Feel so awful my baby could have suffocated

[summer rain]

Co-sleeping safely in your bed is in some ways statistically more safe than baby sleeping in a crib, over the past few years in the US at least more babies have died in a crib than in their parent's bed. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and often fall asleep while feeding; but am also a very light sleeper so will wake up if anything is at all amiss. I have nearly dropped my LOs when feeding sitting up and starting to nod off-which is a lot more dangerous as we have pretty thin carpets and concrete floors. Co-sleeping isn't for everyone but if done safely it does actually reduce the risk of SIDs; In the UK most 'co-sleeping' accidents don't occur in the parents bed but when parents fall asleep on a sofa-its thought that advice against bed sharing has somewhat contributed to parents trying to stay alert feeding on a sofa and accidentally falling asleep there. xx

 

[heather91]

This happened to me a couple of times when exhausted. Its scary but if you put your head under the quilt you can still breathe, I guess you'd have to be holding it down pretty tightly to suffocate baby. Nonetheless when you're bf in bed pull your quilt by your waist so its ok if you fall asleep. I've been really exhausted the past few nightsso my OH keeps an eye on us.

Well the thing is a baby re-breathing its own carbon dioxide can cause sids. When a blanket or pillow or whatever is over the baby's face, the baby will keep re-breathing carbon dioxide instead of fresh oxygen. Its not usually true suffocation that happens.

good point. My point was more along the lines of there being fresh oxygen available as there would usually be a gap in the quilt for arguments sake. Of course this should never happen of you're safely cosleeping so if it does then you need to rethink where your quilt is

 

[ashley2pink]

Co-sleeping safely in your bed is in some ways statistically more safe than baby sleeping in a crib, over the past few years in the US at least more babies have died in a crib than in their parent's bed. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and often fall asleep while feeding; but am also a very light sleeper so will wake up if anything is at all amiss. I have nearly dropped my LOs when feeding sitting up and starting to nod off-which is a lot more dangerous as we have pretty thin carpets and concrete floors. Co-sleeping isn't for everyone but if done safely it does actually reduce the risk of SIDs; In the UK most 'co-sleeping' accidents don't occur in the parents bed but when parents fall asleep on a sofa-its thought that advice against bed sharing has somewhat contributed to parents trying to stay alert feeding on a sofa and accidentally falling asleep there. xx

I nurse my lo in bed, but sitting up. That way if I did drop her(Ive never even come close to doing this) she would just fall on the bed. I dont get up to nurse on the couch or anywhere else at night. I just sit Indian style where I sleep

 

[summer rain]

I was talking about feeding LO in bed sitting up. Maybe our beds are smaller over here but if I sit and BF LO on my side of the bed sitting up in bed; there would still have been a big risk of him falling close to the edge of the bed and consequently rolling out of the bed should I have ended up dropping him, also I would worry that for me personally I could not only drop LO that way but I could slump down asleep on top of him, or I could have dropped him on OHs side of the bed if I fell asleep and then OH could have rolled on him not realising he was there-for me personally lying down feeding is just a lot safer xx

 

[ashley2pink]

Not sure about size difference. Its a queen bed and since my husband doesnt sleep on the bed, due to his deep sleeping and freakishly loud snoring, there is tonz of room all around. She would have to fly out my arms to hit the floor lol. But either way I havent come close to dropping her. Nor my last who nursed at night until 18 months
But if laying down to nurse is safer then do it if you can. I just know I really struggle to do it that way

 

[v2007]

I once fell asleep feeding Mollie

She nearly rolled out of my arms, i was exhausted and in the end i decided that the safest place for her was in her Moses Basket.

I co-slept with Katie but i never really slept as i was paranoid so she went in her basket too, and when she around 7 months i started co-sleeping again and still do it to this day and she is 2.5.

V xxx

 

[Claudia83]

Try not to feel too bad. Also babies are more resistant then you think. I co-slept with DD the first night out of hospital, and woke with her tucked up under my boobs quite happily sleeping away, most people freaked out, but she was quite content.

This is my son, he seeks out to dig his face into something to go to sleep, if he doesn't have anything, he puts his arm over his face. He was in a bassinet until he started scratching up his face from rubbing up against the mesh. I moved him to our bed with a center cosleeper and he kept doing the same and woke up crying. He sleeps inside my pregnancy noodle and he snuggles up against it and loves it! His ped said he's now old and mobile enough to keep from suffocating.

 

[JakesMummy]

OP

I remember when lo was very young, I was BF laying down and fell asleep, I must've been in a lighter sleep as I leant my body onto hers, and she started wriggling which startled the life out of me. After that I refused to feed her in bed, but that only lasted a couple of weeks as she was up all night.

I do tend to co-sleep more towards the end of the night, when she wakes more. I make sure the duvet is on my hips, and I wear a long sleeve top so I don't get too cold. Baby is in a vest, babygrow and grobag, that way no blankets are near her. I also make sure I have an outstretched arm above her, as thats the only way I feel comfy and it stops her from wriggling up.