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Sleep

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Original poster

Oh dear dd3 slept happily for four hours on her tummy last night...is it REALLY that bad?

21 replies

Enid · 09/05/2006 10:07

Both the other dds slept on their tummy too.

She hates being on her front (does that 'startle' thing) and last night cried every time i put her down. it got to midnight and I was so knackered i tried putting her on her tummy, she squirmed a bit then fell straight asleep for four blessed hours but obviously I am worried about cot death...

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Piffle · 09/05/2006 10:10

DD also was like this, so she slept on her tummy, 3.5 yrs on she still does.
As did my ds (not that he slept much anyway but when he did it was on his tummy)
If you add together all the other risk factors, and this is the only rick factor (well thats how I did it) I figured and she was in my room and I had a monitor for times when I wasn't in the room
And well sleep versus no sleep
No dice :)

SoupDragon · 09/05/2006 10:11

Have you tried her on her side with a rolled up towel wedged behind her back?

Original poster

Enid · 09/05/2006 10:11

well exactly

I was in tears by midnight

she sleeps with me and like you I have a monitor for now (I have left her upstairs on her side this time)

OP posts:

Nbg · 09/05/2006 10:11

Hmmm tough one.

I'm not sure I would. I think I would be too on edge.

My dd was the same at that age. Would go straight off into a deep sleep for hours on her tummy but the back was a different matter!

Don't really know what to suggest?

Original poster

Enid · 09/05/2006 10:12

yes she sleeps like that during the day soupy

but at night she just wants to lay in my arms normally (sweet but...well...you can have enough of it)

OP posts:

Raggydoll · 09/05/2006 11:13

my dd was like this - she would have preferred being on her tummy but i couldn't relax so went for on her side option. it isn't what is recommended and if anything happened i probably would have blamed myself but cot death is rare and my dd was a far happier child for having a good nights sleep. (and i was a happier mummy )

Philly · 09/05/2006 11:44

Was she OP,my ds3 was like this in fact would not sleep at all on back ,wanted to be held etc.I went to see a cranial osteopath and he said straight away that its to do with the way their neck etc is stretched at birth , and it not comfortable to have their heads tilted back as you do when lying on back.After the first treatment he slept 4 hours on his back.I thiunk we had about three or four treatments in total,very gentle in fact ds3 slept right through one of them and after that he slept happily on back or sometimes side.

Also found that he didn't like very open cot so I swaddled and used the mosesbasket slightly raised at one end.The breakthrough though was the cranial osteo.Step sister also went but not until dn was 9 months and she had hardly had any sleep result was miraculous!

Original poster

Enid · 09/05/2006 12:01

she was all over the place tbh, OP, lateral etc

I'll leave it a week and then maybe try cranial osteopath

she has just had a good sleep on her back so maybe she is just difficult at night...

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 09/05/2006 12:08

Ah yes... BabyDragon is like that. sleeps like an angel so long as she's in contact with me. Grrrr :) Actually, she's got better and sleeps on her own at night. It's just during the day I have to have her asleep in the sling. Which is lovely for 10 minutes or so and then I want to put her down and forget about her for a while :o

Is she completely flat at night? DDs Moses basket is permanently propped up at one end. Also, a folded towel under the mattress lifts the head slightly.

Original poster

Enid · 09/05/2006 12:10

moses basket

I wish

she wont contemplate that

she manages my bed JUST. Although NOW she is asleep in her chair thing which is pretty flat but raised a bit at one end and also has sides so I guess she feels more secure

I think she just hates nighttime

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 09/05/2006 12:13

DD2 still sleeps in her swaddle blanket at 5 months. She's a very cuddly child who likes to spend most of her time in her sling as well.

Have you tried swaddling her?

flamesparrow · 09/05/2006 12:14

DS sleeps about half the night like it - but in his crib with an alarm monitor on. I'm not sure I'd do it in my bed.

He is haapiest squished against me in the sling, so makes sense that he likes to sleep with his front squished... It also means he can find his thumb to suck (still not mastered aiming his fist!)

SoupDragon · 09/05/2006 12:15

Well, she slept in with me for a good few weeks because I was too lazy to lift her in and out of the basket for feeding :o We worked up to it!

SoupDragon · 09/05/2006 12:16

Swaddling is a good idea to try though. It stops the startling.

expatinscotland · 09/05/2006 12:17

DD2 slept w/me for about a month before I also moved her to her basket.

flamesparrow · 09/05/2006 12:19

DS spends the other half the night with me because I attach himand fall asleep again.

Swaddling does help a lot though - that is the only way he'll sleep on his back.

CountessDracula · 09/05/2006 12:22

enid my dd was like this and swaddling worked really really well

Bugsy2 · 09/05/2006 12:39

Posted this on the other thread & realised I meant to put it here, so here goes:

I consulted with my GP & health visitor on this issue as my evil, unsleeping, colicky first baby would not sleep for more than about 2 minutes on his back.
Both of them were really sympathetic & went through all the pros & cons with me. Back sleeping is only one factor in SIDS (which is very rare in full-term, healthy babies). It is a significant factor, which cannot be dismissed but there are lots of others too.
The conclusion that I was allowed to draw by both HV & GP, was that while they couldn't recommend front sleeping was that in my ds's case he was such a low risk baby anyway that it was probably better for all of us to get some much needed sleep than endure months of misery trying to force him to sleep on his very sore, bruised head and neck. (He was forcibly dragged from me with the use of forceps & a very large senior reg.)

Original poster

Enid · 09/05/2006 16:58

swaddled her to go in the pram to pick dd1 up from school

she screamed the entire way , stopped when I took her out and carried her, then screamed when I put her back in

cranial osteopath here I come

OP posts:

quanglewangle · 09/05/2006 17:07

When my ds's were babies sleeping on the front was considered to be the safest - minimising danger of inhaling vomit etc. As they survived, I am glad the risk of cot death wasn't known as that was the only way both of them would sleep.

Don't suppose that helps much, and now I would be feeling the same as you. Isn't the danger of sleeping on the front supposed to be because of the increased risk of over-heating? If so, you could make sure she isn't too warm.

flamesparrow · 10/05/2006 09:50

Definately osteopath or chiropractor - DS and DD were both sooo much more settled after.

With the swaddling - both of mine were only happy if they had one arm free still.

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