[blparent] falling asleep?

Thu Feb 4 03:24:54 UTC 2010

The other thing about a bassinet is that it is often on wheels, so it can be 
easily moved from room to room.  The one I had could also be taken off the 
wheeled frame and used as a sort of sleeping basket.  I found it very 
versatile.

Jo Elizabeth

Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify 
the hunters.--African Proverb

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Grace Pires" <silvara at cox.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 8:08 PM
To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?

> I have to say, I absolutely loved my bissonette because my son could sleep
> right next to me. I didn't have to get out of bed to check on him.  I
> actually was glad my cousin didn't listen to me and gave it to me as baby
> shower gift.
> I had a pack and play but the bissonette was a better fit for my room
> because it was smaller and the same height as my bed.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Leslie Hamric
> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 3:45 PM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>
> I have a pack n play so that might work too as a cosleeper.
> Leslie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Jessica Lucken
> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 11:33 AM
> To: 'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>
> I agree with Tammy, I actually slep with Owen last night, because he is
> going through a growth spurt and  was at the breast all day yesterday and 
> I
> needed sleep.  I have a co-sleeper which I really like too as it is at the
> level of the bed mattress so I can roll him in/out and change him and
> everything without getting out of my bed.  They are kind of pricy, but I
> know they have cheaper ones on Craig's list, I just got mine before I
> thought to check there.  They go up t olike 20 lbs so you can also use 
> them
> as a portable crib too, though, they aren't as versatile as a pack and 
> play,
> but they are skinnier so ift into more places.  I think mine is the
> co-sleeper mini.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Tammy, Paul and Colyn
> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 9:10 AM
> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>
> Hi,
>
> I don't agree with that either.  I think that what works for one parent
> won't always work for another parant, and if you are careful and patient
> you'll find what works for you.
>
> Tammy
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "DIANNA ALLEY" <dianna24 at earthlink.net>
> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 03, 2010 1:30 AM
> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>
>
>> Well I don't know that the nurse is saying that.  a lot of doctors say
>> that you should not sleep with your child on you now.  I don't agree.
>> They also say you should keep your child on her or his back to sleep.  If
>> I did that I would have been up all the time and never slept.  I just
>> watch her really well.
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Tammy, Paul and Colyn" <tcl189 at rogers.com>
>> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 8:00 PM
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>>
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Totally agree with you here.  This issue may be a long-standing issue 
>>> but
>
>>> being a new parent will make it worse, not better, and the insensativity
>>> of some professionals due to their general lack of information or due to
>>> their own inadequacies is very very annoying to say the least.  It 
>>> sounds
>
>>> to me like the nurse you're dealing with is trying to find reasons why
>>> you can't take care of your child and this is not what she should be
>>> doing. She should be trying to help you, or if she can't help you she
>>> should find somebody who can.  Remember that you're not supposed to know
>>> all the answers right now, you're supposed to be the one asking 
>>> questions
>
>>> and she's the one who should have all the answers.  If she doesn't, then
>>> she's at fault, not you.
>>>
>>> hth
>>>
>>> Tammy
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Dena Wainwright" <dena at envogueaccess.com>
>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 6:17 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>>>
>>>
>>>>I get that. My only point is that if you are worried about falling
>>>>asleep, there are precautions you can take to make the
>>>>environment/situation safer so that when it happens, it isn't as
>>>>dangerous for your baby. It makes me mad when nurses and other
>>>>"professionals" try to terrify us into thinking we can't take care of 
>>>>our
>
>>>>children. We have enough doubts about that as it is - both because of 
>>>>our
>
>>>>blindness and our lack of experience as new parents. I'm not saying the
>>>>nurse's concern isn't valid, but she could have offered solutions,
>>>>instead of just saying that it should never happen. I mean, get real.
>>>>Anyone who has a newborn knows that you are like the walking dead. I
>>>>think we'd wonder about someone who didn't fall asleep at the drop of a
>>>>hat :). I know the issue is a long term one in this case, but I'm sure
>>>>it's compounded by new motherhood and the body trying to make 
>>>>breastmilk.
>
>>>>I was hoping to put some of her fears at ease by giving her some things
>>>>she could try for when it does happen.
>>>>
>>>> Dena
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>> From: "sharon howerton" <shrnhow at att.net>
>>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 3:51 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Dena, I think your points are well taken and great; however, it sounds
>>>>> to me, and I don't know this for sure, like Leslie has had a problem
>>>>> with this sort of thing long before she had Michael. I don't know if
>>>>> it's a blind thing, but it's happened to me, kids or no, and I know
>>>>> it's definitely happened with my significant other who was sighted
>>>>> until about 14 years ago. He can knock off at the drop of a hat and
>>>>> attributes it to getting up early (4 AM routinely) and having worked
>>>>> early mornings for many years requiring that he get up at 2:30 AM, but
>>>>> he hasn't done that in many years. I have been better with this in
>>>>> recent years but will admit that I have had this sort of problem even
>>>>> at work; it was just something I could not control and needless to 
>>>>> say,
>
>>>>> it was embarrassing.
>>>>> Sharon
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>> From: "Dena Wainwright" <dena at envogueaccess.com>
>>>>> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 2:42 PM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] falling asleep?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> OK...First, falling asleep while holding your baby isn't necessarily 
>>>>>> a
>
>>>>>> bad thing if you prepare for that possibility. Yes, you absolutely
>>>>>> must be more careful initially, both because he is extra tiny, and
>>>>>> because he lacks head control. Yes, you could smother him - if you
>>>>>> fell asleep with blankets over you both, tons of fluffy pillows all
>>>>>> around you, with his face smushed into your body or clothing so he
>>>>>> couldn't breathe, etc., but falling asleep with your baby in your 
>>>>>> arms
>
>>>>>> does not automatically equate to a suffocation hazard.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> For the first several months of Elise's life, the only way she would
>>>>>> sleep is literally on my body. Maybe there are those who would
>>>>>> disagree with this strategy, but if you've never had a child who
>>>>>> absolutely would not sleep without physical contact (I mean for more
>>>>>> than 10 minutes at a time...ever) then I'm not really interested in
>>>>>> hearing how horrible you think it is. I thought (before I had this
>>>>>> kind of baby) that cosleeping was stupid. I couldn't understand why
>>>>>> anyone in their right mind would want to do it, especially when their
>>>>>> child had a perfectly good crib or bassinette... Then I found myself
>>>>>> in the situation where I probably wouldn't have gotten more than 2
>>>>>> hours of sleep a day if I wasn't holding my baby, and suddenly it
>>>>>> didn't seem so dumb.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Here are a couple of things you can do.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If you do want to sleep with him:
>>>>>> First, you can lay in the middle of your bed (with every blanket but
>>>>>> the fitted sheet taken off of it). You can place a very firm pillow
>>>>>> under your head (no other pillows of any kind should be on the bed).
>>>>>> You can wear warm (but non-bulky) clothing to keep yourself from
>>>>>> getting cold. If you really want to, you can put a bed rail on the
>>>>>> bed, but I found that given that I was a good couple of feet from the
>>>>>> edges, I didn't really need to. However, if you don't have the luxury
>>>>>> of your own bed (we have a guest room, which made shift-taking easier
>>>>>> in the beginning), you might want a rail on your side. Then you can
>>>>>> place your baby on your stomach. He will be laying tummy to tummy 
>>>>>> with
>
>>>>>> you, with his head between your breasts. This is very soothing for 
>>>>>> mom
>
>>>>>> and baby, and can increase milk production if done skin to skin. You
>>>>>> won't need to put a lot of clothing on him if you're doing this, as
>>>>>> your combined body heat will keep him very warm, and it is actually
>>>>>> better to keep babies on the cooler side as opposed to the warmer
>>>>>> side.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Another thing you can do is wear him in a pouch on your front. This
>>>>>> would allow you to sit up with him, but still be able to hold him
>>>>>> securely. I will preface the pouch suggestion by saying that you
>>>>>> should *never* *never* put a newborn baby with no head control into a
>>>>>> sling of any kind in the cradle position. The cradle position is 
>>>>>> where
>
>>>>>> he is laying on his back across the front of your body (like he would
>>>>>> be if you had one of your arms behind his head, and one under his bum
>>>>>> and knees. This is an extremely dangerous position for such a young
>>>>>> baby, because their chin can be pushed forward into their chest -
>>>>>> cutting off their air supply. Because they are not able to move their
>>>>>> head to accommodate this decreased air supply, they can literally
>>>>>> suffocate to death in your arms. If you think I'm being
>>>>>> overly-dramatic, my friend saw a 2 week old baby die in front of her
>>>>>> because of this exact thing. If you want to use a pouch, the safest
>>>>>> way to wear your baby is to put him in so that his body is parallel 
>>>>>> to
>
>>>>>> yours. His stomach will be against your chest, his head will be under
>>>>>> your chin, and his legs will be folded froggy-style (with his heels
>>>>>> resting against his bum and his knees bowed outward). Even very tiny
>>>>>> babies have the ability to minimally shift their head from side to
>>>>>> side, even if they can't lift it up on their own. This position makes
>>>>>> it less likely that his chin will be pushed down into his chest, and
>>>>>> it will also make it easier for you to hear him breathing, because 
>>>>>> his
>
>>>>>> face will be about 8 inches away from your own. Again, he won't need
>>>>>> more than a onesie if he's in a pouch, as they are very warm. I got
>>>>>> mine from
>>>>>> www.kangarookorner.com
>>>>>> Their staff is very helpful at describing their products, and
>>>>>> assisting you with placing your order. They actually apologized to me
>>>>>> that their site wasn't easier for me to use.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hope some of this helps.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Dena
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>>> From: "Leslie Hamric" <lhamric930 at comcast.net>
>>>>>> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 8:54 AM
>>>>>> Subject: [blparent] falling asleep?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi All.  I was wondering if you could give me any ideas, as I'm
>>>>>>> running into
>>>>>>> a problem that could be potentially serious.  Its happened a few
>>>>>>> times where
>>>>>>> I've fallen asleep with my baby in my arms.  The first time it
>>>>>>> happened, one
>>>>>>> of the nurses saw it and she informed me that I could potentially
>>>>>>> suffocate
>>>>>>> my baby by doing this. The problem is that I don't always know I'm
>>>>>>> getting
>>>>>>> sleepy unless someone tells me I am or until I start nodding off.  I
>>>>>>> had a
>>>>>>> sleep study done in 2004 and the specialist said I have a non 24 
>>>>>>> hour
>
>>>>>>> sleep
>>>>>>> cycle and the only way to remedy that is to get a full 8 hours of
>>>>>>> sleep at
>>>>>>> the same time every night.  Well, we both know that's virtually
>>>>>>> impossible
>>>>>>> now that I'm a new mom.  Have you ever had this problem and if so,
>>>>>>> what
>>>>>>> kinds of things did you do to stay awake while holding your baby?
>>>>>>> One thing
>>>>>>> I've tried was having the radio on and that doesn't seem to help.
>>>>>>> Andy's
>>>>>>> really worried about me too. He doesn't want me to fall asleep and
>>>>>>> accidentally smother the baby.  I don't want that either.  I'm just
>>>>>>> at a
>>>>>>> loss of how to solve this issue.  I've heard other blind people
>>>>>>> having the
>>>>>>> same problem since they don't get the light stimulation.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Leslie
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>> blparent at nfbnet.org
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>
>>>>>>> blparent:
>>>>>>>
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blparent_nfbnet.org/dena%40envogueacce
> ss.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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