Angelcare monitor - thoughts?

I think it generates a false sense of security and preys on the fears of a new parent. I understand about having a kid who isn't a fit with co-sleeping. My son moved into a crib in our room at about 8 months. He was also a preemie and a tummy sleep due to reflux.

I was very paranoid about it, but honestly, I think these monitors do more harm than good. How many false alarms and panic stricken runs will you make? If it does do what it is intended to is there really anything that can be done by knowing sooner? Most (nearly all actually) SIDS babies die depite being resuscitated promptly b/c there is something we don't know that is wrong with them.

We seriously considered getting one so I do understand where you're coming from BUT, in the end knowing about the nature of SIDS made me reconsider. We just kept our son in our bedroom with his crib pushed up against the bed and I felt that as a mama, I would *know*.

This is just my opinion and I hope it doesn't offend you. I'm not saying it's wrong or dangerous to have one. I just think in the end it doesn't give any guarantees and and can make a parent complacent.

SIDS is just scary to think of.

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We came really close to getting one but really I agree with the previous poster in that when you think of how SIDS 'works', it really probably wont help your child if HEAVEN FORBID, something should happen. I hate gimmicky things that are marketed towards scaring the bejeesus out of new moms who are already at their wits end.

You know, I guess this is where I'm leaning too. Etoilech, I was just saying to DH today that we need to push the crib up against the bed. I think that's the route we'll go for now - I did a quick search on PubMed and found some articles that talk about a link between autism and electromagnetic fields.

They ought to have a "new mom internet filter" out there to protect people like me who know just enough about research to scare the pants off themselves!

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I've not shared this before here, but I think I "saved" our son a couple of months ago. He was three months then, and I was up late reading. He was next to us on the bed, on his back when his breathing became erratic--like he was having a bad dream and crying in his sleep. I glanced at him briefly, saw that he was dreaming, and went back to reading. When I looked again, mind he was laying directly next to me on the bed, he was purple. I pulled him up, and woke my husband up, and we were just rubbing him, trying to get him to wake up and breathe. He'd breathe properly for a breath, then just....stop. I threw him at my husband, who was talking and rubbing him down, so I could get dressed to take him to the hospital. I'm trained in heathcare CPR and all of it went directly out the window. All I could think of was getting him to a hospital.

By the time I was dressed, my husband had our doc on the phone, who was telling us what to do next, and Ivan came around. He was really weird for several minutes after, and wouldn't nurse, just gazed off into space. Then he nursed and slept really heavily.

I feel, in my heart, that had I not been next to him, he wouldn't be here. It may sound reactionary, and I'm NOT that kind of woman or mother, but I know it to be true. This hasn't ever happened to one of my other children, just Ivan.

The ped was reluctant to say it was an arrrested SIDS case, though she said it sounded likely.

Anyway, cosleeping is considered "unsafe" but my babies would never be anywhere but in my bed.

Hope that helps!

Oh my goodness, onlyboys!!!!!! You must have been terrified!!!! Just reading your post made my pulse race. OH MY GOD!!!!!

Thank God you were there to save him!

So even the ped thought it was (prevented) SIDS? That's interesting. Is it possible that it was apnea? Did she mention that at all?

Wow, I'm still shaken up by your post. Thank you for sharing that--it must be horrible to even think about it.

Oh my goodness

Solstar, how old was your dd when that happened (if you don't mind me asking)?

I know of one case personally where a baby was saved - and he was only saved because his mother was wearing him at the time. Unfortunately, for him, saved meant oxygen deprivation leading to CP/brain damage, loss of ability to suck, repeated lung infections leading to hospitalizations and abx immunity. He eventually died in pallatative/hospice care before he turned two

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Ahh, you see I think she is talking about a special monitor that goes under the babies crib sheets to monitor their breathing, not the regular monitor where you just listen for babe. The Angelcare Monitor is losely marketed as a SIDS preventative, which it's not. I think babies should be kept close enough to you so you can hear them... I do agree.

That being said we will move into a multi level townhouse and I can see how the as yet unused regular baby monitor will fill a need with my toddler being upstairs in the evening and us likely downstairs. I will do a visual check often though. It's not good to solely rely on technology.

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Well, the ped was reluctant to say it was SIDS. She couldn't recall a case that was ever called SIDS but had been interrupted, but she said it certainly sounded like he was "rescued." She did mention that the powers that be have no idea at all what SIDS is, and she suspects a lethal combination of something. We did talk about apnea, but when the episode causes discoloration, she said they look to other causes.

I didn't mean to shake you up! But, it really solidified my family's feelings about cosleeping. After four kids, we're experts at the family bed!

My daughter was a preemie(34weeks) and prone to apneic episodes so she came home on a monitor. Hers was not the under the mattress kind but the contained unit with actual pulse and breath readout and chest leads and stickies. She wore it for 4 months before we gave it back. I cannot tell you the number of false alarms we had. Yes we did have real alarms all the time too but oh my goodness. I found that the least number of alarms happened while wearing her or sleeping next to her. The closeness and the sound of my breathing and heartbeat really seemed to regulate her enough to keep the apnea at bay most of the time. She had a few episodes that she needed actual stimulation to recover from but most were self-recovered within 10 seconds after the alarm(it was set to sound at 20 seconds with no breath and sound once a second after without a breath). I really think things like the AngelCare monitor are just so alarmist. If the child has no risk factors for SIDS or apnea and is healthy, there is no reason to get one. I cannot even begin to tell you how terrifying it is to wake from a sound sleep at night hearing that shrill sustained beep that is LITERALLY loud enough to wake your neighbors and then realize when you check the readout and your child that it was a false alarm and your child is now wide awake and terrified and screaming. Your heart does more than pound. It's enough to keep you awake for the rest of the night watching the readout for any dips, even though it was a false alarm. Don't do that to yourself. Keep your baby close at night in a sidecar crib, wear your baby often, and nurse frequently.

meg