OMG, how do you sleep??? AND what did your newborn sleep in?

DS is 5 days old. He sleeps so much during the day and is really starting to get the hang of breastfeeding. At night, in the hospital, I slept. I knew someone was keeping an eye out for him.

Now that we are home, it's totally different. If he isn't awake and I'm exhaused, then he's asleep and I'm constantly checking up on him.

We are swaddling him. We are using a blanket and the swaddle me. But I'm so worried about him choking or covering his face with the blanket or the swaddle me. The swaddle me says newborn but he kicks his legs around.

Currently, he is in the pack n play right next to my bed. I am constantly getting up to check to make sure he is breathing and okay. I never thought I'd be so scared in my entire life.

He was so much safer in my belly.

So, how do you do it? How do you feel confident enough to sleep? I am so protective of this little person that I wish I had a second ME to stay awake all night while the first me slept.

Also, what DID your newborn sleep in?

Re: OMG, how do you sleep??? AND what did your newborn sleep in?

First off, congratulations. Second, it will get easier. DS slept in the newbron napper of his pack and play for the first few weeks. He had reflux and it kept him semi-inclined. He slept in his own room from day 1. There were nights he slept in his swing or bouncy seat next to me while I slept on the couch. DS hated to be swaddled and broke free almost all the time. We started to swaddle him from the underarms down. Then we switched to the sleep sacks. If your son is ok in the swaddle, you really don't need a blanket. There is nothing you can do to make yourself feel calmer except to give yourself time.. It will get easier and you will relax.. Right now you are in Super Mommy Mode. Try not to let yourself get too tired. He is in a safe spot for now and you need to try and get some sleep when he is sleeping, especially at night...

Re: OMG, how do you sleep??? AND what did your newborn sleep in?

Aww I remember those feelings...its so scary having is little person(or 2 in my case ) that you are TOTALLY responsible for. It DOES get better, I promise. My kids slept in a bassinet for about the first month, they their FP infant to toddler rockers then their cribs.

Re: OMG, how do you sleep??? AND what did your newborn sleep in?

Congrats to you on your little bundle of joy! As the pp stated...if you're using a sleepsack or swaddleme you don't need a blanket, so that should give you some instant relief. It's important that you also rest to be the best mommy you can be....so if you're worrying about the baby's respiration you may want to consider purchasing a movement (or respiratory) monitor. Angelcare makes one that is a hard pad that goes under the baby and detects slight movements. When there is no movement for 20 seconds the monitor sends an alert to the home base to let you know...That way you can sleep soundly and know the monitor is doing the watching for you while you rest. Just be aware that if the baby rolls off of it as they get older it can scare the daylights out of you with a false alarm...HTH

Re: OMG, how do you sleep??? AND what did your newborn sleep in?

You'll be ok and I understand! Sleep when you can and when he sleeps during the day! We use the swaddls me and I used to like her hands in at night but then she hated it and.I made peace with it...it's normal for the movement in there, too...dd has been an arm flailer.forever now! She's in the pnp bassinet at night..trust me, as my ped. Says, they don't let you starve them! They always call when you need! Get some rest!

Re: OMG, how do you sleep??? AND what did your newborn sleep in?

I honestly could have written that post when DD was a brand newborn. I was terrified all the time. So much so that I couldn't sleep at night when she slept. I was like you - constantly checking her breathing, making sure she was alright; terrified of the swaddle blanket being too near her face and blocking her breathing. It was awful. It does get better, though - it took me a couple of months but it does get better. You just have to trust that they're going to be okay. Do everything as correctly as you can and have faith. I don't know if you pray or not but I said lots of prayers in those early days and it helped me let go a little. Do try to get as much rest as you can - you'll need it, I remember how exhausting those early days are, especially when you're BF, too.

As for what DD slept in - she was a December baby and it was FREEZING so I bundled her up. But she was always swaddled, if that helps, sometimes with a blanket over the top tucked in really well on the sides so she couldn't kick it off easily.

Good luck and congratulations!