How to Sleep When All You Do Is Obsess Over SIDS

Hi Momma,

Look, I totally understand. You look down at your little one making sure he or she is breathing multiple times per night. You finally close your eyes, almost drift off to sleep but you hear a little squirm or a noise, you open your eyes again to check your baby's breathing - It's a neverending process, isn't it? Other people may not even think twice about checking for breathing, especially waking up for a little noise, but you are different. You worry about everything, and I totally understand. I also understand that you're probably going through each day barely functioning, right? But you and I both need to realize it's not good for our health and especially not good for our stress levels. Here are some ways to finally get some peace (even if it's only a little bit) and catch the sleep we deserve:

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Room Sharing

Co-sleeping isn't safe but sharing your room is highly recommended. There are bassinets that can hook right to your bed, or you can just position a bassinet next to your bed. According to an article from Harvard, babies usually do sleep better and for longer stretches when they sleep in their own room. However, the article also states it's best for a baby to sleep in the parents' room until they are at least six months to one year of age. The reason why is because babies don't sleep as well in their parents\\\' room, but that's a good thing when it comes to preventing SIDS, that way they aren't sleeping too sound.

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Offer a Pacifier

Some parents may not like the idea of their baby having a pacifier. However, the benefits can outweigh the risks when a baby is small as it can help prevent SIDS. A study revealed that giving a pacifier during sleep has decreased the chances of SIDS by 90 percent."According to De-Kun Li, a reproductive epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente in California, babies who sleep on their stomach without a pacifier are 2.5 times more at risk for SIDS. While it's still not ideal for a baby to sleep on their stomach, if they happened to roll over with the pacifier in their mouth, the bulky handle on the pacifier would prevent them from burying their face in the bedding. If you're worried about your baby's teeth from using a pacifier, take it away when they become a toddler. You should never place your baby on their stomach to sleep. This is just to reassure you that if and when they do roll over on their tummy, a pacifier can help.

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Why Not Let a Product Keep Track of Movement

You need your sleep, so why not let a product take over and make sure baby is moving. That's right - there is such a thing, and it's genius. Snuza offers movement monitors like the Snuza Hero^SE, Snuza Pico, and Snuza Go."There is also a Snuza Hero^MD that is a medically certified baby breathing monitor in Europe. These devices are easy to use but are most accurate when your baby is positioned on his or her back during sleep. Babies don't have a voice to tell you when something is wrong and as a parent, you need extra sleep - Let Snuza fill that gap so you can have peace of mind.

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Educate Yourself

To feel a little less stressed about SIDS, try to educate yourself on what you can do for prevention. While you don't want to waste your days with endless research, you can search for a few tips or even ask the pediatrician. During your search, you will find a lot of information. Aside from the suggestions above, you will find that breastfed babies have a lower risk for SIDS (but don't feel bad if you're formula feeding as SIDS is still very rare), always put your baby on his or her back to sleep, use a firm mattress and don't have blankets or pillows in the sleep area, and practice tummy time.

Feel a little better now, mom? I hope so. SIDS is a scary thing. You can literally worry yourself sick over what could happen. If you keep worrying, you will miss out on the joy of the precious moments with your baby. You will end up regretting having such worries. As much as it's hard, try your best to follow the above advice and educate yourself. Your baby is little once - Enjoy every moment!

References:

https://www.parenting.com/article/stressed-about-sids

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-having-your-baby-sleep-in-your-room-2017060611855

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/pacifier-greatly-reduces/

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/06/08/room-sharing-infants-sleep-sids_n_16994320.html

https://www.babycenter.com/404_how-can-i-stop-worrying-about-my-sleeping-baby_2209.bc