Well, I won- but not the co-sleeper. My essay is one of six being published as chapter introductions in the book Are You Co-Sleeping? Me Too! Of the six given writing prompts, I wrote on how co-sleeping saved my child's life. Of course, I don't know for certain that co-sleeping ever saved Tye's life, but I hate to think what could have happened had she started her life at home sleeping in a crib. Since she was just weeks old, Tye has had reflux-related choking episodes in which she struggles to clear the spit up from her airways. Some episodes are scarier than others, such as when she silently turned purple in my arms while I scrambled to find the bulb syringe. Others have been much less scary and Tye has cleared her airways herself, sometimes spitting milk out her nose- poor girl. These episodes usually occurred every few days and sometimes three or four times in one day, though they have become less frequent over the past month. For the first several weeks of her life, Tye slept on my chest at night, and later very close beside me. When she choked, her arms flailed, waking me if I wasn't already so that I could pick her up, hold her face-down, comfort her, and suction her throat if she needed assistance. While I'll never know for sure that Tye wouldn't have eventually cleared her throat herself all those times, it's something I'm quite grateful I never had to find out.
In timely fashion, I read an email from another mom on the Holistic Moms Network message board last week. The topic was babies sleeping on their backs and how important the "Back to Sleep" idea is. This mom shared the story of her son with reflux. While just days old in the hospital, asleep on his back in the nursery, he experienced choking related to reflux. Because he was on his back, he couldn't breathe and turned blue. Since then, he has been diagnosed as having cerebral palsy linked to oxygen deprivation those first days.
This mother's experience validated my own fears for Tye's well-being. I have wondered often if I have been overly concerned and wasting energy worrying about a remote possibility. Now I know that my fears were justified, and I'm thankful that I made all those choices to stay near Tye at all times and to never leave the house without a bulb syringe. I am forever grateful that we started co-sleeping and that I woke up every time Tye choked.
The co-sleeping essay I wrote concisely explained how I have woken up to Tye choking silently in the middle of the night and how I believe having Tye beside me at night has helped to keep her safe. It will introduce a chapter on the safety benefits of co-sleeping, and I'll receive a free copy of the book in a few weeks.
Maybe then I can share what I wrote with you, because I never saved my essay.
Congratulations! Your first publication (I believe there will be more). You're a great mother, thanks for doing such a great job. In every picture, Tye has such a great smile. When you were a baby, all babies slept on their tummies, and it was to prevent choking. I know that practice has changed, but tummy sleeping has its merits, too. I guess co-sleeping has the best of everything.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think co-sleeping has made me way more in tube to Baby's needs. We had to suction his nose often at first-sometimes he couldn't breathe enough to nurse until we did- and it definitely woke me up when he would make the tiniest noises. I can't even imagine how moms can put their babies in a crib in a different room without being a nervous wreck the whole time!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME Em - Congrats : ) Can't wait to read your article
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting your essay in the book. I was always fearful of my son dying in his sleep, even though he never had a problem like that. But you know, when he was very new, he used to make wheezing noises at night, and it made me nervous, but I noticed he only did it in the bassinet--not when he slept next to me. I'm convinced babies are meant to sleep next to their mothers.
ReplyDelete