Saturday, June 24, 2006

Do I move her?

So as of late, Alyssa has been falling asleep in whatever position she gets herself into. This started about 2 or 3 weeks ago when she was sick and I wanted to keep her elevated to sleep. One day she was in a mood... not wanting to be put down, fighting sleep, not taking a bottle, etc. Well, sometimes you just have to go to the bathroom so I HAD to put her in her chair. Well, she screamed her head off and started coughing because she got herself so worked up. She did this the day before and ended up throwing up and choking on the spit up (to the point where she wasn't coughing and was turning bright red). Well, I wasn't even in the bathroom for a minute and all of a sudden there is complete silence. I finish up what I am doing, wash my hands frantically (afraid she has choked again), and rush down the stairs to find her hunched over in her chair, sound asleep. Of course I didn't know it at the time and was too nervous that I didn't wait to see if she was breathing and just sat her back "forcefully" (not really, but I am at a lack for words- enough to jostle her awake). This of course startled the sweet little girl who just fell asleep so she starts screaming her head off again. And this was my ruined chance at a nap for her that day because after that she wanted nothing to do with falling back to sleep. Do you blame her?!

This wasn't the last time she would fall asleep like this; no she has done it several times since...

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Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

And then of course, sometimes when I have her on a blanket on the ground playing she gets tired and will fall asleep. One day after getting done doing dishes, this is what I cam in to the living room to see...

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Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

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Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

And yes, she is hunched over her Boppy pillow. Speaking of her Boppy pillow, this is how she sometimes sleeps. Isn't she too little to need a pillow?! She just doesn't look comfortable!

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Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Of course, her sleeping in strange spots started a couple of months ago when I found her sound asleep in her exersaucer. I put her in this as I took a shower before church and this is how she was when I got out...

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But since day 1, pretty much, she has been likely to fall asleep in whatever way she felt comfortable. At only a couple of weeks old, when I would burp her after a bottle, she would fall asleep in a sitting position. Here she is with her Grammy after she fell asleep while being burped, and then on her daddy's lap after taking her bottle.

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So my question is this... since I know babies are very agile, do I move her or let her sleep? Some days it is next to impossible to get her to go down for a nap so should I just let her alone when I find her in such uncomfortable positions, or do I move her and at the same time wake her from the only nap she might take that particular day? What's a mom to do!

4 comments:

The Amazing Trips said...

OH MY GOD!!! I am laughing my a$$ off right now ... THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!!! Those pictures of Alyssa are absolutely hysterical. HYSTERICAL!!! I'm sure you know that feeling when you've been SO sad ... and when you finally see something that brings a smile to your face, well ... it just makes the world a better place.

Hmm. What to do. I've had our babies fall asleep in some very precarious positions (also sitting up), and I typically try to move them to their crib as soon as I see they are starting to get drowsy, but BEFORE they fall to sleep. At least in our case, once they go to sleep - even if for a couple minutes - nap time is shot. So, I'd say keep your eye on her. If you see that she is rubbing her eyes, yawning, or has been up for ~3 hours (which is usually all they can tolerate), put her in her crib to go to sleep. She'll maybe cry for a minute or two and then lights out.

Timing is everything. Thanks again for posting these pictures. Truly the highlight of my day. Quite possibly - - my entire weekend! :)

K|nneret said...

Oh Meg, priceless pictures! Hysterical, really. She is so adorable!
I have no sleep advice for you ...LOL! If only Imri slept like that! But babies are very flexible ... if it's not for a long nap, I'd just leave her :)
PS - we have the same exerpooper...er..exersaucer :)

Cam said...

those pix are so sweet!!!
i don't know the answer, though!!!

Yvette A said...

OMG! Those pics are priceless...

I usually move my son he is 10.5m right now but then he has always been pretty good to sleep but he does sleep with his eyes wide open freaks me out sometimes because his eyes will follow you.

Yvette