FWIW I thought I would add that when I've seen pics of friends premmie babies (both in SCN and NICU) that have been of them tummy sleeping. If the midwives in the nurseries will let them do it (presumably so that they get that much needed sleep) and when they are so small, it must not be as risky as some people will have you think. That said, I personally think that if you are going to let bubs tummy sleep then it is best to have a movement monitor, mainly for peace of mind, but also just in case.
Kat - with regard to the sensor monitors - we have the tommee tippee one and it works a treat, it goes off after 20 seconds - so perhaps this would ease you mind if Ivy prefers her tummy? You can get them at Target for about $200 but we got ours for $150 when they had 25% off. (There is a $10 target voucher in the bounty bag if you go that)
DD was a tummy sleeper from birth, even in hosp she would NOT settle unless she was on her tummy. Both boys managed to sleep on their backs/ sides - I found if they were unsettled being on their side was better. When they were older I used a rolled up blanket against their tummy & that seemed to soothe them better than being on their back withtheir belly exposed.
But I stressed out & worried the whole time too. I have an angelcare monitor this time... from all the PPs seems that's the way to go.
It does seem if babies decide they want to be on their tummy there's not much you can do to change their mind....good luck with it all
My DS is a tummy sleeper and we have an Angelcare monitor. The sensor's sensitivity can be changed to suit your situation. We found that we had to make it less sensitive during summer when we were using his ceiling fan as the air movement was enough to trick the sensor. So you could always change it so that when you're lying in bed that it won't pick your breathing up.
I know a lot of people who have let their bubs sleep on their tummies and never had a problem. I think there will come a moment when you will decide one way or the other and I hope it all works out well for you.
I'd be getting the monitor, set it up so it will go off if she stops breathing and try a few tummy sleeps.
One other suggestion, do you tuck her in so she's got pressure on her belly from the blanket? My DS found this comforting, but he wasn't as hard to get to settle..
Wow... so many of you with similar experiences. It seems there are lots of bubs who prefer their bellies. We're persisting with back sleeping at this stage but DD is still very hard to settle. Going to invest in a monitor next week for general peace of mind, and if she's still not liking her back, I might try a night or two of tummy sleeping once I feel confident with the monitor.
Thanks again all you wonderful women, your help and input is hugely appreciated.
I havent read all the posts but have you tried her sleeping on her side? Does she like that? Might be a little bit safer than the full tummy sleep. You could also put her in the roll bars so she cant roll onto her tummy or back IYKWIM.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks