How do you sleep with newborn?!

Question

Baby girl is 12 days old today and we are struggling with sleep. I had a c section and in the hospital we learned baby refused to sleep anywhere but on me... I literally got 1 hour of sleep my 3 days in hospital because of this and because of the nurses and doctors saying how important it was I not sleep with her on my chest because she could suffocate and die. Now we are home and she still will not sleep anywhere else. Anytime I put her on her back she spits up sometimes even chokes. I’ve been sleeping in an up right position with her on my chest and pillows around us. I don’t wear any lose clothing and baby can lift and turn her head. It is the only way either of us are able to get any sleep but I’m feeling very guilty that I’m putting her in harms way. What are you mamas doing?

Answer

If she has a bassinet, put her sheet in your shirt for a while and then put her back in the bed. Babies can smell thwir mommas. I did this with my oldest and it helped a ton. Also, swaddling helps as does a noise machine. If nothing works, ask for help. It is ok to be tired and overwhelmed. Asking for someone else to let you get a few hours uninterrupted is healthy and normal. You can't go without sleep momma.

Answer

We went through the same thing. We got a rock and play, it has a little bit of a tilt to it so baby is not sleeping on their back. It’s been the only thing that has helped us. We bought swings and co sleepers and bassinets. Everything the rock and play has been the only thing to give us all a little bit of sleep. Hang in there. I know it’s tough. I felt like i was going to go insane.

Answer

I learned on the second night my daughter preferred sleeping on my chest too. If she was in her bassinet she was not having it. Even after feeding, being burped, clean diaper and swaddled. She didn’t care for the swaddling after the second night. She likes to be able to have room to move her arms and such. So when we got home, I slept in an up right position with a nippy around me and her on my chest. It was the only way I was able to get just a couple hours of sleep at night. And then I would be awake all night until my husband woke up and would take her so I could get about three 1 to 1.5 hours of sleep in between each feeding. My daughter literally was nursing ever hour to hour and a half. It became so normal for me to stay up all night and sleep during the day. She wouldn’t sleep at all in her own bed no matter what I tried after hours and hours of research every night and trying new things. I just said f*** this. I’m just going to sleep sitting up on the couch. Im a light sleeper so every sound and movement she made woke me up. I even tried putting her in her bouncer and she didn’t like that either. I tried the vibrations, white noise, heartbeat sounds both while she was in her bed and in the bouncer. I literally tried every trick and recommendation that I read and was told. Once she hit about 10 weeks old, I tried again to lay her in her bed and she stayed asleep and slept for four hours straight. I woke up freaking out because I thought something was wrong. Turned out she was just sleeping away and ever since she has been sleeping in her bed. I will say this, if the only way she will sleep is on your chest, then do so. Just be cautious and careful and only do it if you are comfortable doing it. Also, get a nightly “bedtime” routine going. Even though you can’t really sleep train a baby until they are about 6 months, you can still establish a bedtime routine to help baby get the idea this is “bedtime”. So from about ten weeks to now ( my baby is 12 weeks now so we have only been doing this for a couple weeks now but it has become our routine and if i don’t follow it she will be extremely cranky) at about 1030-11pm, after my oldest is in bed, i change my daughters diaper, get her in jammies and nurse her. We are at the nursing stage by 11pm at the latest. She is a quick eater so she is usually done within 5-10 minutes and is asleep. From 11-1130pm I will just hold her and cuddle her keeping her pressed tight against me with a blanket wrapped around her. At 1130pm I get up and put her in her bed and make sure the blanket I had wrapped around her stays wrapped around her so that warmth doesn’t go away. From there she wakes up two more times throughout the night for feedings. And with those feeding i make sure the lights are dim. Just barely enough for me to see. I will use the flashlight on my phone since it isn’t super bright and I keep that blanket wrapped around her. Once she is done eating I put her back in her bed. I don’t say a word to her during those feedings. That way it doesn’t make it seem like it’s time to wake up. So far it is working amazing for us and my husband is actually happy to have me back sleeping in our bed again. Newborns are very use to being super close to you, hearing your heartbeat and constantly being snuggled tight and warm. So if you and baby are ok with her sleeping on your chest do it. You are mom and you are the only one that can say for sure what is beat for you and baby when it comes to sleeping. Don’t worry, baby will soon be sleeping in their bed before you know it. It may not seem like it but it will happen.

Answer

Unfortunately she will continue to favor your chest unless you start to put her down. It’s going to be a super long night but prepare yourself and burp her right feeding and then swaddle and set her down in her crib or pack n play, wherever she sleeps. For me, i had to put him down FOUR times before he would stay asleep and by then I had very little time to sleep before it was feeding time again. It was exhausting but now we only need to repeat the process two times at the most and he’ll stay asleep! The other think you can do is co-sleep, I personally cannot because I’m afraid of SIDS. But a lot of mamas do it successfully and it makes their life’s so much easier

Answer

When we were still in the hospital my son had swallowed fluid so he was throwing it up and gagging on it and it would scare me. So I slept with him on my chest. When we first got home from the hospital he got a cold and was all stuffy and the only way he could breathe to eat or sleep was propped up. And still to this day he sleeps with me. It’s a bad habit, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Answer

I’m now 4 weeks out of the hospital and every week I go to a moms support group. This week at group I brought up that issue to the group. I have not been able to put baby down to sleep without him waking up. He always wants to sleep on me. The lactation consultant told me to look up James McKenna. She also said as a hospital employee she is required to say that the safest place for baby to sleep is in the bassinet/crib. However, four other moms in the group said that they let baby sleep in them until baby outgrew that phase. Ranging from 4 weeks to 10 weeks. So now I just let baby sleep on me and we all get sleep. I do prop my arms up on pillows so that I can’t drop him. It’s also only recommended to “bed share” if you’re breastfeeding because your body usually is more physically in tune with baby.

Answer

The rock and play saved us. At 4 days she wouldn’t sleep in her bassinet anymore. During the day she naps on the boppy lounger pillow and at night she’s in the rock and play. Both have a slight incline and she’s happy.

Answer

I have a 2 year old who has been getting his 2nd molars and a newborn... I've just accepted that I'm not going to sleep for a while. I walk around like a mombie

Answer

I’ve slept with all of mine but it isn’t for everyone. If you’re a heavy sleeper or move a lot then don’t do it. I always sleep on my side with the baby sleeping in the crook of my arm. I don’t move in my sleep though. Baby is always in the middle of the bed never on the outside. My friend uses a rock n play and her baby loved it.

Answer

My baby girl wouldn't sleep unless she felt like she was being hugged. We had to put rolled up blankets or towels in her bassinet so she felt them firmly up against her. We ended up finding an insert for our bassinet so we didn't need anything in it with her anymore but she still had to be swaddled. As she's gotten older (8 weeks today) we've made it to where the insert is gone and she just sleeps in footie pajamas. Maybe your little one wants to feel secured like that too. Hang in there and good luck. I know it's rough but just know there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Here she is packed in like a sardine

This is our failed swaddle (even using the swaddle pajamas lol) in her bassinet with the insert

Here she is now in her bassinet with her footie pajamas.

How do you sleep with newborn?!

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