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I don't know why, but as a new parent SIDS scares me more than almost anything else. We follow all the recommended best practices - back sleeping, no bumpers, n

I don't know why, but as a new parent SIDS scares me more than almost anything else. We follow all the recommended best practices - back sleeping, no bumpers, no lose blankets, no co-sleeping, etc. Intellectually, I know that if you follow the recommendations the risk of SIDS is lower than the risk of your infant dying in a car accident, and yet driving with him in the car does not worry me. But I worry about SIDS to the point that I find that I sometimes startle awake and need to check the bassinet to make sure everything is okay. Hopefully, research like this can lead to a way to screen babies for risk and come up with some sort of treatment option. So parents like me can have more peace of mind.

touisteur 4y ago
First 2 months I was up most nights coding the night away, with my twin baby girls asleep on my lap against my torso. I'd just check they were breathing all the time. Though it was probably overkill I can't think of that time as anything else than one of the best moments of my life.
- importantbrian 4y ago
  Glad to know I'm not the only one. I'm not quite as productive as you though. I tend to watch Netflix, but lately I've been going through the fast.ai videos. I have a hard time getting him situated in a way that lets me use my laptop while he sleeps.
  - touisteur 4y ago
    Yeah writing a compiler was the only thing that would keep me awake all night every night and with less than 4 hours sleep (still had to help my very tired and bruised spouse - episiotomy sucks but breastfeeding twins is just devastatingly tiring - lost all the pregnancy weight in weeks, had to up food intake) keeping all the moving things in my head, making small progress, alternated with some learning (formal proof). I struggled for some time to keep them static and my hands free and after some time we found a great position that we would slip into every night. It's around that time I realized that most things with kids are about patience, trying gently and giving them opportunity to help/do (even in their sleep ;-)). I hope you'll keep enjoying these nights.
axpy 4y ago
This really resonates with me. The first time my daughter slept 6h in a row, I woke up in sweat and fake a bathroom run to stop at her bassinet and feel her breathing with the back of my hands. Unexplained situation are hard because you cant pin point the exact reason it happened. While situations like driving is statistically way more dangerous than SIDS, the feeling of being powerless is hard to digest.
dsego 4y ago
Interesting, we avoided back sleeping because of the flat head syndrome. The recommendation where I live was to let the baby sleep on the side with a rolled towel supporting the back, being careful to prefer both sides equally.
watersb 4y ago
I would often listen or check for children breathing, well into their grade school years. You learn when to switch off and honor their privacy. I don't know how to articulate the signals that would tell me they were fast asleep, such a visceral experience.

touisteur 4y ago

First 2 months I was up most nights coding the night away, with my twin baby girls asleep on my lap against my torso. I'd just check they were breathing all the time. Though it was probably overkill I can't think of that time as anything else than one of the best moments of my life.

importantbrian 4y ago
Glad to know I'm not the only one. I'm not quite as productive as you though. I tend to watch Netflix, but lately I've been going through the fast.ai videos. I have a hard time getting him situated in a way that lets me use my laptop while he sleeps.
- touisteur 4y ago
  Yeah writing a compiler was the only thing that would keep me awake all night every night and with less than 4 hours sleep (still had to help my very tired and bruised spouse - episiotomy sucks but breastfeeding twins is just devastatingly tiring - lost all the pregnancy weight in weeks, had to up food intake) keeping all the moving things in my head, making small progress, alternated with some learning (formal proof). I struggled for some time to keep them static and my hands free and after some time we found a great position that we would slip into every night. It's around that time I realized that most things with kids are about patience, trying gently and giving them opportunity to help/do (even in their sleep ;-)). I hope you'll keep enjoying these nights.

axpy 4y ago

This really resonates with me. The first time my daughter slept 6h in a row, I woke up in sweat and fake a bathroom run to stop at her bassinet and feel her breathing with the back of my hands. Unexplained situation are hard because you cant pin point the exact reason it happened. While situations like driving is statistically way more dangerous than SIDS, the feeling of being powerless is hard to digest.

dsego 4y ago

Interesting, we avoided back sleeping because of the flat head syndrome. The recommendation where I live was to let the baby sleep on the side with a rolled towel supporting the back, being careful to prefer both sides equally.

watersb 4y ago

I would often listen or check for children breathing, well into their grade school years. You learn when to switch off and honor their privacy. I don't know how to articulate the signals that would tell me they were fast asleep, such a visceral experience.