Swaddling

[SeattleRain]

My 7 week old loves to be swaddled. If he is even the least bit fussy and I swaddle him up, he calms right down. Even more so with a paci, but it's really all about the swaddle for him. Up until this point I've sort of associated the swaddle with sleeping/naps and I've unswaddled him for "playtime"/not-sleeping time. It makes sense to me that he needs to use his limbs for learning and playing, but theres this in between time when he's woken up from his nap and his eyes are open and he's quiet and seems content so I unwrap him and he immediately gets upset. Then I regret unwrapping him since he seemed so happy. He certainly seems happier swaddled, so is there any reason to believe that swaddling is only for sleeping? Is there any danger to swaddling? Can swaddling be for awake time too?

[Knitting Mama]

Cecilia is still swaddled for all sleeps at 4.5 months. What I would do in your case is, for all awake times, try to go unswaddled. But if he's chilling in his swaddle in the half awake mood, I don't think he needs to be unwrapped until he starts wiggling, KWIM? As he gets older he's going to want more free time. You can encourage it by distracting him and keeping him occupied and stimulated while he's unswaddled.

[P.J.]

It sounds like it's about the transition from sleep to awake time, which is hard for a lot of babies. He was so cozily snug in his swaddle, and happily asleep, and all of a sudden he is awake and getting unwrapped. Don't know what your BFing timing is like, but maybe you could take him out of bed still swaddled and then put him to the breast either for a feed or for comfort through the transition, and then when he's awake (I would do this in a light room so he does wake up) put him down, and maybe sing to him while you unwrap him. You could also try putting him immediately in a wrap or sling, which also gives that snug feeling but while awake.

[SeattleRain]

Originally Posted by P.J.

It sounds like it's about the transition from sleep to awake time, which is hard for a lot of babies. He was so cozily snug in his swaddle, and happily asleep, and all of a sudden he is awake and getting unwrapped. Don't know what your BFing timing is like, but maybe you could take him out of bed still swaddled and then put him to the breast either for a feed or for comfort through the transition, and then when he's awake (I would do this in a light room so he does wake up) put him down, and maybe sing to him while you unwrap him. You could also try putting him immediately in a wrap or sling, which also gives that snug feeling but while awake.

Hmmm, I never thought of it like that (the sleep awake time transition). So this morning I brought him out of bed and just waited for him to start squirming against the swaddle before unwrapping him and it went down a lot easier when I finally did unwrap him. Maybe like his mommy, he enjoys to lounge for a little while before getting up for the day

Also, I remember hearing that one shouldn't feed in the swaddle but I don't remember why. We're actually not breastfeeding (we weren't able to breastfeed after a breast reduction) and I wonder if I remember it from the hospital when I was trying to breastfeed him in that sleepy newborn stage. He doesn't fall asleep when getting a bottle, but I've always avoided feeding him in the swaddle. Is there a reason why one should avoid feeding swaddled at this point? Does it hurt their digestion?

[Knitting Mama]

I can't imagine why. Cecilia nurses to sleep in her swaddle for every nap/night sleep. And I am a BFAR mama too, how nice to see another one! I use a supplemental nurser (SNS) to deliver donated breastmilk to Cecilia in addition to the small amount I make.

[SeattleRain]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama

I can't imagine why. Cecilia nurses to sleep in her swaddle for every nap/night sleep. And I am a BFAR mama too, how nice to see another one! I use a supplemental nurser (SNS) to deliver donated breastmilk to Cecilia in addition to the small amount I make.

Wow! I'm so jealous, it really didn't work out for us at all. We BF'd in the hospital but I had a c-section and it took over a week to get milk in and I wasn't really making much colostrum. He got so hysterical after 2 days that he refused to go near the breast, even with the SNS. I was so deep in the baby blues that I couldn't handle him screaming to just keep going through it even with a visit everyday from an LC who was very supportive. In the end I got so little in and the pumping was so tedious, I don't know.. I just couldn't handle it. I wish I could feed him donated breastmilk, we're paying a fortune for Earth's Best formula, but I just don't know where to get it. There's no milk bank in Seattle.

I'm so glad that it's going well for you, I'm hoping maybe next time it will go well for me :-)
/sorry for the off topic...

[Knitting Mama]

I don't get it from a bank-- check your local tribe thread here, join mama groups, and try www.milkshare.com Plus I take a ton of galactagogues to make more milk.

I bet you will find a way to make it work next time, because you have so much more knowledge now!

Anyway, sorry for the off topic!

[P.J.]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama

I can't imagine why. Cecilia nurses to sleep in her swaddle for every nap/night sleep. And I am a BFAR mama too, how nice to see another one! I use a supplemental nurser (SNS) to deliver donated breastmilk to Cecilia in addition to the small amount I make.

Yeah we BF to sleep for every nap and at night, while swaddled, so I hope it's not dangerous....but I doubt it is. So far so good!

Glad to hear it helped to wait a while before unwrapping him.