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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:
miniegg3 · 20/06/2023 00:00

Yep husband dropped our son as a baby, and he's rolled of the bed at least a couple of times too 😬 he's fine though.. I remember midwife telling me a dad she had just seen had put the baby in a bouncer and the bouncer on the bed while he slept because he was afraid to cosleep.. then he rolled over and knocked the bouncer onto the floor 🫣
Anyway I'm.sure most babies have been dropped once or twice.. the doctor has had a good check so try and relax

PizzaPizza56 · 20/06/2023 00:01

Reflux is horrendous. You have my sympathy entirely. DS is 12 months now but the first 7 months of his life were the hardest 7 months of mine. He screamed continuously from 4pm to 3am every single night. I feel so sorry for our neighbours.

I, too, ran on empty. I have no idea how I did it. I can't recommend the Crysis helpline enough if you just need to talk to someone who gets it.

Your baby will be fine from falling. They bounce. And one day, sometime in the next year you will realise that you haven't spoken about reflux because it won't dominate your life any more.

Until then, keep talking about it and sleep when you can. You are stronger than you know.

Its947 · 20/06/2023 00:05

I was bathing my baby in the bath when he was a few months old. I was so tired I was holding him but somehow he fell forward into the water face first. Still don’t know how. I freaked and went down a Google worm hole of secondary drowning articles. Even phoned 111 the lady was lovely on the phone but did say ‘is this your first baby’ when I said yes she said, ‘ahh I remember how that felt, don’t worry you’re doing great’.
He’s now 4 and fell off the sofa yesterday and bashed his lip and had a bloody nose. I scooped him up, gave him a cuddle and cracked on. Sleep is a game changer! Don’t give yourself a hard time. We’ve all done it. Xx

chellie2021 · 20/06/2023 00:57

I fell off the bed at a couple of weeks old, I’m fine I think.. Honestly don’t beat yourself up OP. I’ve been there with the reflux, I was up all night and all day on my own with my baby and it was the most exhausting time of my life, i wasn’t taken seriously until my daughter was 8 weeks old. My daughter has cows milk protein allergy which made her reflux worse, and I couldn’t lay her on her back at all or she’d be covered in puke or would have awful tummy pain.

Just be prepared for the gaviscon to not work and don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t, it could actually constipate her according to my doctor it’s the base prescription for reflux as it’s the cheapest, my little girl was on omeprazole afterwards and she came on leaps and bounds. She’s been off of it now since 6 months old and she’s 8 months old now besides some spitty up days it’s nothing compared to the beginning, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hugs to you I know how difficult it is especially sleep deprived try look after yourself x

Primrosefrill · 20/06/2023 01:34

We have done it sweetheart.

Primrosefrill · 20/06/2023 01:34

all*

SkyandSurf · 20/06/2023 04:59

Oh you poor thing.

We've all done it or something worse.

The baby will be fine. They're tough.

Please forgive yourself and forget all about it.

InTodaysNews · 20/06/2023 05:33

Please don't beat yourself up op, we've all been there, honestly.
I remember my eldest had eczema as a baby, and one evening after bathing him and then slathering him from head to toe in a greasy ointment that the doctor prescribed, I picked him up and he shot out of my hands like a bar of wet soap, landing on the floor.
I remember panicking and screaming ' I've killed my baby, I've killed my baby ' despite him laying there screaming his head off 😳
He was absolutely fine, even if I wasn't.
I laugh about it now years later, just as you will, honestly.

Retrain12345 · 20/06/2023 05:47

I’m just coming through the other side of reflux hell. Have you tried anti reflux milk? I know you most likely have but it saved my sanity and changed DS instantly.

As a side note, I’ve dropped all 3 of mine and fallen asleep feeding them (separate occasions but it’s happened a few times) You would think I would have learnt my lesson with the first incident, or maybe the second…but no! All were fine!

cariad1922 · 20/06/2023 05:55

Op it's happened to me too when my 18 year old dd was 4 months old . ❤️. I cried and cried but this happens . Your post shows how much you love her . Go easy on yourself op. She's not hurt by it and won't remember a thing about it . I hope you get a good night sleep x

FlamingoQueen · 20/06/2023 06:06

I dropped my dd once, very similarly to you. She landed on a cup (cold tea, thank god) and had a ring mark on her head. I was beside myself, but she came to no harm, I certainly didn’t mean for it to happen, I was just so so exhausted. She has now just sat her A-levels and is off to Uni, so no long term damage.
Please be kind to yourself. You did all the right things and the fact you feel so awful means that you care. I would say that when you feel tired or know that you may nod off, put baby on the floor (ie on a blanket or something) or sit on the bed. Sending hugs.

Simonjt · 20/06/2023 06:15

When our daughter had been home about ten days (so about six weeks old, but younger really as she was premature) I was talking to my son as I has holding her on my shoulder, the tube was leaving the station, it took me a while to figure out the door has closed on her head. She’s fine.

Perfect28 · 20/06/2023 06:18

Lesson here is never sleep with baby on the sofa. I don't know how many times they need to say it. Bedshare, safely!

InTodaysNews · 20/06/2023 06:21

Perfect28 · 20/06/2023 06:18

Lesson here is never sleep with baby on the sofa. I don't know how many times they need to say it. Bedshare, safely!

Thank you for your input. I'm sure all those exhausted mum's who inadvertently fell asleep on the sofa with their babies ( and fortunately came to no harm ) feel much better for your words of wisdom 👍

TheCyclingGorilla · 20/06/2023 06:23

My one fell off the sofa. I got her checked out, she was fine.

Aged 2 she choked on a babybel. My husband was looking after her and luckily knew what to do. Again, she was fine.

We both had guilt over our incidents but it passes.

MullerInk · 20/06/2023 06:24

I fell down the stairs carrying DD as a baby and managed go fling her behind me. I lived in that house four more years and though about that every time I used the stairs.
Slipped on ice with baby DS and we both bumped our heads on concrete 😖

ThatFraggle · 20/06/2023 06:28

DC is 4 weeks old. Did DH get any paternity leave? Do you have a friend or relative who can give you a chance to sleep, even in the daytime?

DaaamnYoullDo · 20/06/2023 06:33

I literally smashed my kids head into the corner of a door once carrying him through it. Accidents happen, look at how you responded, you handled it amazingly. You're an excellent mother.

Littlegoth · 20/06/2023 06:58

Someone I worked with years ago dropped his 6 week old down the stairs (stumbled when exhausted). He was beside himself but the baby was fine. Accidents happen, forgive yourself. Nothing bad happened xx

LittleBumblebee3 · 20/06/2023 06:59

Perfect28 · 20/06/2023 06:18

Lesson here is never sleep with baby on the sofa. I don't know how many times they need to say it. Bedshare, safely!

@Perfect28 what an amazingly insightful post! 🙄 I’m sure everyone is well aware of the advice!

It’s also not safe to let baby roll off the bed, thump them on a door, drop them, let them fall out of a pram/bouncer or off a changing table……but judging by the number of comments from other non-perfect normal parents on here who have accidentally done most of these things, I’d say you’re in the minority if you’ve managed to get through with no accidents!

Nicecow · 20/06/2023 07:05

Don't worry, your baby will be fine. You've checked and she is!! Tiredness is the worst, I almost did this in the middle of the night BF, don't know how but looked over and baby was sliding off my lap, almost about to drop on the floor. I too must've fallen asleep!! Baby's Dad dropped baby off the bed! These things happen and it's normal to feel terrible about it!

Perfect28 · 20/06/2023 07:08

Yes it's normal in that it happens. Did I say my son had never had an accident? No, I said to bedshare which actually addresses the problem of the tiredness rather than other posters 'i hope you get some sleep'.

MathsNervous · 20/06/2023 07:09

I turned around with my eldest in my arms and accidentally walloped his head into the room thermostat. I didn't do it again. Got such a fright for him. But he is 16 now and no harm done

Don't worry OP 💐

UpUpUpU · 20/06/2023 07:11

I fell up the stairs with my baby when he was about 6 weeks. My immediate reaction was to save him from being squashed so I threw him out of the way! He was fine but we both cried!

lightlypoached · 20/06/2023 07:19

Oh bless, being that tired is so hard. But it will pass (not that it feels like that when you are in the middle of it!).

Echoing what everyone else has said re doing similar - our first rolled off the bed onto a hardwood floor when we fell asleep. She was fine, and owing to my coziness and astigmatism I regularly used to,don't their tiny little heads on doorway s when I went though carrying them.

Both survived and are now strapping adults with no I'll effects. They still wake me up though when they come crashing in drunk after a night out 😂 some things never change.