PSA

I got permission to share a little bit about what happened to Jacob so that other babies can be kept safe.

A couple of months ago, Jacob started rolling front to back. This was a big help for him because with his severe reflux, this is the only way he would nap somedays. He slept in his swing and rock n play for a long time, just recently transitioning to his crib. Like I mentioned, because of his unusual sleeping places, his mom put the Snuza monitor on him. During his third month, Jacob gained a good chunk of weight---he's a super cute little chubby monkey! But, what no one realized, was that he could no longer roll himself over because of the weight gain. He was spending a lot of time in upright toys--jumperoos etc. On a particularly rough day, his mom laid him down in his crib for a nap on his belly. He had had a rough night before and was really cranky/fussy. Both mom and him needed sleep desperately. His mom woke up to his alarm going off--she's not sure how long. Because he could no longer roll over or move his neck as well, he had gotten facedown in the crib and was rendered unconscious from the CO2 he was breathing in. When his mom found him, he wasn't breathing and had no pulse. She ran him downstairs, where she did CPR on him while calling 911. By the time the paramedics arrived, he was conscious but struggling to breathe. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Doctors and nurses worked on him and they figured out what had happened. Since he never turned blue (the CO2 basically put him in a stasis before he could suffocate), there is no presumed brain damage and he got to go home that night. He is since happy and acting normally!

His mom on the other hand is dealing with a lot of guilt. She feels that it is all her fault and that she nearly killed her baby. We've reassured her that she had no idea he couldn't roll over anymore/move his neck. I honestly had no idea that changes in weight could result in this---I always went with what people say about tummy sleeping being safe once they can put themselves on it, roll etc. I never knew their skill set could go backwards. It is because of this that she says it's okay to share her story---so that no other baby might be put in a dangerous situation.

As scary as it all is/was for them, I consider myself lucky to know them. She is an amazing mom who knew how to rise above crisis and save her baby. She is handling her guilt admirably and using her mistake to help keep other babies safe. It has taught me an important lesson on assuming nothing in parenting. Thank goodness LM doesn't like to roll unless necessary, so I've never considered it remotely safe to let him sleep like that.

I hope this helps you and your little ones and little ones you may know.