Co Sleeping with low birthweight babies?

Hello everyone,

My baby boy is 5 months old corrected and I would like to start co sleeping him again. I co slept with him from when he came home from SCN to about 6 weeks old but then I read in a couple of articles on co sleeping that your not supposed to do it if your baby was premature or low birthweight.
DS was born at 30 weeks so obviously he was premmie!
Just wondering what your thoughts are on this. The articles did not state why you shouldn't do it? :rolleyes:

Please give me your words of wisdom oh wise ones!;)

i didn't co-sleep as i had twins - but would have thought it more important to co-sleep with prems! Like kangaroo cuddles are more important for prems as well ( skin to skin contact)
my twins were prems and kanga cuddles were so much encouraged for them and their body stats were so much better when they were getting skin to skin contact
HTH
odette

I co sleep and Tia is 3 1/2 months old now. I have co slept since birth and she was 2.8kg.

I have never heard that you shouldnt, but I would assume it would be because they may have breathing problems. I don't think it would be a problem as your son is now 5months cor..

Studies can show anything. TBH, I'd think co-sleeping is better SO LONG AS you are aware of the baby (ie not drinking, smoking, deep sleeper, on medications that make you drowsy or for sleep...) and aren't covering the baby's head.

Studies have shown that co-sleeping before 3m is dangerous. Because you're sleep deprived and that makes sleeping with a baby dangerous. But if you co-slept in the first place you'd be less sleep-deprived.

Yeah, as the others have said, there are studies that show one thing and some that show another. I have read studies where they have shown a reduced risk of cot death with safe co-sleeping, as mum's breathing regulates the baby's breathing. Also if you are co-sleeping you are more likely to notice any problem if the baby stops breathing.

I think people need to what is right for them. If you want to co-sleep do it, but if you are worried, you can ask your doctor for his opinion. Remember though, that everyone you ask could have a different opinion on it. At the end of the day, no-one else can tell you what's right for you. GL.

Hi there, my lil man was born at 30wks also and he came home at 6 weeks weighing 2190gms. We co-slept with him on and off for 6 months. He didn't sleep everynight with us, because if either of us was really tired.... it just wasn't worth the risk. I loved to co-sleep and I still do ocassionally and Brendan is ONE!!!!

We used to put a wrap around him (like they do in the NICU/SCN to keep them in one place) and place him a little higher in the bed so that the blankets didn't cover him.

It's so much more important for premmies to get lots of contact with us :)
hope that eases your mind :)

Hi Sparkler,

My son was not low birth weight but I have co-slept with him since newborn, he is now nearly 21 months and we are still co-sleeping. I bought a little sleeping bag for him (I put him up right away from my doona), put a rail up on my side of the bed so he could be on the side and not near my husband who smokes (I removed the one from the cot and tied it on with pantyhose!) and used one of the baby inserts from the car seat which acted as a baracade around him so he couldn't roll. I also tucked my pillow half under my husband's pillow so that it couldn't move. It was a well planned procedure each night but I found that I slept really well this way and he was sleeping through the night by 3 months old, when I returned to FT work.

As some of the other girls have mentioned, close mummy contact is even more important for premmies. I think the reason some have suggested caution with co-sleeping with premmies is to do with lung development and the risk of doonas and pillows, etc but these risks can definately be elimated with good planning.

Just do what comes naturally to you, mummy knows best.

Good luck! :)