Mama mishap

You'd think that just because LM has started to put together a few 3-4 hour stretches at night (on a good night!), that would mean I would start getting some good sleep. And, since I haven't slept for longer than five hours since probably late January (oh, the joys of the third trimester)...sleep is valuable.

But, after last night...I'm going to be up ALL THE TIME checking to make sure LM is alive.

Here's what happened...
We're swaddlers and have been since night 2 at home. If LM is laying on a flat surface for a nap, he has to be swaddled or he'll startle himself awake (swings, bouncey chairs etc are usually ok). But, as LM has become a bit more of a chunky monkey, he's outgrown the receiving blankets we've used to swaddle him. The little Houdini is out of them in no time flat! So...crafty (not!) me used some stitch witchery and some flannel and stretchy muslin from the fabric store to make a couple bigger (45x45 ish) swaddle blankets. They worked great! LM might get one arm out but he stays wrapped and has been sleeping better.

However, I must've not wrapped him tight enough (or he's just a super wiggler) after his middle of the night feed, because I woke up to him fussing. Since he wasn't crying to be fed, I laid there and dozed waiting for him to "say" he wanted me. Finally, I decided I would give him his paci and see if that helped him conk back out for another hour. When I leaned over the PNP newborn napper (godsend!) right next to the bed, I discovered that his entire face covered in swaddled!

HOLY S*IT!

Somehow, he must've loosened his swaddle enough that he wiggled down in it and completely covered his face. I don't have any idea how long he had been like that and it makes me sick to think about his face covered. There is no way I am going to be able to sleep at night without worrying about him smothering himself.

I have a couple options I suppose...

• Don't swaddle him and wake up every hour or so
• Swaddle him in a too little blanket and wake up every hour or so when he frees himself
• Try a halo sack again and listen to him scream having his arms velcroed.
• Swaddle him like last night and wake up frequently to check that he's alive

Looks like I'm losing sleep either way.
I know there will be many mama mishaps along the way....but this was a scary one.