Swaddling - undecided and uncomfortable

[LadyMag]

Hi there.  Our baby is due in a few weeks and I'm not sure what to do about swaddling.  Most people tell us we must or should.  At the same two reputable and very experienced doulas have told us that although swaddling keeps baby calmer during the night, it also suppresses their appetite, particualrly when they are newborns, so they end up breastfeeding less.  They recommended it as a tool, when necessary, but not as standard practice.

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Thanks!!

[akind1]

I'm of the camp that if it works for you, then go for it. I did swaddle my first (who is now 2) - but mostly b/c he was a winter baby and it helped keep him warm. I left at least one arm out after a while, because he wanted some freedom.  I think we stopped all together by the time he was 6 months old.

with my current LO - she's 12 weeks - I haven't ever swaddled her. She doesn't seem to need it; calms quickly enough with cuddles/nursing/pacifier when needed. Not because I think it's bad necessarily, just got lazier, and she's a really easy baby.

Some babies don't even like to be swaddled. If you are at all curious - get some Adain and Anais swaddle blankets - they are basically HUGE pieces of lightweight fabric. easy to swaddle with, but also useful as a light weight blanket, occaisional nursing cover - if you want one - and well, they are good for a lot of things! LOL so if you decide not swaddle, or your baby doesn't like it, at least you will still have something useful.

[ErinYay]

The anti-swaddling stuff is, imo, so overblown.

Maybe I have weird babies, but if they're hungry, no amount of swaddling is going to change that.

For my 2 (shockingly easy-baby) girls, swaddling is a lifesaver, especially once they're out of the dopey newborn phase and start getting those hands and arms moving. (We don't swaddle at night, just during the day for naps.)

Obviously, you don't want to swaddle all day, but sleep and calm are incredibly important.

*Do* be careful to not swaddle them into one tight, straight log, though, as that can impact the hips, and never swaddle a baby and put him/her face-down, but other than really-does-this-even-need-to-be-said safety tips, swaddling is great for many, many babies.

[lilTexas]

I would encourage you to check out the Woombie for swaddling. It was so great for my son. He slept in it every night for the first three and a half months. He even liked to sleep with his hands up by his face and could do so to some degree in the woombie. It gives them freedom to move at their hip joint and it is very fast and easy to put on. It also has a two way zipper which makes changing a diaper during the night easier. It was very soothing to my son and he slept great in it. He's always had a great appetite. There were a few nights we tried other ways if the woombie was in the wash but he was always a lot more restless. I bought a second woombie so we would always have one clean. Congrats and best of luck to you. :)

[MrsGregory]

I used those fleece swaddlers you can now find at every big box retailer;  the brand I have the most of is Halo.  I was given several by SIL, and at first I was kind of baffled.  I knew how to swaddle the old-fashioned way, with a big, light blanket, or a couple of big light blankets, but the velcro and tabs really were too much for my 9 mos. pregnant brain to figure out.  Then I got the hang of them and I really quite liked them, as they let daughter kick her legs and move her hips, but kept her arms in snug and secure so she didn't wind up "falling out of the tree" and waking herself up.  She was born in late September, which is not winter here in TX, but I used them overnight for the first few weeks.  After that, she wanted her arms free.

[Megan73]

I agree with your doulas, actually. We did swaddle our first - who had colic - as part of desperately trying everything and anything to soothe him. While I was pregnant with my second son, I was really determined not to face the same breastfeeding challenges I did the first time around and read research saying that swaddled babies rouse less, sleep more and don't nurse as well - all things that can sabotage mom's supply. DS2 was a winter baby and I also read that swaddled babies lose more body heat compared to being skin-to-skin with mom.
Instead, I tried to do skin-to-skin pretty much 24/7 for the first few weeks. A great way to do this is to wear your babe in a stretchy wrap over just a nursing tank with a hoodie over the top.

[mamazee]

I didn't swaddle my first becuase she didn't like it, and then i didn't swaddle the second because she was happy no matter what so it wasn't necessary. But my first was colicky and if she had responded to swaddling, I would have.

I absolutely 100% disagree that it is necessary for all children. I would follow your child's needs and see how he/she does. Also, it's worth paying attention to his/her feeding schedule and make sure it doesn't affect that.

Swadding is one of those things there is a lot of controversy about. Some people think you should always do it no matter what, and some people think you should never do it no matter what. So you will hear strong opinions, but then you'll hear strong opinions about a lot of stuff. It's probalby OK to try but it isn't by any means a problem to not do it.

[Mummoth]

Wait and see what your baby likes. My DS loved being swaddled and had a hard time sleeping without being wrapped up until he outgrew the receiving blanket and had to figure it out. I've heard that some babies will stay asleep if you loosen the swaddle after they're settled, but DS only slept as long as he was straight-jacketed! DD2 likes sleeping with her arms up and her legs out like a starfish, she's 3 weeks old and can roll onto her side and needs freedom of movement to relax. They're all different and there's no one right way with swaddling or just about anything else... experiment with you baby and discover his or her individual preferences. Also, sometimes their preferences change a bit, so if it's been a few weeks and swaddling didn't do anything for him/her before, but s/he's fussy and none of the usual tricks are working you can always give it another try... sometimes having lots of ideas is as good as having a solution.

[starling&diesel]

It was a lifesaver for my first, and my second won't have anything to do with it.  Wait until Baby comes and see what works! 

[cat13]

Wait and see what your baby likes/needs and trust your gut. You don't have to swaddle them, but it's not going to hurt them either as long as you do it correctly as PPs have mentioned. My LO flung his arms around a ton while sleeping and woke himself up a lot, so I liked to swaddle his arms some nights. But he has always nursed 3-5 times a night, sometimes more in the beginning.

Swaddling wasn't something that ever helped him calm down when he was worked up (a la Happiest Baby on the Block style), and we could only swaddle him while he was already asleep. One day he just started busting out of his velcro Halo swaddle, and instead of buying a larger one, we just stopped doing it alltogether and he doesn't seem to need it anymore.

[LivingSky]

I'll second lilTexas' recommendation of the Woombie. My babe HATED being swaddled - it literally made him hysterical. But once he got to the stage of flailing his arms around a lot at night, I really needed something to keep him from hitting himself and waking up all night long. The Woombie solved the problem for him and he slept in one happily until he was 5 months old. It gave him enough freedom to move around a bit but not enough to let him flail and wake himself up.

[branditopolis]

I agree with PPs... she what your LO prefers.  I swaddled DS for the first month, mostly because it was freezing over here.  After that he was VERY vocal about how he felt about being constricted.  He's 4mos now and I cant get him to keep a blanket over him let alone stay swaddled.  he kicks and has figured out how to pull up his legs and push the blankets off.  if you have a 'free spirit' like this guy, it might not even be an option. 

[Ratchet]

Swaddling is like "hitting the off switch."  Sometimes babies need it to calm down, or for dad to keep baby calm while you pee before you feed the baby or something.  Or to stay warm if you have a winter baby (although the Halo, 'swaddled' with arms free, does this without really being swaddled).  But IMO it is also sometimes overused to keep a baby from what they need, like feeding often or being carried, when it doesn's match our needs (or what we think the baby 'should' need).  And I agree with all the PP experiences.

[branditopolis]

Originally Posted by Ratchet 

But IMO it is also sometimes overused to keep a baby from what they need, like feeding often or being carried, when it doesn's match our needs (or what we think the baby 'should' need).

I TOTALLY agree with you.  My mother tries to make swaddling a fix-all for DS.  Luckily, he has a very strong personality and does not stand (lay?) for it!

[rainface]

I was all ready to swaddle the heck out of my baby before she was born, I had halo sleepers, fancy muslin swaddling cloths...and then she showed up and at the hospital they would swaddle her up and hand her to me, and I'd unwrap her and cuddle her :) She just seemed more comfortable unwrapped, and at the hospital they basically made her into a little log. From birth, my daughter has wanted her hands free to suck on and wave around, she gets very irate if her movement is restricted. Then, when she was several weeks old, I read the article on mothering about swaddling and it's possible affect on feeding. My daughter ate every 45 minutes, only lost 3 oz in the first 48 hours, and gained weight quickly. I wonder if my reluctance to swaddle her had anything to do with that. I don't know, I think I probably am just lucky to have a good eater :) I guess you just have to read cues and go with what works...

[Red Pajama]

Swaddling was right for two of my three for quite a long time. It really worked for them to settle for sleep. And it certainly didn't keep them from rousing in the night. The one that didn't like swaddling (long term) still was swaddled in the newborn stage. 

Swaddling, to me, is used to help a baby settle. A well-nursed, clean, warm and dry baby who is struggling with sleep? Swaddled, us in the rocking chair, singing softly while patting his back.   Not swaddle, lie him down and walk away.

[cat13]

Originally Posted by Red Pajama 

Swaddling was right for two of my three for quite a long time. It really worked for them to settle for sleep. And it certainly didn't keep them from rousing in the night. The one that didn't like swaddling (long term) still was swaddled in the newborn stage. 

Swaddling, to me, is used to help a baby settle. A well-nursed, clean, warm and dry baby who is struggling with sleep? Swaddled, us in the rocking chair, singing softly while patting his back.   Not swaddle, lie him down and walk away.

Exactly. I think this is why swaddling gets a bad rap (besides swaddling too tight on the hips, which can hinder proper development). If you are using it as another tool to help a baby to calm down or sleep then it's great... but just because you swaddle doesn't mean that you get to forgo your parenting. 
 

[demoonunit]

I'm due next weekend, and I watched "The Happiest Baby on the Block" the other day and was all ready to swaddle my baby. I'm glad to have stumbled onto this thread to get some insight about how it may affect feeding and development. Not that I won't  give it a try if she's screaming, but it's good to know that swaddling isn't the end-all be-all. Thanks!

[azhie]

My cousin read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" and swears by swaddling. 

When my dd was a newborn, she slept very soundly whenever she was swaddled by my mother or aunties. After she was past 6 weeks she always kicked off the blanket. She had to be nursed to sleep and doesn't fall asleep on her own. For this reason, I couldn't figure out how to swaddle and nurse her (she would wake up when I swaddled her after nursing), so stopped swaddling.

Still, it helps to keep those blankets around and know how to swaddle for times when you want to try something to soothe baby!