Baby Sleep Problems

Question by Lauren S:
Planning to have my newborn sleep on her belly… anyone else agree?
HI! I am due in late August with a little girl. I have done a lot of research on back vs belly sleeping and I have decided to go with belly sleeping. Here is why: I have read article after article on WebMD and accredited sites like that (as well as books) about belly vs back. Every single one says to put the baby to sleep on their back. (The only one that says Belly is by a very famous, now retired, Pediatrician Dr. Denmark of Atlanta. Several of my friends were her patients. ) They say that the child’s risk of suffocating is greatly increased when they lie on their bellies on a soft mattress. The key part is the soft mattress. It creates a pocket of Co2 and there is not enough air circulation and the baby suffocates. What if you fix the two main problems? Get a firm mattress and have good air circulation. I have not come across a single article that does not include soft mattress and poor air circulation to the problems with belly sleeping. There has also been research to show that babies actually sleep superior on their bellies, when they are on their backs, they get the “falling” sensation and are easily startled by it and wake themselves up. Developmentally it is good for babies to be on their bellies, thus we have tummy time mats now to help them develop their back and neck muscles. The scare is that when put on their bellies to sleep is that they do not know how to turn their heads, but it is a natural movement for them and they do turn their heads to the side. My husband and I were both belly sleepers as babies. The tricky thing with SIDS is that it has no rhyme or reason as to why it happens. Suffocation, on the other hand, can be prevented. Make sure there are no blankets or stuffed animals in the bed, have a firm mattress, good air circulation. Things like that are preventable, SIDS is not. I feel that if I do everything to keep my baby safe, weather it is to put her to sleep on her back or her belly and she still dies of SIDS, then there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. This is just my view and I have done the research and still have chosen belly. Thanks for reading and I was just wondering if there were any other moms out there that agree.
Please remember that SIDS and suffocation are two different things. SIDS is unexplainable and will happen no matter how the baby is sleeping (back, belly, side,in the pack n play, in the crib, automobile seat…)and suffocation is preventable.
one more note: thank you for y’all responses, but I asked who agreed, not who disagreed. I know there is going to be 100 disagrees for every 1 agree. I really would like to hear from the women who agree, particularly the women who have newborn belly sleepers. I’d like to hear their advice and their worries and fears as well. I know this is highly controversial and that is why I asked who concurs with me, so I can read and find support.

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