Bouncing Baby Worries

[OliveGreen94]

Hello, I'm a FTM to a beautiful 2 month old baby boy. I'm very paranoid and worried because I was watching the telly whilst bouncing him on my knee and not really concentrating. When I looked down at him he was super drowsy and falling asleep. I've now convinced myself that he was only drowsy because I was bouncing him too hard when not concentrating and I have hurt him. DH was in the room and not paying much attention and says I'm being crazy, and DS seems absolutely fine since. I'm just looking for opinions/reassurance really as I've really worked myself up about SBS even though a part of me knows this is not realistic.

NB: I wasn't angry or frustrated at all when bouncing, just not concentrating.

Just want to add, I have no real reason to think I was bouncing hard, more like I can't guarantee I didn't because I wasn't concentrating.

Oh bless you!

he would be drowsy because they sleep a LOT at that age and will fall asleep mid feed, mid playtime etc

Their need to sleep overrides any sort of game

if your bouncing was scaring or hurting him, he would have cried

He's fine! He was probably soothed by the bouncing and that's why he was falling asleep. You sound like a lovely mum 😊

You couldn't absent mindedly shake him so hard you damaged him. Please dont worry.

He would have cried if you'd hurt him, don't worry, it sounds like all you did was relax him!

I remember worrying when I had to wheel the buggy over big cobblestones because it juddered my baby around so much. She was fine

I think you ought to speak to your HV or GP about the levels of anxiety you're experiencing at the moment, because this is really quite disproportionately. Postnatal mental health issues are really common and there is lots of help available.

Me too! Now I purposefully push the buggy over bumpy terrain as she's worked out her voice sounds funny if she makes a noise at the same time 😆

Thank you for replies. Yes, I have OCD and am generally a paranoid person so was already planning to speak to Dr about this at a very late 6 week appt.
I'm really struggling as I'm worrying so much about accidentally hurting him that it's stopping me from enjoying what a lovely time this is 😔

Glad you're planning to speak to someone. Hope you can get some support. It's very easy to worry about our kids and can be hard to get perspective.

My 5.5 month old bounced himself to sleep in his jumperoo a few times. It's just a comforting movement for some babies. You would have been bouncing him gently otherwise he would have complained at you, not fallen asleep 😊

Like a little bird he needs to sleep and know that you're with him there. So tiny, so beautiful and perfect.

It's the only way IveI've ever got my baby to sleep by bouncing on the birthing ball! Sometimes quite definitive bounces during sleep regressions! My now 14 month old is 100% fine xx

You've just bounced him to sleep op, all good.

Dh obsessed about that one for months with DC1. Even when she clearly was loving it. I thought he'd learnt his lesson when we has DC2 but nope. He got worse. He bought a new pram with off roading wheels for our inner city foot paths..

Op it's fine. Don't give it another thought. I assume you r worried about shaken baby syndrome. When I asked the midwife in the hospital if bouncing and all kinds of other normal things that parents have been doing with their babies since prehistoric times could cause shaken baby syndrome she said no. Apparently you can't cause it unknowingly with every day activities. It requires violent shaking (still good to be careful with babies).

I expect the bouncing just soothed him to sleep 🥰 it's good that you're going to see the doctor for some help with your anxiety OP, I really sympathise because I was similar. My husband once walked in on me with a baby blanket wrapped twice around my head, checking to see if I could breathe through it before using it in the pram 🤦🏼‍♀️