DS 6mo fell off bed today

[Adreena]

All my own stupid fault. A combination of tiredness and frustration (he's not been sleeping well) meant I wasn't as on the ball as I should have been and my son suffered as a result. I'm so ashamed. I don't know how he landed and I'm scared I've damaged him, even though I spoke to nhs direct and out of hours GP and both ran through a list of symptoms, he had none of them.

He did a strange yelping cry when I got to him and I can't get it out of my head. I was terrified.

I have PND and had been doing well but this has made me low and tearful all day.

No advice but just wanted to say I am sorry this happened

Honestly don't worry, it will be fine, I think all baby's have falls, and just wait till they attempt to crawl, there'll be a lot of falling down.

DD fell off quite a high bed at 4 months and off a lower bed at 6 months. Both times we both cried a lot, but she is fine.

• attempt to walk, not crawl

Both mine fell off the bed a few times. It is a right of passage as a parent to have one of these situations.

have a look at apni to speak with someone about your pnd. I am a volunteer for them. We have experience first hand of pnd and are here to help listen x

DH left DD1 in the middle of our king sized bed at about that age. He popped downstairs for something and we heard the thump/cry. He felt guilty, I felt annoyed. She was fine, as she was fine after I fell down the stairs holding her. As DD2 was fine after I threw her headfirst into a wall after tripping (oops).

Sit down for a bit with a drink (possibly tea rather than a medicinal brandy) and a baby cuddle. This happens to nearly everyone, more than once too. It's not your fault at all. I think children are supposed to push boundaries and cause us panic.

Have you lots of support for your PND? I'm glad you have been feeling that you are doing well, as that means you are. Don't let something as normal and usual as this fall get you down, if it does please let your support know.

It's ok; things like this happen to everyone. It was a accident and you've not let him or yourself down.

I have PND too, and it's hard. I'm coming out of it and there is a better day ahead when you feel like yourself again. Are you being supported with it?

If NHS direct and OOH GP aren't concerned, then everything is FINE.

You are experiencing normal parental guilt. This is entirely natural and demonstrates that you are a good parent who cares about getting it right. If you were not such a good mum you wouldn't be caring so much.

HOWEVER, your child is fine, you are OK, you have learned a valuable lesson about your baby's ability to throw himself off from a height, and there is no harm done.

I know what you mean about not being able to get a particular cry out of your head though. It is OK to forgive yourself and move on.

DS has fallen of the bed with me at 8 months, the sofa with his dad at 9 months and both times we were beside ourselves with worry. I even kept the poor child awake for an extra 2 hours in the middle of the night as I was convinced that if he went back to sleep he might not wake up. And then I interpreted his extreme cranky tiredness as a sign of concussion. And I'm a medical professional.

So long as the doctor isn't concerned and the baby doesn't suddenly start acting in a worrying way (uneven pupils, unexpected drowsiness, vomiting), you will both be just fine.

Are you speaking with someone about your PND? You sound like you're doing so well as a mum, but it's important that you also get some care so that when he next crawls into the wall / swallows a bug / drinks some of your tea (and at least one of those things is surely likely to happen, based on my family's experience! ), that you don't have to beat yourself up. and unmumsnetty hugs

Thank you for the kind replies. I am struggling to forgive myself but I also know I will have to put it behind me and learn from it.

I am starting to get help with PND. I'm on citalopram which has helped, particularly with anxiety, and my GP is lovely. My health visitor is very nice but I feel like all her advice is very basic and common sense. Which is fine but I get more from mumsnet tbh. My NCT group have been pretty good too, though we're still getting to know each other.

Oh my goodness. .. :-( We've all been there. Oh I feel for you. This happened with my first around the same age, he fell off the bed onto carpet. At the at the age of 2.5 he fell from a climbing frame in a playground (walking over a mini bridge, he slipped between the rails... I still get panic attacks about this!That was a fall from a proper height). He's 12 now and right as rain, though when he back chats and gives me grief I wonder, "was it that fall years ago?" :-)
The worst was when my daughter got her first pair of proper walking shoes at Clarks. She was about 14-15 months old. I was paying at the till and right next to us was a metal rack full of shoes which she pulled down upon herself as I was punching my pin number into the machine. Awful! I can't even describe in words the fear of God that filled me that day. The girl at the till still asked me if I'd like to fill out a Clarks survey! Madness!! My goodness, my daughter is 4 now and still my heart races when I think of this incident.
Just relating to you... that's all. :-) You know what, little babies are incredible. They really do escape these falls and tumbles unharmed. But for my own peace of mind, go to either A&E or make an appointment with the GP just for reassurance. Have your little one actually physically looked over. You can't put a price on reassurance... for the psychological aspect of it alone, it will help you heal.
Hope your PND resolves itself soon. I had this with my second during (AND) and after the pregnancy (PND). It was one of the toughest things ever, but I found the medication really helpful and I never looked back. Good luck to you!!

*for your own peace of mind, I meant to say (instead of for my own peace of mind). See, I'm relating to you so much, I think I'm you! :-)

I genuinely don't know a parent who something similar hasn't happened to!
I'll tell you one of mine. Had a HB with DD2 in the middle of the night. My 2 eldest came downstairs to meet their new sister when they got up for breakfast. I passed baby to her older sister and in my post birth haze I kind of missed, DD2 rolled off my knee and face planted onto a sofa cushion... She was 4 hours old at this point and rather pissed off about the whole thing.
It's a cliche but it really does happen. Be kind to yourself x

OP I had DS who was only 3mo in his car seat but not strapped in properly. I was at the doctors with him and my DD, I was trying to carry her with one hand, she was only 15mo herself and not walking, and then tried to pick up the car seat with the other. DS flipped out of the seat and landed on his shoulder right in front of the GP.

I was horrified, mortified, in shock, crying etc etc. DS squealed, the doctor checked him out and he was fine after a quick feed.

I've learned my lesson, always pull those straps tight!

DH did confess to me that evening that DD had fallen off our bed when he was on paternity leave and seeing as she was fine, he didn't tell me, he knew I'd worry and panic!

I think most parents do find accidents like this happen, especially when they start learning to roll and they don't stay where you put them anymore!

DD fell off the sofa at 7mo, it happens to all babies! She flipped and went down like a skydiver, landing flat on her face on loads of plugs / wires. I must confess my first thought was 'oh shit, DH is going to kill me'!

How are you today, OP?

My firstborn rolled off the bed once, probably round 4 or 5 months. He was so startled he didn't cry for a moment. He landed on half the duvet but I was so upset, I think I cried more than he did. I felt horrible about it for ages and kept replaying it over and over in my head.

The important thing is that we learn from our mistakes and try our best to keep them safe. Even when you're doing your best, things can still happen. Don't beat yourself up over it.