Can a newborn sleep on his stomach after feeding? Can a newborn sleep on her mother's stomach?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

With the advent of the baby, the life of a young family changes dramatically. Parents have a lot of worries and new questions. One of them is related to whether a newborn can sleep on his stomach. Interestingly, the opinions of both parents and specialists on this matter differ. But in any case, having information about both the advantages and disadvantages of this pose is necessary in order to make an informed decision.

Why does baby sleep on his stomach?

Moms often notice that their baby is more comfortable sleeping on their tummy. And this applies more to older children who already know how to roll over on their own. However, newborns sometimes sleep better in this position. What is the reason for this phenomenon?

Most likely, it's just more convenient. After all, everyone has their favorite sleeping positions. And newborns are no exception. However, this position has both clear advantages and significant disadvantages. And to determine if a newborn can be put to sleep on their stomach, parents need to know about them.

Why is it good to sleep on your stomach?

Supporters of this poseput forward many arguments in its favor. Let's list them:

• First of all, this position reduces the likelihood of milk entering the respiratory tract. Considering that many babies spit up, this is a very strong argument in favor of sleeping on the stomach. Fortunately, a child will not be able to choke like that. However, to the question of whether it is possible for a newborn to sleep on his stomach after feeding, pediatricians answer in the negative. Even if the baby loves this position very much, you need to wait at least half an hour to avoid spitting up. By the way, speaking about whether a newborn can sleep on his stomach after eating, you need to remember something else. After finishing feeding, it is best to vilify the baby in your arms vertically for some time, the so-called column. Then the air swallowed while eating will be released and the risk of spitting up will be significantly reduced.
• It has been noticed that when a baby sleeps on her stomach, colic, which occurs in almost all children and brings a lot of grief to young mothers, disappears earlier and does not bother the child so much. This is due to the fact that in this position there is a kind of massage of the abdominal organs, so gases are released faster and the baby’s well-being and mood improve.
• According to pediatricians, children who are used to sleeping mainly on their stomachs develop faster than their peers. In particular, they hold their heads earlier than other babies, and also quickly begin to sit and stand on their own. This is because sleeping on your stomach helps strengthen the muscles of your neck, back, and chest.

• This posture is favorable for the proper development of the hip joints. The baby's legs are spread out to the sides and are located in an ideal position. Therefore, the risk of developing dysplasia is reduced.
• When a baby sleeps on his tummy, he does not flinch at loud sounds, does not interfere with his hands, as is often the case on his back.
• There is another benefit to this pose. In this position, the baby's skull is not deformed, unlike when the baby is constantly lying on his back or side.

It would seem that all of the above allows you to answer in the affirmative the question of whether it is possible for a newborn to sleep on his stomach. But, unfortunately, this is not entirely true. This pose is also fraught with a very serious threat.

Why is sleeping on your stomach dangerous?

When examining the question of whether a newborn can be put to sleep on his stomach, there are only two arguments in favor of the fact that this position is not suitable. But both of them are so serious that they should not be left unattended:

• First of all, opponents of sleeping on the stomach recall the sudden infant death syndrome. This terrible diagnosis is made in cases where a perfectly he althy child suddenly stops breathing. And according to statistics, the position on the stomach is one of the risk factors. Therefore, sleeping in this position increases the likelihood of this phenomenon. A child can simply bury his nose in the mattress and, unable to change position, suffocate. And although this has not been scientifically proven, a large number of parents andthat is why children's doctors answer the question of whether it is possible for a newborn to sleep on his stomach.
• There is one more reason to avoid this pose. It is widely believed that sleeping on your stomach can adversely affect your cardiovascular system. However, this does not apply to all babies. It is best to consult a pediatrician about this.

Expert Opinion

As mentioned earlier, the opinions of experts about sleeping on the stomach vary. Experienced doctors strongly advise parents to closely monitor children if they are in this position. Mainly due to the risk of suffocation and the sudden infant death syndrome described above.

Many well-known pediatricians do not bypass the question of whether it is possible for a newborn to sleep on his stomach. Komarovsky Evgeny Olegovich, a well-known pediatrician and author of many works on pediatrics, also mentions this. According to him, this posture is a factor that statistically increases the likelihood of the above syndrome.

However, the mechanisms of development of this phenomenon have not yet been studied. Sleeping on your stomach is considered just one of many risk factors, but not the only one. They also include the age of up to three months, the winter period, the male sex. In addition, short-term cessation of breathing can be caused by a common cold and dry air in the room.

Therefore, according to a well-known pediatrician, first of all, you need to take care offavorable conditions for sleep. If the room is damp and cool, the parents do not smoke, the child sleeps on a hard, even mattress without a pillow and is supervised, sleeping on the stomach is possible. But failure to comply with at least one of the conditions may lead to the crumbs stopping breathing.

Sleep on mom's stomach

A very interesting question is whether a newborn can sleep on his mother's stomach. This position is most pleasant for many babies, they fall asleep very quickly and with pleasure just like that. A strong emotional bond is established between mother and child. However, sleeping in this position, although very pleasant, is uncomfortable for a woman. Therefore, if you allow the baby to sleep on the mother's stomach, then not for long. After all, having got used to it, he will no longer want to fall asleep in a different way.

Prone position

There are different opinions about whether a newborn can sleep on his stomach. But laying out the child like this during wakefulness is absolutely necessary. It is enough to recall the advantages of this posture: rapid physical development, reduction of colic, and others. Lying on the tummy, the child will quickly learn to rise on the handles, hold the head and roll over. Of course, you need to lay out the baby not immediately after feeding, but after a while.

Alternative poses

What are the alternative poses? In fact, there are not many options:back or side. However, in the first case, the risk that after regurgitation the milk enters the respiratory tract increases. In addition, sleeping on your back often causes skull deformity.

The pose on the side is considered very favorable and safe. It is comfortable, and the child does not choke. But on the side, the pressure on the hip joint increases. This, in turn, can provoke the development of dysplasia.

What should parents do?

If at first the parents themselves choose what position the baby should sleep in, then after a few months the child begins to lie down in the way that is convenient for him. What can parents do if the baby stubbornly rolls over on the tummy? The most important thing is to create favorable conditions for sleep: remove the pillow, lay it on a hard and even mattress, provide clean, moist and cool air in the room. And, of course, keep a close eye on the baby.

In the end, the child will still begin to sleep in the position in which he is comfortable. And the task of parents is to provide sweet and safe sleep.