Newborn will only sleep on my chest...

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

Hi - my 1 week old DS will only sleep if he's on my chest (or DHs). No matter how asleep he is, as soon as we try and put him in his moses basket or pram, he wakes and begins screaming. Nothing will settle him (singing, rocking, stroking etc) except being picked up. I know it's not safe for me to be asleep with him on me in this position so i'm utterly exhausted. DH and I try to take it in turns to sleep but he is working full time so can't really stay awake all night. Help! How to I get DS to settle in his cot?

DS was the same. We co-slept with him as a result. We took off one of the sides of his cot and attached the cot to our bed. It made night time breast feeds and cuddles much easier for me.

Congrats and good luck!

awww sweet, dd was like that too, a week on my chest and then gradually accepted lying next to me unstead. she's still very keen in cuddles.
do you smoke? or drink? if so, co sleeping is dangerous. but if you don't, and esp if you are bf, then cosleeping is fine. avoid things like sleeping upright on sofas though - thats another dangerous idea

you will also find a sling v useful during the day if you have a baby that objects to being put down

I don't smoke or drink, I have moved into the spare room with DS as DH is such a heavy sleeper we would worry he'd roll on him. I'm more than happy to co-sleep, it's the fact I can't lie him down that worries me. Is it safe for me to sleep when he's on my chest if I'm flat on my back?

I don't know how safe it is but I did this for the first 5 weeks with my 7 week old ds. I always felt safe and confident i wouldn't drop him. He now sleeps in his cot all night! I miss him even though I'm sleeping better

If you're breast feeding try lying baby on bed and feed to sleep lying down. It's the only way I have ever got mine to sleep anywhere other than on me. It might take a bit of practice!

I did this for a few weeks with DD3. Again not sure how safe it is, but I made sure duvet was far down and space either side of me.

She's now 12 weeks and sleeps in Moses basket although only when swaddled... Have you tried swaddling? It was the only way I could get all my DDs to sleep for first few months.

I had to do this with ds until he was 6 weeks. It was almost as if lying on his back was too 'uncurled' for him, he was only happy scrunched up on my chest. Not sure how safe it is considered, but I felt confident he was safe and enjoyed having him so close. From 6 weeks onwards he slept in his Moses basket.

Another one here who allowed my DD to sleep on my chest. I didn't lie flat on my back, I propped my self up a little bit with pillows as that felt safer for some reason. We graduated to side by side sleeping within a few weeks.

Perfectly normal, OP - just make sure there are no adult duvets or pillows anywhere near the baby and there's no possibility of him falling off the bed.

"Is it safe for me to sleep when he's on my chest if I'm flat on my back?"

It is as long as you can stay flat on your back and not roll!

Do NOT do what DH did 14 years ago when DD was a few weeks old. She also refused to sleep anywhere apart from on someone's chest, and I got into the habit of sleeping half propped up but had the advantage of BF her to sleep as well. One night she was on DH's chest, DH was flat out, exhausted from weeks of broken sleep, I had conked out on the sofa. Then DH rolled over and DD shot across the room, off the bed, and onto the wooden floor. She woke up straight away and started yelling, but we were absolutely terrified and took her straight to a pediatric A+E (we don't live in the UK). She was unhurt, thank goodness. Now she's 14, bigger than me, and has had plenty of visits to A+E since then unfortunately, most of them nothing to do with us! Things just seem to happen to her.

Mine too. We also feed to sleep and co-sleep. Re lying on their front on you, I'd make sure the baby's hands are up in front of their body, near the face, like you do in a sling. That should give them a bit of space for nose.