Newborn sleeping position?

[MeredithGrey1]

FTM to a week old baby, please be gentle if this isn’t fine!

During the day my little one really struggles to sleep on her back, she screams and coughs and will not settle. (It’s slightly better at night). The midwife has recommended Infacol, which we are getting today, as well as feeding her as upright as possible and keeping her upright for a while after a feed, both of which we’ll do. But one way she really does sleep is if I lie on my back, with my legs together and knees slightly bent, and lie her down my thighs so her head is near my knees, feet on my tummy. This raises her head slightly (it is quite slight, my knees are not right up, maybe a 30 degree incline) which I think is why it helps but is also why I worry that it maybe isn’t an ok way to position her? Because my thighs are straight, her spine isn’t curled and her head isn’t tucked down or anything, she’s just tilted, and obviously this isn’t a position she’s left alone in, and I don’t fall asleep with her. Does this sound ok?

Absolutely fine as long as you're awake & keeping an eye!

This position works because it replicates them in the womb. My little one would fall asleep just like this.

I'd recommend wrapping her in a blanket almost like a swaddle then put her on your chest like this. Then when she's asleep slowly pop her down on her back still swaddled, also I'd use a dummy if he started to wake to soothe him back off

Of course be careful, and try not to fall asleep with her on you like that

Sorry, on your knees not your chest. With mine it was my chest lol

I’m sorry she is having trouble sleeping and I don’t want to alarm you but...

... the biggest safety element in what you describe is that you are awake. Your baby is only a week old and in my experience, the novelty and the adrenaline are still keeping you powering on. If this becomes your normal, then it risks becoming more of an autopilot. Your vigilance will decrease, at about three weeks old is when the Kmart absolute sense of chronic tiredness and serious sleep deprivation kicks in and you find yourself dropping off. I’d fear that it would be incredibly difficult to maintain the sort of vigilance you need for safety in the set up you describe when it has become a habit and when you are sheer exhausted. The risks are not just that the baby isn’t flat in her back on a separate sleeping surface, she could find her head smushed into your thighs; she could drop to the floor if your muscles relax; she could drop through to the sofa which is dangerous itself etc.

If she does need to be more upright to sleep, I’d speak to your doctor about safe ways of doing this - for example raising the legs of the top of her cot slightly or putting something slightly under her mattress. The major risk here of course would be her slipping downwards into a more crumpled position.

Sorry if that’s alarming; it’s definitely long winded. And I know it’s not what you want to hear but I don’t think it’s at all a sustainable solution to your problem.

I hope the infacol helps.