Why you should not sleep the baby upside down
Many mothers worry about how to put their newborn to sleep when they get home, because a few years ago the position indicated to sleep your baby was face down to avoid drowning in case of vomiting.
It was recommended to put them face down because when they were put on their backs they had more risk of suffocation due to aspiring vomit and they did not have enough strength to move the head to drop it on the side.
However, today the recommendation is precisely the other way around: both in the hospital and in the successive medical examinations, both the midwife and the nurses and the pediatrician himself remember the importance of the baby sleeps on his back and with his head cocked.
What after the advice that was given not many years ago, makes parents raise the following question: Is it advisable to put the baby upside down ?. It has been concluded that sudden deaths have decreased when the baby's position to sleep is face up, because the baby is more likely to choke on his stomach.
The main reasons why it is better for the baby to sleep on his back (and with his head cocked)
We do not know very well why making the baby sleep on his back gives him more security and causes fewer deaths in newborns but it is true that there are some problems when it comes to putting them face down:
- Putting the baby upside down can cause suffocation by having his face so close to the mattress or the sheets, that the air he sucks does not renew and he stops breathing oxygen.
- Too soft mattresses are also a problem to sleep on the baby face down, mattresses must be firm and free of pillows or any other object that may hinder your breathing.
- The microbes that are in the mattress can also be a problem when breathing because being so close to the baby's face can hinder him from breathing.
- Even on the side is much safer for the baby than face down, constantly changing the position baby so that it does not sleep on the same side.
Healthy infants should always sleep on their backs, so the parents will check especially that the baby breathes and sleeps perfectly, when the baby has more autonomy and begins to turn on itself, we can leave it from time to time upside down.
Even many pediatricians advise to let the baby sleep on his back and with his face slightly tilted to one side, so that if you take some milk, you can do it normally and without any problem.
Sudden death of the infant
Of unknown cause, the sudden death It occurs in babies of a few months, without any previous symptoms. The baby appears dead in its cradle without any sign of suffering.
In recent years, this type of death has descended due, according to some hypotheses, to the fact that now parents are advised to lay their babies on their backs or on their sides and not on their tummies as they used to recommend a few years ago.
Apparently, in this last position - which was recommended to prevent milk regurgitations drown the baby - there is a greater danger of hyperthermia and suffocation, since the nose and mouth are stuck against the mattress and can hinder your normal breathing.
A recent study in Britain has shown that sudden death rates in that country had halved after health authorities recommended placing infants in the crib on their backs.
Other studies have identified some common factors in sudden death, such as a weight deficit at birth, smoking parents, very tight diapers and poorly ventilated or very hot rooms.
Two studies, one from New Zealand and the other from Britain, have concluded that letting the child sleep in the parents' room for up to six months reduces the risk of sudden death.
It is also advisable to avoid feather quilts, soft mattresses, poorly fixed protective cushions and to ensure that the temperature of the baby's room does not exceed 20 degrees.
These simple precautions have markedly reduced the rate of sudden death in recent years.
What if the baby is able to roll over and sleep on his stomach?
It is clear that the time will come when the baby will be fully able to move in the crib, and turn around and start sleeping on his stomach, something that usually happens between five or six months of age. In those moments the most usual thing is that parents are alarmed and do not know very well what to do.
However, you must be calm. In that age the risk is much smaller, precisely because the baby is able to raise his head and change position, so that there is not the same danger that the child may suffer sudden death syndrome.This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Pediatrician. We advise you to consult your trusted pediatrician. ThemesNewborn
