The Taboo of Sleeping on stomach

[kaytee11]

Just wondering what everyones hisytory, experience & opinions are. When I was born the midwives told my mum that babies need to sleep on their stomach not on their back. A year later my sister was born and it had changed, babies now need to sleep on their back and not on their stomach.

Aila has been awful to sa the least sleeping the past week. Woke at 12am , 2am, 4am, 5am and 7 last night. When i put her on my shoulder to wind her she goes fast asleep, or if i put her over my knee, same thing fast asleep. So ive literally decided to do an experiment.

Im on my bed, and ive put two pillows out and ive put Aila lying on he rback, not even one minute later ( no exageration) but she is screaming. I then put her on her stomach, that was 25 mins ago and she has her hands under her face, to the side (which she did herself) and she has not whimpered let alone cried since. Shes only a month old, im completely terrifed to leave the room but what if the fact of the matter is she hates sleeping her back, she cant sleep on her back and prefers this way. To be fair she was back to back when i was pregnant with her and when i was pregnant she always always had her ass stuck up cause i cud always poke it and thats exactly how she is now.

I just dont knoww, she seems to b getting herself some decent sleeep for the first time in a week but im terrified of leaving her like that.

 

[tinkerbell86]

They do say babies shouldn't lay on their front but both me and my oh sleep on our fronts and so does my ds. Now he's older he tends to lay on his side but when he was young we always used to find him on his belly with his bum in the air!

 

[leannesxb]

My LO was put on his stomach to sleep in special care and will not sleep properly unless he is on his front. Till he could move his head etc we got a sensor mat but now he moves himself all over his cot. My eldest did it too. x

 

[beanster]

as soon as she could move herself Holly has slept on her tummy! I put her down on her side now and she rolls straight on to her tummy.

 

[Sarah13]

You can get those angel mat things that will alarm if she stops breathing for any reason, it might set your mind at ease. K sleeps on his tummy and has done since he could roll over himself, he was also more settled on his tummy but I was like you too paranoid to leave him!

 

[Pudds86]

cam has slept on his tummy from 3 weeks. He had very good head control from about a week. The danger is not babies suffocating on their tummies, its that they can ovecheat easier as their organs fall to the front.

As long as they aren't dressed too hot, and can lift their head its fine. Xx

Sent from my shit hot phone! Fo shizzle home girls.

 

[x_larlybelle_x]

Henry has been a tummy sleeper since he was 5 weeks as he sleeps better. If it works, go for it x

 

[jojo_2012]

I slept on my tummy and still here 28 years later. Have put both my boys on their back but if it helped them sleep a noticeable amount more I'd try them on their tummy.

 

[Hunnie]

Sophie has been a tummy sleeper from early on and still is! I was also a tummy sleeper and love being on my belly to sleep as well

 

[Bot]

Dylan used to be like this and I was like you and not sure what to do. Id let him nap on his front sometimes when I was next to him, but was too paranoid to put him down like that at night, and I didn't have a sensor at the time. I'm not sure when, but at some point ( I think once he stopped gulping and gasping on his back!) he started to like sleeping on his back. Now if I put him on his front he wakes up more, gets cross trying to move or roll and wants to look around. Only really thought about this after reading your post, I suppose it became a non issue gradually so I didn't really notice.

 

[hellywelly]

Apparently when I was little I was put on my front with a duvet over me and I'm still here! lol. I still sleep on my tummy now. My daughter is a side sleeper and has been from birth, and I think when she can roll this will turn into tummy sleeping. We have an angelcare monitor and I would really recommend this - especially if you have a tummy sleeper. x

 

[poppypd]

We did the same experiment and it was the same, as soon as she went on her tummy the crying stopped. Think lying that way closes off some valve that stops some contents coming back up but don't quote me on it. Like the others have said we have the breathing monitor as I knew i'd be in checking all the time otherwise. A tip should you get one, get a big piece of plywood under the mattress. We have ours in her cot bed and I only put it on a small square of wood as didn't have a big piece like it suggests. (I read on some reviews that was fine and it has been for 2 months!) Last night at 3.30am, the alarm is shrieking and we're in that room as fast as can be, hearts pounding and she was squashed up in the corner breathing quite happily.

 

[ShadowWolf]

When I was born it was tummy sleeping, same for my OH, BiL and most people of my generation that I know. Lilly broke out of her swaddling blanket at about a month old and from then on would only sleep on her tummy with her little arms under her head. Now she tends to sleep any old how I still prefer sleeping on my tummy, its just so comfy! When I was pregnant it was torture not being able to do it

Xx

 

[littlemiss83]

I was also put on my stomach as a baby, and to this day thats the only way I can sleep.

When they changed the guildelines years ago to start putting babies on their backs, there was a sharp decrease in SIDS cases.

I just cant bring myself to let LO lie on his tummy. There is an increased risk when you do that & tbh I dont want that increased risk iykwim. I'd rather just go in & turn him over. Its fair enough saying....I slept on stomach & I was ok, but that doesn't stop this risk. I suppose its the same as all these things isn't it, its wether your willing to take the risk or not & its totally up to you

My LO was going blue & choking & going unconcious & stuff (severe reflux) and obviously it stands to reason that going on front would stop the choking but all the doc's and baby docs said no way dont put on stomach, even tho he was choking numerous times a day they said the risk of SIDS is higher than the risk of choking so thats a pretty bold statement.

xxxxxxxxx

 

[kaytee11]

Eavh to their own, ive done so much research on it since yesterday. Ie let her na on her stomach as im usually in the same room. Last night i put her to bed at 9:30 she didnt wake up until 1am settled back at half 2 after tones of wee and poo and didnt wak back up until 7am. best night ive had with her ever. I had her sleepng on her side all night which she seemed alot happier with. 'Back to sleep' just isnt for every baby and i dont see the point in forcing them to sleep on their backs for our own peace of mind when they wontt get a good nights sleep. Theres so much technology out their now for this reason alone xx

 

[littlemiss83]

Back to sleep is for every baby hun. But I know what you mean, some babies prefer sleeping like that to lying on their back, thats a given, but we all know that what babies prefer doing & what is actually good for them is different.

Are you willing to take the SIDS risk just for an extra couple of hours sleep. The NHS says you should put your baby to sleep on their back, I was also told that at the hospital when LO was born, were you? Its the safest way hun. And if you do it the front way you are taking the risk, it might sound harsh but the risk is still there, there's no way to butter it up i'm afraid. It seems like alot of ppl (not you btw) follow the medical guidelines down to the T when they are pregnant but when they are born they make up their own rules. For example, someone I know was in a panic about eating an egg that wasn't cooked 100& hard wen pg but was willing to put baby on tummy to sleep, it seems a bit backwards. You either believe & trust in what the NHS say or you dont. I trusted them 100% when I was in labour, i put my babies life in their hands so i'm doing the same after birth.

Its one of the more serious parts of having a baby, now please dont shoot me down here - but you wouldn't let someone smoke over your baby would you? Why? Because doctors & the NHS say its not good for them, but its different for this? Does that make sense.

Oh and the technology like angelcare monitors & the like - they dont stop SIDS, or alert you to it happening, all you can do is try & prevent it.

xxxxxxxx

 

[leannesxb]

I know threads like this cause a lot on controversy but its not a case of deliberately endangering my child should I allow him to sleep on his front. And is definitely not just for the sake of a few hours sleep for me. I have actually been told by the pediatrician, GP and HV to allow my son to sleep on his front otherwise he will not sleep an was in desperate need of sleep for his own sake not just mine!!!!!

I also would like to mention my friend lost her baby to SIDS and she followed everything to the letter, baby at bottom of cot, on back, temperature checked the room every night and never allowed anyone to smoke anywhere near her or the baby and she still died from SIDS.

My cousin had a sensor mat and it alerted her in time to perform CPR on her baby who is now 12years old!!!!

I know some of you guys feel very strongly about these things but sometimes its just advice people want not opinions forced on them. x

 

[littlemiss83]

I just said what the NHS said, which is fact rather than opinion.

I'm very very suprised at a doctor/HV saying that tbh, as they are going against WHO & NHS guidelines.

Thats a shame your friends LO died. Sorry to hear that. Makes you realise how precious they are doesn't it.

i'd imagine if the official guildelines from NHS say not to do front sleeping then there is a reason for it, if you chose to ignore, thats fair enough, its totally your choice. There isn't really any point in arguing about it. Front sleeping COULD endanger LO's which is a good reason not to do it (for me anyway)

xxxxxxxx

 

[leannesxb]

I know thats the guidelines but they said to me they are what they have to say but if like mine he went 3 months sleeping 40 mins a night then sometimes you have to do what has to be done. It was making him poorly having no sleep and in hospital the medical staff put him on his front. It does make you realise how precious they are and I don't feel on their recommendation I am endangering my son any more than my friend did. I just didn't want people to have that guilt on top of everything else parents feel guilty about. lol

 

[littlemiss83]

My Lo has severe acid reflux, he chokes, goes blue & unconcious, up to 12 times a day. He could die anytime it happens basically. I obviously wanted to put him on his stomach to sleep over fear he'd choke & die in sleep, my GP & my paediatrician at Glasgow Childrens hosp both said DO NOT put him on his stomach. They said the risk of SIDS is greater than the risk of choking ect. I understand where your coming from, i'd be wondering what to do if my doc said something against the general NHS.

Its not that im trying to be mean, its just sometimes we forget that there can be consequences of simple things like how you put baby to sleep. I dont think it would be very fair to lead someone to think that there is no risk at all with front sleeping when that just isn't the case.

xxxxxxx