As most of the new moms know, the campaign "Back to Sleep" was initiated in 1996 to reduce the rate of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in the United States and teaches new mommies and daddies to have their babies sleep on their backs rather than their tummies. The rate of SIDS-related deaths has dropped 56% since this was instituted! Our pediatricians pound this information into our brains and we become, rightfully so, afraid to put our babies on their bellies to sleep.
When I took Brett in for her 2-month visit I told my pediatrician that I sometimes let Brett sleep on her tummy for naps. He told me, "Don't do it! Mom's think they can put their baby on her tummy for a nap, they go put the groceries away and when they come back to check on the baby, the baby is gone." Well, after that uplifting anecdote I decided Brett would never again sleep on her belly.
So, back to me walking in on her sleeping on her belly... Breathing? Yes. I ran back into my bedroom to tell my husband. I asked him if he thought I should roll her onto her back. He said, to my surprise, yes! So, I went back to Brett's room and rolled her onto her back. I went to bed feeling much better.
I woke up a few hours later and went in to check on her. Again, she was on her tummy and, again, I rolled her back onto her back. I had a rough night of sleep as I woke up every couple of hours to check on her. She stayed on her back the rest of the night.
Luckily, we had a pediatrician appointment today. I asked the doctor if I need to roll her back to her back in the middle of the night. He assured me that now that she can roll herself over she is safe to sleep on her tummy. He recommended that I play with her on the floor and make sure she is also confident in rolling herself back onto her back as well.
I can't get what my doctor originally told me out of my mind. Now I have to reprogram myself to focus on what he told me today. With that information I hope that I have a better night of sleep tonight, although it will probably take me a few nights to get used to her sleeping on her tummy.
For more information on the Back to Sleep campaign go to http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sids/
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one worried about this. I think I'm a little obsessive at this point. My baby sleeps in the room with us and I've had a couple of incidents related to tummy sleeping with him so now I find myself constantly checking on him to make sure he's breathing. I'm sure I've now taken this to an unhealthy level but I'm chalking it up to being a cautious first time parent.
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