Back to sleep? | Imamother

1stimer

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 10:56 am

I put my baby on his back to sleep, because of the lower risk of sids, lo aleinu, but I was wondering how many people follow this advice and if not why not?

Tefila

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 11:22 am

8) Gil thought your baby was a boy! Wink

I put my babys at 4-6wks on their tummy sleep better till then they are on their side .... when they sleep. If babies are constantly supervised and alot of davening I think on the tummy is hog wash.

But there should be no pillows, stuffed animals etc I hate bumpers for cribs since at first glance you can't see them and who knows how much they can breath thru those things. Till 3-4 mnths they are in a bassinet anyway! After I will put them in the crib!
You asked, so here's my whole parsha Very Happy

Pearl

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 11:26 am

there is something called Babysense. A sensor you put under the matrass, and when HV'S something happens, an alarm goes off. Used it with the first 2, and it helped me sleep!

ForeverYoung
Guest

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 11:28 am

if I slept on my back as a baby, I (and many others) wouldn't be around H'V, as I threw up in my sleep.
B'H I was on my tummy & it didn't go right back & choke me, but just messed up my bed & my head
(my poor mother)

Also, could you add an option to your poll:
"I see what my baby likes better" - thi is me Smile

Another point - children who sleep on their backs haver lower muscle tone & when they learn to turn over by themselves they're at much more risc of choking b/c they might not be able to turn their had for more air.

To make tummy sleep safe, make sure the sheets ae tight & strait & there are no blankets in the bed.

PS b/c of the back to sleep campain, the physical developement delay is a big issue now. So AAP, instead of admitting their mistake, now reccomends to give babies as much tummy time as possible when they're awake. But since majirity of the babies sleep mist of the time......

gryp

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 11:37 am

I put Mendel to sleep on his stomach since he was a newborn. he was right next to me and I was very careful. he slept better that way than on his back, and I was scared he would choke on spit-up, as FY pointed out.

at one of his first dr's appt, the dr told me, "oh he sleeps on his stomach..." I was ready with a whole list of defenses and excuses, but the doctor didnt seem to mind that hes sleeping on his stomach. he told me he could tell which babies are stomach-babies and which are back-babies, because the ones that sleep on their back have a flat spot where they sleep.

1stimer

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 11:42 am

freilich wrote:

8) Gil thought your baby was a boy! Wink

he is but no boy baby emoticons Sad

freilich wrote:

I put my babys at 4-6wks on their tummy sleep better till then they are on their side .... when they sleep. If babies are constantly supervised and alot of davening I think on the tummy is hog wash.

so how do you explain that since they have implemented the back to sleep campaign, the incidence of sids, lo aleinu, has dropped drastically and other supporting research

ForeverYoung
Guest

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 11:44 am

Quote:

stomach-babies and which are back-babies

a cute way to say it -
one of my kids was a stomach baby,
and the baby is a rolly-polly baby, b/c she rolls all over
(my bed, so I end up almost falling off every night LOL)

sarahd

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 12:10 pm

My cousin mentioned to me about the increased incidence of babies needing therapy because they sleep on their back, to which I replied, "Better a baby who needs therapy than a dead baby (r"l)." My baby slept on his back as long as I was able to keep him that way, and I was careful to keep him on his stomach as often as I could when he was awake. He did have a flat spot for a while, but by changing his position we were able to get rid of it.

ForeverYoung
Guest

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 12:19 pm

Sarahd, so what do you say about the children who throw up & spit up in sleep?

Tefila

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 12:20 pm

And whats wrong with their side, newborns can't move anyway Confused

Last edited by Tefila on Mon, Jan 31 2005, 12:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

ForeverYoung
Guest

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 12:20 pm

by the way, in the hospital the nurces put the kids on their sides....

sarahd

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 12:57 pm

The incidence of fatalities involving choking on vomit is much lower than that of SIDS, so unless you know that your baby has a problem with vomiting or such, you're still better off on the back. My baby has a reflux problem, but the doctor told me to keep him on his back anyhow, with the head of the bed propped up at about 30°.

The nurses in the hospital I was in put him on his side sometimes, but only with a towel rolled around him so he shouldn't flop onto his stomach.

yehudis

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 3:30 pm

freilich wrote:

And whats wrong with their side, newborns can't move anyway Confused

Oh yeah? Mine do Smile

. I put my kids either on the back or on the side, and I find them in all kinds of positions at an early age.

Pickle Lady

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 3:36 pm

This is a topic I have researched. My son has reflux and did have early intervention due to sleeping on his back. Yes when a baby sleeps on his stomach he develops his muscles earlier (more practice at pushing himself of his stomach. Formula fed babies also have a higher chance of sids too because of the fact that they have a deeper sleep.

Personally I don't believe in the back to sleep compaign either. I put my babies on their back or stomach, which ever they prefer. My first did not like being on his stomach even though he was a refluxer. Now hes almost 2 years and he sleeps sometimes on his stomach and sometimes on his back. My baby who is 7 months sleep both on his back and his stomach.

There are alot of varying opinions on sleeping babies.

Whether to sleep with your baby in you bed or not?
Babies sleeping on their stomach or back?
The risks of formula on sleeping babies?

Oh FY if you were vomiting as a baby you probably had reflux. In which a reflux baby is more comfortable sleeping on the stomach.

Does anyone know the statistics on babies that pasted away from sids that were formula fed? While there has been a back to sleep campaign there has also been an increase in women breastfeeding their babies. I jsut want to show that the decreased sids babies is not only because of the back to sleep campaign. Yes formula has its place, please moms that formula feed don't jump down my throat. Formula has its place just like the adult medicine that my relux son is on. Every medicine has its risks.

1stimer

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 3:40 pm

Penina: if what you are talking about is a baby monitor than most doctors do not recommend it for healthy babies. This is because a healthy babies' breathing pattern varies and a monitor can cause alarm when none is needed. if your doctor has recommended it then it is a different story.

I have more to add but am being chased to sleep by a very wise hubby so will continue tomorrow iyh!

ForeverYoung
Guest

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 4:01 pm

Quote:

FY if you were vomiting as a baby you probably had reflux

no, this was a 1 (or 2) time incident while I was sick.

Quote:

so how do you explain that since they have implemented the back to sleep campaign, the incidence of sids, lo aleinu, has dropped drastically and other supporting research

you see, the problem with all statisitcs is that they tend to be 1-sided.

generally, infant mortality decreased as prenatal care & labor became better.

higene improved

living conditions improved & the infectious disieases decreased

many life threatening disieases that used to claim many babies (HV'S, lo aleinu) are gone

or that with more regular pediatric care more babies are healthier?

did anybody take into the account thiese & other contributing factors?

Tefila

Mon, Jan 31 2005, 4:06 pm

Could be how the matresses were made too, who knows what we do know is to always check a sleeping infant!

Pearl

Tue, Feb 01 2005, 3:23 am

Hi Gil,
It wasn't advised by the doctor for the baby, but for me. She slept in a cot next to my bed, and all her little noises kept me awake, I would startle from everything. I was really exhausted, and he thought like this I would be more relaxed and get more sleep.
The alarm went off only once, when she had a severe cold.

curlyhead

Tue, Feb 01 2005, 4:31 am

I put my baby on her stomach or side and turn her over when she is in a deep sleep. I will be to scared to go to sleep for the night when she is on her stomach.But I'll leave her on her stomach during the day when I am around. She finds it evry hard to fall asleep on her back

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rydys

Tue, Feb 01 2005, 7:38 am

I'm amazed how many of you still put your babies to sleep on their stomachs simply bec. "they sleep better that way". Here are a few facts:

1. The decrease in SIDS was 30%--that means that for every 100 babies who would have died, 30 are alive today simply bec. they slept on their backs. The study was controlled for breastfeeding and took place in too short of a time frame for advances in pediatric care to make a difference.

2. There was no increase in the number of healthy babies who choked because of spitting up. Many of the babies were observed and seen to turn their heads to the side and clear their mouths very efficiently. (even those with reflux)

3. Babies who sleep on their backs have normal muscle tone. The delays we are seeing in muscle development are due to parents misunderstanding of the instructions. Many parents began putting babies only on their backs and never on their stomachs. They therefore do not have the opportunity to strengthen their arm and neck muscles. The new tummy time campaign is not to fix a mistake made by the AAP, but to teach parents. BTW, babies who are always on their backs catch up in their milestones by 6-8 months. Does it really matter that they turn over from back to front first instead of vice versa? Or that they do so at 5 months instead of 3 months?

4. The reason babies are put on their sides in the hospital is because after birth many babies have a lot of fluid in their lungs and stomach and spit up frequently for the first 24-48 hours. Because of this we keep them on their sides to make it easier for them to clear their airways. By the time they go home, this extra fluid has cleared.

5. The risk of SIDS is at its peak from 3-9 months. This is the same age where babies learn to wiggle from side to stomach and this is the reason why side lying is no longer recommended.

6. The flat spot on the head is positional and can be remedied by putting the baby to sleep with his head in opposite directions each night so he turns it the other way to look around. If it does get a little flat, it will correct itself when he begins to roll over in his sleep.

7. It is true that it is recommended to have nothing in the crib except the baby--no bumpers or toys. SIDS, however, is not caused by suffocation. Suffocation can be determined on autopsy, and the diagnosis of SIDS can only be made after autopsy has determined that there is no identifiable cause of death.

Please put your babies to sleep on their backs! They may wake up more often, but personally I'd rather be up every 3 hours all night with a healthy baby than sleep through the night and risk SIDS.