Well the trip to Indiana is over. We came back yesterday morning and it was a very nice trip. Grandma Mimi took care of the baby both nights and that was a very welcome rest for mommy and me. Thanks Mimi!!!
Aiden is still having obvious discomfort from his skin itching him, we talked to the nurses today and they suggested “deep moisturizer” which is apparently more potent than what we are using now. They don’t want to try anything stronger until he is at least 6 months. Something about that 6 month threshold is magical I guess. Good thing he is only three weeks away.
His skin continues to look worse, with more bumps and rashy red splotches. It is tough to sit there and not be able to do anything while your baby is suffering, but, if the new moisturizer doesn’t help, that is exactly what we are expected to do over the next three weeks.
Fortunately, Aiden only seems in distress when he is very tired. Which means his sleep is unsettled, but when he is up and alert he doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable at all. That’s the good news. He is still a very happy baby.
One of the things that Mimi did to help her get some sleep is hold Aiden in bed with her, between her and the wall. That way if he grumped, she really didn’t have to even wake up, just settle him a little bit. Last night mommy did the same thing. He was grumpy and unsettled, so she held him in bed, and eventually laid him in between us. This way he went from 12:45am – 8am without a bottle and resting pretty okay. So we may be becoming co-sleepers with Aiden until we get the skin problem sorted out. The theory is, get him sleeping through the night in whatever way we are able, and then worry about getting him comfortable sleeping on his own once the scratching is gone. Yes there will be some separation anxiety when we transition him back to his own bed, but how long will that last compared to the amount of sleep we are all losing right now the way things are going.
So daddy’s task over the next day or two is to investigate co-sleeping and the drawbacks. I know once upon a time I read something that linked Co-Sleeping and SIDS, but I think I also read that once a baby is able to turn from their back to their tummy the instances of SIDS decrease dramatically, and Aiden is doing that now. So we’ll see what happens.
Baby Growth Tracking
Friday, January 4, 2008
Cosleeping
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2 comments:
You're more than welcome on the nights of rest. I'd say it's my pleasure, but that seems like an odd thing to say when agreeing to a night of interupted sleep :-) Still, it makes me feel good to know that the 2 of you had 2 good nights in a row and to have that bonding time with my grandson.
While I am not an advocate of children sleeping with parents, after the 3rd time of getting out of bed to comfort Aiden, who was scratching his head in his sleep and on the verge of crying, it made sense. You are absolutely right that, for now, the goal is sleep for all and deal with the consequences later. He actually may be ready to go that long stretch at night, but because he is uncomfortable, wakes up anyway. You may also find that once the itching is successfully addressed and he can sleep, getting him back in his own bed will not be a major issue.
We enjoy every minute of our time with your family. Aiden is such a cutie and, even with his health issues, a very happy baby! (Imagine what he will be like when the itching is finally gone!!! Woohoo!)
Love,
MIMI
As a doctor and a parent, I have read extensively about the subject of co-sleeping risk. Some studies do suggest increased risk in the first few months even if all safety precautions are followed. However, by my calculations Aidan's now out of that time period. Exceptions to this would be if either you or your wife are smokers (greatly increases the risk associated with co-sleeping) or if you sleep extremely deeply for whatever reason (prescription drugs, alcohol, deep sleepers by nature). Also, make sure you follow recommendations on safe sleeping guidelines to make sure that he can't get stuck down the side of the mattress or under a heavy duvet. If you follow these guidelines, there should be no extra risk at his age. Feel free to contact me if you want more info. Good luck with the eczema.
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