Ladies whose babies sleep in bed with you

Sunkist20 · #1 March 30th, 2012, 02:45 AM

I keep trying to have Ryne sleep in his rock n play. Doesn't work, he grunts and flails and wakes up immediately. The ONLY way he will sleep is if someone is holding him in the burping position. So or the entire time we've been home (5 weeks) I've been desperately trying to figure out how to get any sleep. I can't sleep holding him because I'm paranoid and we both get sweaty. There's no way I can lay him on his back because he wakes up. So what has been happening is I just don't sleep at night. At all. The only way I sleep is when I can hand him off for 2 hrs in the morning. I feel like such a failure of a mom because I can't figure out how to do this sleeping situation at all. My question is, how do you sleep with your baby? Holding them? How do you control them not getting too hot?

Blue-Jay · #2 March 30th, 2012, 03:12 AM

I feel your pain! My first 6 weeks were like this, too. We were sleeping together on the sofa, and it was uncomfortable in many ways. The last week I was home from work, I put a lot of effort into "weaning" him off me and into his bassinet, and I mainly did the work during the day, since at night I was too exhausted and it was easier to just fall asleep holding him. He's about 8 weeks now, and is sleeping like a champ in his bassinet.

My method was to let him fall asleep in my arms, wait until he was in deep sleep (breathing deeply, not moving at all -- like a rag doll). As soon as he was in this deep sleep, I put in very gently into his bassinet. I had to stand there with my hands on his belly for a few minutes if he woke up, but he could sleep about 20-30 min this way. It gradually got longer. I also allowed him to fall asleep on the floor a few times, and left him there for however long he would sleep. Eventually, he learned how to sleep without being held.

You might try warming up the bassinet (or crib or whatever you want him to sleep in) first with a hot water bottle, and a lot of moms have luck with swaddling, though mine escapes immediately.

Good luck; keep us posted. I know how hard and painful this is!

RandE · #3 March 30th, 2012, 05:33 AM

Rhydian will only sleep good stretches of his arms are held down or he'll flail them and wake himself up. but he hates being completely swaddled. So I use a blanket and tuck his arms down with that.maybe that would help?

katylady · #4 March 30th, 2012, 07:25 AM

I was ready to put Ellie in her crib on her tummy because she was more comfortable sleeping on my chest/her belly. But I tried really hard to just do what the pp said. Have her fall asleep on me, while in deep sleep put her in her rock n sleeper but she woke up 20 minutes later. When she woke up I made sure her blanket was tucked around her legs and put my hand on her tummy and rocked her in her sleeper. 2 days later she slept through the night. Not sure how I got so lucky.
Lots of Luck!

Sunkist20 · #5 March 30th, 2012, 07:42 AM

Thanks ladies. I do usually wait until he's all the way passed out before I lay him down and he just immediately wakes up. It's crazy. What you guys probably don't remember is that he he reflux really bad so there's a lot of grunting involved as well which makes it harder. I havent tried fully swaddling him since the hospital. Maybe I'll have to do that.

daneeleigh · #6 March 30th, 2012, 08:01 AM

We're starting to try the crib but it not going well so far. At night he starts in his bouncer but eventually ends up in bed with us. I swore I never would do this and we do. Dave is just as guilty about this as me it's just so much easier and that's where he wants to be at the moment. We've never had any issues and I manage tO not move during my sleep.

JTsquared · #7 March 30th, 2012, 08:25 AM

I don't necessarily sleep with him in bed, but if he's fussy when I try to put him down after feedings I put him on my chest until he falls asleep. Many times that means I fall asleep too, and I wake up about an hour later and put him in his rock n play. The down side is I never fall soundly asleep, because I am aware that he is on me and I don't want to move. I had to do this twice last night, and he didn't go very long between feedings, needless to say I am very tired today. I am hoping to move him into his room once he can go longer between feedings.

jennybunny82 · #8 March 30th, 2012, 08:38 AM

My little one is 5 weeks old and sleeps in bed with us. She sleeps completely swaddled tightly so she can't wake herself up. She won't sleep if she isn't swaddled. Then we prop her up on a pillow so she isn't completely flat. She doesn't like that. I'm trying really hard to get her to sleep in her own bed right now. It's not working so well because it's so much more convenient for her to be in our bed. LOL. She sleeps from about midnight to 6 am without waking. So that's pretty nice. Then from there on... it's every 3 hours.

Sunkist20 · #9 March 30th, 2012, 08:40 AM

Danielle- how do you sleep with him in your bed? Holding him? I admit I slept holding him on my chest last night, I am very aware of him and I don't move and I'm constantly making sure he can breathe, buy the problem is we both get sweaty. Ugh I can never win lol

daneeleigh · #10 March 30th, 2012, 01:11 PM

He sleeps everywhere in our bed lol. Usually after a feeding he'll fall asleep while I'm burping him and he'll stay on my chest for awhile. I then lay him down in between us and he usually snuggles towards one of us. Last night I was so tired we both fell asleep while I was feeding him (he was on his boppy pillow) and Dave sneezed so loud it scared the crap out of me and I almost flung poor Mason across the room. That scared me but I had no idea I had fallen asleep while feeding him. I actually have no recollection of starting to feed him. That's the only scare we've had so far. Anyways, he sleeps on both our chests, snuggled up against one of us, or sprawled out in the middle taking up the whole bed lol.

Kitusne · #11 March 30th, 2012, 01:13 PM

David gets gasy, so wont sleep on his back. He'll only sleep on his side or sitting up, so we both sleep obn our sides facing one another.

I was very worried the first couple weeks too, but I don't move at all, and if he can't breathe he will move his head. He likes to sleep with his face anywhere smelly, so buried in my armpit or breasts (for milk smell). It scared me at first, but over time I realized he is not going to kill himself. I think its usually an issue of the parent rolling on the baby, but I trust myself, and I know I wont move.

Iluvmybabies* · #12 March 30th, 2012, 02:01 PM

She will sleep on my chest or in between me and my snoogle pillow(our mattress and bed frame are pretty much on the floor so very low to the ground)she likes to sleep with her arms over her head, I have the head of her bassinet tilted up for her reflux and it helps LOTS

Katie L · #13 April 1st, 2012, 10:03 AM

Hi Ladies! I have been lurking here since my DS was born Feb 20. I was on TTCMA board.

We are having the EXACT same problem with DS. He has BAD reflux and we can't get him to sleep on his back at all. During the day we let him sleep on his tummy in his pack n play while we are up. At night he sleeps on me in burping position. We don't get sweaty, I think because he sleeps on the burp cloth on my shoulder (since he is likely to spit up). I sleep semi-sitting and I don't move around but also don't sleep very soundly. Unfortunatley, I think sleeping like this is keeping him from stretching out his feeds. Even though he is 6 weeks he still wakes every 2-3 hours. DH takes him from me early in morning so I can sleep flat for a couple hours.

We have had him sleep on the bobby in his bassinette a handful of times. I'm going to work on that more. Also his bassinette mattress is at a slant with towels under it. That hasn't worked for us yet...

Fingers crossed for you that you can get more sleep soon!

Doodlebug06 · #14 April 2nd, 2012, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie L

Hi Ladies! I have been lurking here since my DS was born Feb 20. I was on TTCMA board.

We are having the EXACT same problem with DS. He has BAD reflux and we can't get him to sleep on his back at all. During the day we let him sleep on his tummy in his pack n play while we are up. At night he sleeps on me in burping position. We don't get sweaty, I think because he sleeps on the burp cloth on my shoulder (since he is likely to spit up). I sleep semi-sitting and I don't move around but also don't sleep very soundly. Unfortunatley, I think sleeping like this is keeping him from stretching out his feeds. Even though he is 6 weeks he still wakes every 2-3 hours. DH takes him from me early in morning so I can sleep flat for a couple hours.

We have had him sleep on the bobby in his bassinette a handful of times. I'm going to work on that more. Also his bassinette mattress is at a slant with towels under it. That hasn't worked for us yet...

Fingers crossed for you that you can get more sleep soon!

What formula are you using? Or are you bf'ing?

Katie L · #15 April 2nd, 2012, 10:23 AM

I'm breastfeeding. He occasionally gets Enfamil Newborn. I am examining my diet to see if it is contributing to his issues. Lately, I have been hand-expressing off some of my foremilk since it makes him gassy, his poop green, and doesn't keep him full.

Doodlebug06 · #16 April 2nd, 2012, 10:43 AM

I recently talked to the LC about my dd bc she's been pretty constipated lately. I'm ebf'ing. She was on Zantac for a while for acid. I've started giving 1/2 tsp of milk of mag. That's what the gastro dr told us to use.
Babies tummy's are so sensitive!

Oh also the LC told me if you give him more hind milk it keeps them fuller longer. I've yet to figure out how we can tell when hind milk starts coming out. Lol.

My dd does better with night feeds if we lay down and I semi prop her head. Let her feed off and on a while until she drifts to sleep. I make sure tv and noise is off and only a small dim light is on. She sleeps almost 6 hours at a time this way now. (beside me but we couldn't get her to sleep any way else)

*krista* · #17 April 2nd, 2012, 11:03 AM

I didn't read any responses, but it sounds to me like you have a belly sleeper. If I were you I'd invest in an angel care monitor that will sound an alarm if they stop breathing and let him sleep on his belly. It might carry a higher risk of SIDS, but so does cosleeping, and at least this way you can have a monitor on him and get some sleep youself. Both of my babies have been belly sleepers too.

Doodlebug06 · #18 April 2nd, 2012, 01:07 PM

I just ordered an angel care monitor. Amazon has it for 86.87 w free shipping. I had $21 left on a promo gift so mine was only $65. =)

daneeleigh · #19 April 2nd, 2012, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie L

Hi Ladies! I have been lurking here since my DS was born Feb 20. I was on TTCMA board.

We are having the EXACT same problem with DS. He has BAD reflux and we can't get him to sleep on his back at all. During the day we let him sleep on his tummy in his pack n play while we are up. At night he sleeps on me in burping position. We don't get sweaty, I think because he sleeps on the burp cloth on my shoulder (since he is likely to spit up). I sleep semi-sitting and I don't move around but also don't sleep very soundly. Unfortunatley, I think sleeping like this is keeping him from stretching out his feeds. Even though he is 6 weeks he still wakes every 2-3 hours. DH takes him from me early in morning so I can sleep flat for a couple hours.

We have had him sleep on the bobby in his bassinette a handful of times. I'm going to work on that more. Also his bassinette mattress is at a slant with towels under it. That hasn't worked for us yet...

Fingers crossed for you that you can get more sleep soon!

Mason is ebf and he wakes every 2-3 hours at night still.