Sleeping a 5.5 week old on his side

[Gurraun]

DS is 5.5 weeks. His breathing at all times seems a bit chesty (lots of odd noises - many like a turkey gobbling) and he is a bit coughy/chokey sometimes when he drinks [I've asked HV and they tell me it's normal but not so sure so am going to video it to show her and possibly GP].

However, his breathing is far worse at night (especially if he's not winded very well - he can be quite a sicky baby if wind doesn't come up immediately). When I lay him down on his back (and I've propped the mattress up) at night he really seems to struggle with his breathing which not only is a bit scary but stops me sleeping and at times seems to distress him (he can get quite tearful in a gulpy way). It sounds like he's trying to breathe through a lot of mucus and sometimes he really gasps for breath. If he sleeps on me or DH on his front he has no problem.

Last night in desperation to sleep I tucked him into the crook of my arm so he was slighly turned onto his side and he slept very well (considering he's hungry every 2 - 3 hours he managed 4 hours between feeds and 3 hours solid sleep). I'm probably clutching at straws but wonder if he'd sleep better on his side. My MIL suggested popping a towel behind him to keep him on his side but I'm worried he'll roll over and end up face down. Is that likely? What do you experienced MN's suggest? [BTW whilst I respect everyone's right to parent however they like, I'm not keen to become a co-sleeper myself as I'd ideally like to move him into his own room in a few months time and move my dh [and cats!!] back in so don't want a baby that won't sleep alone]

Thanks

would something like this help

Gurraun - Your DS sounds like my DS2. He has been really snorty and mucousy from birth and his breathing sounds very 'chesty'. He is now 19 weeks old. We survived the first 8 weeks by swaddling him but even with swaddling, we could hear his breathing isn't 'right'. We then noticed that he slept much better on his front (when he used to have his naps in the living room where I could see him all the time). We finally tried it at night and his sleeping became 'silent' and he slept much more soundly. He's been sleeping on his front since. I'm still fairly nervous about it but the nerves have eased slightly since he got past the 4-month-mark. He's still very chesty, I don't really know why but the nurse and GP tells me he will grow out of it. DS1 wasn't like that at all. At 5.5 weeks old, I would be too nervous to let a baby sleep on his front. I think putting him on his side is probably fairly safe with a positioner. Just try to take each day as it comes, your DS will get stronger and you won't worry as much when they are bigger!

I know it's totally against guidelines, so I really hesitate recommending this. However I side-slept DS from birth and at 6 weeks let him sleep on his front - none of us would have got any sleep otherwise. When sleeping on his side I didn't need to prop him, and I made sure his 'bottom' hand was extended to stop him rolling onto his front. We also co-slept a lot, and like your son he slept very happily in the crook of my arm (but I didn't sleep very well, hence it wasn't a perfect solution).

He is now 6 months and able to roll over so I am no longer paranoid.

Thanks all - food for thought.
Lionstar - did you have him in with you often and did it cause any problems getting him back in his own bed?

I was told in hospital that side sleeping is no more risky than back sleeping, as long as they can't roll onto their fronts, but you also must make sure that if you use something to prop him onto his side that it does not pose a suffocation risk.

It is correct that once they can roll from front to back it's ok for them to sleep on their fronts.

Gurraun, he would start off most nights in his cot, then come in with us about 11pm. I did struggle to get him back in the cot after that. Things improved drastically once we let him sleep on his front - but that was often in our bed (I would kick DP out to create enough room). It didn't help that it's been such a cold winter - his cot sheets were freezing! It has much improved now, we have a sidecar cot and he has accepted that that is where he sleeps. He still feeds 2-3 times a night.

Our me suggested side sleeping as ds was colicy. We tried putting in a kind of baby recovery position so he couldn't roll onto his front. It did help but just after that ge grew out if the colic!