Last night Noah went down at about 8pm and then didn`t wake up until 6:45am. Yes you read that right. 6:45AM!!!!!!!
I woke up about 3am wondering what the hell was going on and actually got out of bed, went into his room, and checked to make sure he was okay. I thought about waking him because I was already awake and figured he would surely be getting up soon for a feed anyway so might have been able to pop my boob in his mouth while he was still half asleep but I decided against it and went back to sleep.
When he did wake up I woke up with a start, noticed it was light outside and couldn`t believe it. My almost 4 month old slept through the night. I don`t know if it will be a regular thing but man it felt good to wake up after 8+ hours of pretty much uninterrupted sleep! I got into bed at 9:30pm last night because I was so tired after a 6:30am wake up yesterday and never imagined I would get such a large block of sleep in a row. I had forgotten what that felt like.
This brings me to my dilemma though. Noah has had a slight stuffy nose for a couple of days. He is also scratching at his eyes a lot so I think it is like hayfever (and has eczema for weeks now, the poor little thing. The creams the doctors have given me have helped a little though) and everytime I had tried to sleep him on his back the last couple of nights he has fought it and tried to flip himself over and gotten into a tizzy because he gets up onto his sides and can flip over but then can`t get his hands in the right position (for him, flipping from tummy to back comes a lot more naturally still and not vice versa). The stuffy nose is not helping and even if I rock him to sleep (Which I wouldn`t normally do) he was waking up as son as I put him down.
So I slept him on his tummy.
I know all the literature and doctors advice is that you should ALWAYS sleep a baby on their back (due to SIDS). And usually I would and it had worked like that for us up until now but after several nights of having him get super angry and frustrated I layed him on his tummy a couple of nights ago, patted his bum and he was asleep in seconds. So I have continued with this…
I spoke with my mums friend about it who is a nurse and she said that as long as I don`t put too many blankets of him and he can move his head from side to side or up by himself then I shouldn`t be too worried. Often babies, once they hit six months will prefer to sleep on their tummies anyway and can easily put themselves onto their tummies to sleep.
It hasn`t stopped me from being paranoid though. I go to his door several times before I go to sleep myself to make sure I can hear his “sleep noises” (He is a super noisy sleeper) and I usually put him on his back after his first night feed and he will go off like that but sometimes he would just get really angry again so I have decided to give in for now and sleep him on his tummy.
Does anyone have any experience with this? My brother and I were both slept on our tummies as that was the done thing in the 80s and I know that some mums out there still sleep their kids this way. What is your opinion? Should I perserve and try to get him to sleep on his back even if he fights it and it ends in tears (and less sleep for us both?) or should I let him sleep in the position that is obviously more comfortable for him?
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Also, I have been blog jumping today and came across Brenda @ Mummytime (A fellow Aussie!) after reading one of my regular blogs (Picklebums, another Aussie mum)…and I signed up for Flogyoblog Friday (there is a badge on my sidebar as well!). So welcome to any new readers who have jumped over from there.
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
Congrats! Not only do you have a super advanced baby, he’s considerate too! Hope it happens at least frequently
Missha has a weird problem I’m trying to correct: she’ll sleep in her crib in the day and when I put her down for bed at 8, but after she wakes up around 12-1 she WILL NOT sleep unless it’s inbetween us… =( Maybe Noah can give her a couple pointers next time we meet up? XP
I was always on my tummy as a baby too, and like you said..so were you. We survived alright (well, perhaps with minimal mental damage….=P). As long as you are careful, as you mentioned you are, I’m sure he’ll be fine!
Wow, that is an impressive sleep! Even if it only happens every so often from now it’s still a bonus.
I am not sure about the sleeping on the tummy issue. You definitely need to get your sleep as well so I would do what works for you. If you use a blanket or futon over him at the moment maybe you could change to a sleeping bag thing to make you feel more at ease. Good luck with it anyway! Hope his hayfever clears up soon too! I have been suffering myself so feel for him!
Way to go Noah!!! Thats awesome, did you get a repeat performance last night?
I’m coming maybe only 3-4 hours of zombie sleep so I’m living vicariously through you at the moment. haha.
I was put to sleep on my tummy as well as a baby and I remember putting Sakura down on her tummy a couple times when she was about Noah’s age. In a few months he’ll be flipping back and forth on his own anyways.
Don’t think it will be too much of a risk, especially since you are being so conciencious of the no blankets, and other risk hazards etc.
Hope you are enjoying your full sleep!!
Lulu, my oldest preferred sleeping on her tummy when she was two weeks old. I was worried since it had been drilled into me at the hospital “back to sleep” but she just wouldn’t stay asleep on her back. At her 1 month check-up I asked the doctor and he said it’s fine as long as the sheets are pulled taut and there aren’t any stuffed animals, etc. that could possibly block her mouth and nose. Since then I let her sleep on her tummy and she slept through the night at 2-1/2 months. Heaven! Even now she still sleeps on her tummy and she’s 9!
I was probably put to sleep on my tummy (even now I prefer to sleep that way). No clue as to what to do. I would say as long as there is nothing in the crib with him (sleep sacks might be a good choose for this) toy, etc, or at least take them out once he is asleep before you go to sleep.
Misora doesn`t seem to have any desire to sleep on her tummy at the moment, she sleeps on her back with her arms above her head and the only thing she moves is her head back and forth.
Now if I can just get her to sleep all night long again, like Khea said, she is fine in her crib up at 3am but 3am comes and the only place she wants to sleep is besides me which means I don`t get as nice of a sleep.
Both my kids have been tummy sleepers from about 4 months. They could just roll so easily! A bit nerve racking, but really not much you can do about it, ykwim? Generally, if they have enough muscle control to roll, they have enough to lift their heads too
one reason to worry is that (most) babies who sleep on their stomachs sleep so soundly. *if* something is covering their mouth and nose, they may not notice and just eventually run out of air to breathe. keeping a bare crib or cot helps, but you never know when something might bunch up. and, as i understand it, four to six months is generally the most dangerous time for SIDS. i personally only let my babies sleep on their tummies when they rolled over from their back when i put them to bed (but damned if i can remember how old they were!)
i’m not trying to be a scare monger.
once a baby can turn over and lift his head, they are generally OK for going to sleep on their tummy. also, you are the best judge of your baby and what works best for you.
That’s great! Must be amazing living in Japan. Do you get homesick? I’m looking forward to reading more on your blog.
Oh my I am jealous in advance of that big long sleep! LOL
I’m with your nurse friend… if he can turn himself back from tummy to back, lift up his head etc. If you don’t wrap him to sleep, or put to many blankets on, or have a cot bumper etc etc… then if he sleeps better that way I’d go with it.
Though for the runny nose you might try propping his head up a little… put a couple of books under the head end of the cot just to tilt him slightly (be careful not to do it too much or he’ll slip down to much when he sleeps which isn’t good). Might help the snuffles?
Oh, WOW! That is fantastic… I hope it lasts.
Alex sleeps from about 6:00 at night to 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning, and has done this for about a month. But he is just over a year now, so the fact that your little guy is sleeping so well at four months is amazing
As for the tummy sleeping: well, Alex has slept on his tummy since he was about 6 weeks old. I was concerned, but he preferred it and no matter what position we put him in, I’d go back 20 minutes later and he’d have flipped over onto his tummy. But he could lift and turn his head at about 2 weeks and we didn’t have any pillows, blankets or toys in the crib, and the sides were open (no bumper mats or anything), so I gradually relaxed and accepted that it was his preference. So that’s my experience, for what it’s worth!
I second the raising the cot thing and we use a humidifier in the girls room too. Not sure if it is meant to stop the sniffles starting or help when they set in now but it’s become a habit. My two both sleep on their tummies (Amy with her bum in the air and her knees tucked under) and try as I might they wouldn’t stay on their backs once they could roll.
And I giggled at you waking up because the baby *didn’t* wake you up. Been there done that!
Here’s to many more sleepfilled nights to come!
Hooray for a full sleep! Hope you’ve gotten more since this post!
All my kids were tummy sleepers, and all the other advice you got is right on, just make sure there are no pillows, blankets or other soft stuff that could cover his face.
On another positive note, I’ve heard that breastfed babies have a lower rate of SIDS than formula fed babies, and I’ve read studies that show many babies who sleep on their backs have a development lag in motor and social skills compared to babies who sleep on their tummies, which is why the whole idea of “tummy time” became so popular.
Oh congrats! There’s nothing quite like an unbroken nights sleep. Especially when it comes after months of night feeds! I sleep Max on his back because he’s perfectly happy that way, but my sister always slept her daughter on her tummy (it was the only way to get her to sleep). I second what everyone else has said, keep the cot clear of anything that could get in the way and trust your own instincts.
both my kids (30 months and 3 months sleep on their tummy)
they won’t really settle any other way so…
whatever works!
with the 3 months old, i’m now using a monitor (breathing n sound) for peace of mind.
Congrats on getting a good night’s sleep, ( both of you).
I put all my babies on their tummies, and personally as far as SIDS is concerned I think there are other factors that have nothing to do with downward facing sleep, but that’s just me.
I’d go with whatever you’re comfortable with, hope the peaceful nights continue for you.
I remember that feeling so well – the first morning of my daughter’s life when I woke up to sunlight instead of darkness. I was happy and energetic all day long. My girls were both tummy sleepers, and I too worried as you do. I hate to offer advice on this because no matter what anyone says, you need to go with your gut, otherwise you’ll find yourself worrying anyway.
I don’t have any kids, but I was talking with a nurse here at work not too long ago and she said that her son wouldn’t sleep on his back. She bought an apnea monitor for him (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007237.htm) and let him sleep on his stomach. If you are concerned about SIDS, that’s an option.
Hi, new to your blog, popped over from Warsaw Mommy
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No way am I going to tell you to NOT put your baby on his tummy, but if you are at all concerned about it (because he is a little young for that type of sleeping), you may want to try laying him in his car seat, this allows him to be propped up which will keep his breathing clear, and he will remain comfortable. I did this with my son several times over the winter when he was stuffy. I was concerned for his breathing and mentioned this to the pediatrician I work for – she recommended the propped sleeping in the car seat (and yes I buckled him just in case) and it worked out well. I just put the car seat right in his crib. It seems strange, but he was perfectly safe and comfortable. I would just pesonally worry about putting one so young on his tummy because they usually do not have the control to move their head if the event rises that their nose gets pushed into the mattress, and there is also the issue of rebreathing thier expelled air (carbon dioxide) which is a possible cause for SIDS.
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