Dummies for settling newborn DD

[RevoltingPeasant]

DD is 6 days old and doesn't like being flat on her back in bed at night. She likes being "on" me or very close, propped at an angle.

Right now we haven't managed to get her into the bedside crib yet, so she is sleeping next to my pillow with a rolled up towel between her and pillow so I can put one arm around her but I can't roll onto her, and she can't get her face stuck in pillow.

I think this is safe....??

But, even so she takes ages to settle. I can feed her to sleep and she'll then fuss when out back down. So last night every time after feeding to sleep, I gave her a dummy to settle her, and it worked!

Is this bad, though? Will it prevent her wanting to wake up and feed? Is up risky?

Hi there and congratulations on your DD!

If you're breastfeeding, dummies aren't recommended until at least 6 weeks and only then if breastfeeding is well established as there is a risk of nipple confusion and failing to notice hunger and feed. She might be falling asleep before she is full which is why she is waking again. Try tickling her hands and ears while she is feeding to make sure she gets a good feed.

Not wanting to be in her crib is very very normal! She is so new and the world is a big scary place. You are her constant and her comfort so she wants to get as close to you as possible. You may find it helpful to google "fourth trimester".

I can't quite work out your sleeping arrangements from your description, but you might want to check the safe co-sleeping guidelines. Personally I wouldn't bother with the rolled up towel, just move the pillow well away from her and make sure there is no duvet anywhere near her (dress both of you warmly for bed and use cellular blankets) As a breastfeeding mum, you will be very aware of her and you won't roll on to her and she will get more comfort from being close to your body. Both my DDs when they were very new liked to sleep in almost complete contact with me from head to toe. It was truly lovely.

Thanks Chocolate :)

The thing is, I can't get any sleep, if we sleep like that. I find it very physically uncomfortable to be on one side all night, in one position, and also I am a very deep sleeper and don't trust that I will not roll onto her. I managed it for 3-4 nights before getting really upset and tearful that I was going to smother her in the night, so I started putting the rolled up towel between us for peace of mind. I sleep a lot better like this.

It's interesting and a shame about the dummy. It does seem to settle her and I haven't notice that it affects latch but then I suppose it would take a while to show. I will try tonight without and see if she can go down without it!

A dummy can sometimes affect a newborn's latch, but not always (my DS was fine with one). So if you continue to breastfeed with no problems, and a dummy is the best way for you to get some sleep, I say go for it!

I used a dummy with DS from 5 days old. He loved it, still latched on and fed fine, and gave it up aged 3 himself. Not everyone's way of doing things, but I strongly feel that you do what's right for you and your child.

I don't know about dummies (sorry) but here are some tricks to try getting her into the bedside cot - put a folded blanket under the mattress at the head end so her head is raised up slightly (helps my 5mo when she has a cold); put a muslin under her head when she's asleep on you so it gets warm and smells of you - then put the muslin in the crib and put her down with her head on it ; warm the crib with a hot water bottle (take it out before putting the baby in!). I also put my DD down to sleep on her side which she prefers, firmly tucked in with a cellular blanket so she can't roll over. However I know that this is against safe sleeping advice which is that they should be on their backs. I can't remember when I started doing this though, maybe not when she was as tiny as yours, I honestly can't remember. Hope you manage to get some sleep!

I had the same issue, more or less, OP. We ended up buying a Sleepyhead Deluxe ring mattress and my daughter loved it. So did we! No risk of rolling onto her and she was in our bed, on her back, but cosy and safe. Expensive but worth every penny for the weeks of sleep it gave us.

Mine is 4 months and hated her Moses basket! The above tips are great- I did those and she was fine. Just keep putting her in there and try to soothe her when she's in there x

One of the reasons I enjoyed formula feeding was because I could use a dummy more or less from day one. It made such a difference to both of my dc. If they were genuinely hungry they would just spit it out anyway and I'd offer another feed (I still fed on demand).

I found swaddling with a cotton muslin also helped to soothe them in the early weeks. Ds in particular used to throw his arms all over the place and get very stressed. If I swaddled him and popped a dummy in after a feed he'd normally sleep for a good few hours.

I second the sleepyhead mattress!!
We put it in the Moses basket and DD loves it. She too prefers to be on her side, I find if I put her on her back she wakes in seconds. The sleepyhead is a life saver, she can be on her side and I just tightly wrap and tuck a blanket around it. My DD is 8days old and we have been doing this since she was 2days old.