I can't sleep my baby in his crib

[sashasarah]

Im a new mom  and ever since my baby has been born Ive been a wreck. I can't sleep very well because I have a big fear of SIDS..as soon as it starts to get dark, I can feel my anxiety come on. I have to check him every 20 minutes or so just to make sure he's still breathing. He was sleeping in his crib just fine until he started to roll over. Then I found myself running to him when I seen him sleeping on his tummy, I would flip him over in a panic thinking he wasnt breathing and my heart would beat so hard it would actually hurt. Now I sleep him in his swing eveynight, not because he wont sleep in his crib but because I have a fear that he will roll over and stop breathing. I want to know if Im the only one who is like this, and is there someway I can get over my fear. Thank you so much.

Btw my son is now 5 months old and I am 26yrs.

[Cujobunny]

Oh mama- big hug to you!! First time parenthood is wrought with these anxieties and fears, you are definitely not alone- heck I had these fears with my third!!! When they are able to roll onto their tummies on their own, it's safe to let them sleep that way. They are then at the age where they have enough neck strength to move their head if they can't breathe. This according to our pediatrician of whom I asked the very same question 3 months ago :)

I think you will get over the fear- it seems to get easier as they get older. As far as sleeping in the swing I think a lot of people do that as well. Where is his crib, is he in the same room as you? Would you be more comfortable if he were closer to you? We have our crib "sidecarred" to our bed (google it for pics) so we cosleep but he can have his own space, which he often wants. It seemed to enlarge our bed by quite a bit but he's close by for nursing and snuggling. 

Hope this helps!

[bethcw]

I'd suggest you get an Angel Care monitor - it might give you some peace of mind!

[eirual]

Co-sleep?

I'm looking for the article I read that highlights how nursing mothers actually position their babies in a protective position- very different from how bottle-feeding mothers do.

I'll post when I find it :)

[BabyBearsMummy]

sashasarah this is one of the signs of Postpartum Depression. Please discuss this fear and the effect it is having on your life with your primary care provider and your sons pediatrian ASAP

Here are a few links for more information

http://www.cmha.ca/bins/content_page.asp?cid=3-86-87-88

http://www.helpformom.ca/

http://www.cpa.ca/psychologyfactsheets/postpartumdepression/

http://www.postpartum.org/

[Adaline'sMama]

Oh,

Here are a few things that I hope ease your mind.

Reported SIDS deaths have decreased by almost 70% since 1980.
Only 1.5 deaths occur per 1000 babies born.
80% of all of those deaths happen before 5 months, 90% before 6 months.
The majority of these deaths occur December-March (during cold months).

Even just factoring in that 80% of the time it happens before 5 months and there are only 1.5 deaths per 1000, you can gather that the chance of this happening is less than half of one percent.

I agree that you need to seek help for possible PPD, but I also think you should know that the chances are so, so low. As a new mom, we have a tendency to worry about everything, but I think you can move past this one.