roll off a changing table in a split second - never rolled before! Another had a baby who climbed out of the pram and fell on the ground. And I dropped an early learning centre lovely educational rainstick on my poor baby’s face while trying to entertain him 🤦🏻‍♀️it happens because having a baby is a huge adjustment and you’re sleep deprived, and they are unpredictable. Forgive yourself Flowers

GG1986 · 19/06/2023 22:08

Our 5 month old has been dropped(on to the sofa if that makes sense, but it scared him and he really cried as fell backwards) and I caught his arm in a zip and left a scratch, I felt awful but yes these things do happen so don't beat yourself up about it. X

Mischance · 19/06/2023 22:10

Oh - me too. Join the clan. Mine rolled off the bed and was totally winded and gasped - it seemed a very long time till she took her next breath!

She rolled off your lap on a low sofa to a carpeted floor. I thought from the thread title you might have dropped her from standing onto the kitchen floor!

Trust me, there will be more mishaps to come!! We are all only human. She had a momentary bump which she will have forgotten, as must you.

I hope the reflux can be sorted soon so that you can enjoy your little one.

Bromptotoo · 19/06/2023 22:11

Anybody who says they've never dropped a baby or, when a it's wee bit older, had it roll itself off the changing table is either very lucky or has Boris Johnson's attitude to the truth.

WombatStewForTea · 19/06/2023 22:11

Suprima · 19/06/2023 22:06

Your baby will be absolutely fine- but going forward you need to avoid situations where you fall asleep with baby on the sofa. It is much safer for you to cosleep on a flat, firm mattress in a safe space than risk situations where she can roll and get trapped on a sofa whilst you sleep. Dad could go on the sofa and give you both the bed whilst you get through this period.

I’m not telling you this to kick you when you are down, but just in case you genuinely weren’t aware. Many people end up in unsafe sleeping situations, exhausted on the sofa because they are scared of bedsharing.

You are a good mum and your baby loves you. Please be kind to yourself.

Came here to say this. Mine was a crap sleeper. So many times I accidentally fell asleep on the sofa while holding her in the middle of the night which is so much more dangerous. Safe bed sharing saved us. I always felt like it was a dirty secret but then eventually realised how many people were the same. Even the NHS now gives advice on how to bed share safely

captncrunch · 19/06/2023 22:12

Mine are 7 and 5 and honestly your post brings these first weeks back as if it was yesterday. It is absolutely brutal when a baby doesn't sleep.

My husband dropped our daughter at about 6 weeks. I left him sitting up in bed with her while I went to the toilet about 5am and then on my way back to the room I heard a thump. She had rolled out of his arms and onto the floor, he had momentarily dropped off. He was absolutely beside himself. She was fine. Sending love.