my baby got too cold last night...will she be ok? - Page 2

[ShanaV]

I second (and third and fourth...) cosleeping. She was also prob crying bc she wanted comfort, booby, or just Mama in general. New babies looooooove (and in fact need, as a pp said) to be near mama as much as poss. Just try this technique: cradle her facing you with her noggin resting on your bicep/armpit area, lie down on your side facing her. You'll be tummy to tummy, and it's very comfy for both. Don't worry about smashing her! You will be conscious of her even in your sleep (or half sleep). Bonus: easy feeding thru the night bc as a newborn she'll prob want to eat, like, every hour or two.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by taffywelsh

no no no no...I was holding her...I just put her down from time to time when she seemed to be asleep, she would cry after a minute or so, then I would pick her up again!
My goodness. Sorry I gave the wrong impression. She sleeps in a cradle right next to my bed. I basically held her all night!
Please.
I never said she had her own room, I just said I wasn't co-sleeping yet. She is about two feet away from me when she is sleeping, just not right in my bed or in a co-sleeper (yet). There is a "baby room", and she has a little cot in there for day sleeping, but that's beside the point.
I also never said I just let her cry for hours without picking her up and comforting her. All I said was that she cried for a long time, which is true...off and on. When I needed a break, my partner came in to hold her. We weren't going to just shut her up in another room and let her "cry it out", although I think that some crying is natural even when she is changed, fed, warm, etc. I set an alarm clock so that I won't go more than 2.5 hours between night feedings, although the doctor said she can have one 4-hour stretch in the night.
Not sure why I have to explain all this, but it seems like I must.
Hopefully people will stop jumping to conclusions here and inflaming one another. It is not fair and it makes me uncomfortable about posting; I thought this was supposed to be a supportive forum. It's hard enough being a new mother without all of this presumptuous vitriol.
thanks.

You have to understand our concern - in your original post, you said "after she cried all night", and that you were unaware of what the temperature was like in her room. I know I was concerned that this meant that you let the baby cry all night, alone, in a different room from you.

The women on this board are supportive, but also concerned with baby's well-being and will advocate for that.

[Limabean1975]

Originally Posted by taffywelsh

no no no no...I was holding her...I just put her down from time to time when she seemed to be asleep, she would cry after a minute or so, then I would pick her up again!
My goodness. Sorry I gave the wrong impression. She sleeps in a cradle right next to my bed. I basically held her all night!
Please.
I never said she had her own room, I just said I wasn't co-sleeping yet. She is about two feet away from me when she is sleeping, just not right in my bed or in a co-sleeper (yet). There is a "baby room", and she has a little cot in there for day sleeping, but that's beside the point.
I also never said I just let her cry for hours without picking her up and comforting her. All I said was that she cried for a long time, which is true...off and on. When I needed a break, my partner came in to hold her. We weren't going to just shut her up in another room and let her "cry it out", although I think that some crying is natural even when she is changed, fed, warm, etc. I set an alarm clock so that I won't go more than 2.5 hours between night feedings, although the doctor said she can have one 4-hour stretch in the night.
Not sure why I have to explain all this, but it seems like I must.
Hopefully people will stop jumping to conclusions here and inflaming one another. It is not fair and it makes me uncomfortable about posting; I thought this was supposed to be a supportive forum. It's hard enough being a new mother without all of this presumptuous vitriol.
thanks.

I'm so sorry you feel attacked! I think the previous posters were just concerned for a sweet tiny baby, and yes, jumped to conclusions because your words were vague.

Back to your original concern - as others have said, I would talk to your ped about it, but I doubt there would be any long-term effect. Night after night of it, yes, but one night? Probably just fine.

[SilverFish]

if you were holding her and feeding her all night and you didn't notice that her extremities were growing chilly, then she probably wasn't really that cold and her crying was probably normal newborn unsettledness (or due to something else entirely). if you DID notice when you went to pick her up that she was chilly, then adding extra clothes or a blanket would be the obvious solution.

now, i have gone to pick my baby up in the morning (usually while we're staying in a hotel/ with family and i'm not familiar with drafts) and realized that she was freezing, but had slept right through it. i do feel terrible, since i know how uncomfortable i get when i'm cold at night. so we've all been there i think.

a practical solution to keeping your baby's sleeping space warm enough might be putting a heated water bottle or rice/oat sock under her matress pad in her bassinet. just be careful you're not making it too hot. i've had success doing the opposite (a cool pad) in my dd's crib during a couple heatwaves this summer.

[marinak1977]

Originally Posted by ShanaV

I second (and third and fourth...) cosleeping. She was also prob crying bc she wanted comfort, booby, or just Mama in general. New babies looooooove (and in fact need, as a pp said) to be near mama as much as poss. Just try this technique: cradle her facing you with her noggin resting on your bicep/armpit area, lie down on your side facing her. You'll be tummy to tummy, and it's very comfy for both. Don't worry about smashing her! You will be conscious of her even in your sleep (or half sleep). Bonus: easy feeding thru the night bc as a newborn she'll prob want to eat, like, every hour or two.

That how I was co-sleeping from day one and still do now. It made feeding much easier and got me much more comfortable. A good reality check is - if you do not thrash around in your sleep and do not roll over your partner you will be aware of the LO. I was terrified at first, but DS was so much happier and stopped crying altogether. We all got much more rest. I also slept skin to skin (me topless, DS in a diaper only) under the same light receiving blanket. It worked great and DS was always plenty warm. Interestingly, the one time the blanket went over his head I woke up immediately. Mommys really do develop the 6th sense. Just make sure to keep pillows, fluffy things, and heavy comforters safely away from her face. I was really scared that DS would suffocate under my boob but he loved having his food close.
I also think she probably wasn't cold as much as she wanted to be held.

[cloudbutterfly]

That sounds like our first night home from the hospital. Sometimes it's hard to tell why they're crying, and even if you find a reason, it might not be the main reason, you know? It turned out that our son just didn't like not being swaddled (I never got the hang of doing it with a blanket, no matter how many times I asked the nurses to show me, so I hadn't done it out of worry that a loose swaddle would be dangerous). So my mom went out the next morning and bought a couple Halo fleece swaddle sacks. They were awesome, and he ended up being a great sleeper...for the first 5 1/2 months of his life, anyway. He was a winter baby, and that plus a fleece sleeper at night or terry cloth sleeper during the day usually seemed to keep him warm enough in our somewhat cool house.

We also have an unsafe mattress for co-sleeping, so I understand how tough that is! We have an Arm's Reach co-sleeper, and it's been the next best thing, having him right there next to me. It's nice now that he's a big, hardy guy and I feel comfortable snuggling up and napping with him in bed, so there's that to look forward to someday.

[sosurreal09]

sorry mama was just worried for the babes! the first few months are rough preriod and yes babies do cry. DD was COLIC even though i didnt "believe" it existed but she would scream for 4 or more HOURS a day until she was 5 months old!! it was soooooooooo hard but i kept her in the wrap all day and nursed her all day and all night. she slept with us if you could call it sleeping haha up every 30 or so mins.
HANG IN THERE! you are doing a good job by not letting DD CIO and *hopefully* that co sleeper will be done asap to give you both some rest.

[MamaFern]

is baby wearing a hat when sleeping? something on theirs heads at this age really helps keep them warm. i dont think i ever let my babies go without till they were 4 or 5 months old... even in the bath! wool is the best, or silk, but cotton or anything will do!

[LionessMom]

honestly i just side car a crib and sleep half in it with my DD. if baby is waking up crying and her diaper is clean, give her a boob! lol. i just pop it in every time she fusses. esp at the newborn age. mama milk warms them right up.

[TreeRose]

Ouch.
My heart aches reading through these posts.
As a new mom, I totally relate to your fear of doing something to hurt your baby!!! And also as a new mom, I feel super defensive for you and some of the less than supportive responses you read here.
Just wanting to send you support and hugs - I'm right beside you here and you're doing great!

[Deir]

Originally Posted by taffywelsh

no no no no...I was holding her...I just put her down from time to time when she seemed to be asleep, she would cry after a minute or so, then I would pick her up again!
My goodness. Sorry I gave the wrong impression. She sleeps in a cradle right next to my bed. I basically held her all night!
Please.
I never said she had her own room, I just said I wasn't co-sleeping yet. She is about two feet away from me when she is sleeping, just not right in my bed or in a co-sleeper (yet). There is a "baby room", and she has a little cot in there for day sleeping, but that's beside the point.
I also never said I just let her cry for hours without picking her up and comforting her. All I said was that she cried for a long time, which is true...off and on. When I needed a break, my partner came in to hold her. We weren't going to just shut her up in another room and let her "cry it out", although I think that some crying is natural even when she is changed, fed, warm, etc. I set an alarm clock so that I won't go more than 2.5 hours between night feedings, although the doctor said she can have one 4-hour stretch in the night.
Not sure why I have to explain all this, but it seems like I must.
Hopefully people will stop jumping to conclusions here and inflaming one another. It is not fair and it makes me uncomfortable about posting; I thought this was supposed to be a supportive forum. It's hard enough being a new mother without all of this presumptuous vitriol.
thanks.

((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))

[taffywelsh]

Originally Posted by treerose

ouch.
My heart aches reading through these posts.
As a new mom, i totally relate to your fear of doing something to hurt your baby!!! And also as a new mom, i feel super defensive for you and some of the less than supportive responses you read here.
Just wanting to send you support and hugs - i'm right beside you here and you're doing great!

thank you! (AND TO DEIR)

[MeepyCat]

Two things that spring immediately to mind:

1. While I adore co-sleeping, it is a more controversial a practice with pre-term infants than it is with full-term ones. And it's not precisely uncontroversial with full-term babies - it's a very popular choice here that doesn't necessarily fly in the mainstream. I have a preemie too, and I understand the extra caution that comes with that. Definitely wait until you have a safe set-up to start. Among other things, if you're worried, how much sleep do you think you're gonna get?

2. Given your baby's age, the problem may not have been cold. My ped explains to new parents that as babies get "more vigorous" they can also get fussier. If that's the case, it's not something you did wrong, it's just the baby reacting to an immature nervous system. Swaddling, and the other tricks in "The Happiest Baby on the Block" can really help with this.

[ckberkey]

Sounds like you figured it out Mama! The first coupla weeks can be tough... hang in there, it gets easier. Have you looked at an Arms Reach cosleeper? You can find good deals on craigslist sometimes, that way you don't have to wait on your party hardy bro.

[hildare]

so sorry, mama!!!! and sorry people have been less than tactful in responses
i know what you mean.. i second guessed pretty much everything at first, and my dd did SO MUCH crying, held/not held/ cosleeping/in the cosleeper. this sounds kind oddball, and i'm an older mom who ought to know better, but i really didn't realize just how much some babies actually cry when they're newborn.
I don't think a 70 (or less) degree room is enough to harm that baby! Humans haven't always had central heating, ya know! I think too, there are places across that pond from the US where the rooms are normally kept much cooler than we tend to do here.
i second the sleep sac suggestions & the swaddling suggestions. We do cosleep, and it does keep that baby warm (sweaty even), but if you don't feel safe on your mattress doing that, by all means don't!