To think this should be told to every mother?

[HeyUGuys]

I heard my HV telling another woman not to swaddle her baby as it can be fatal.
Then my DM tells me a story from the newspaper where a woman has been reported to social services as she is 'willfully putting baby at risk' by swaddling.

Now i have never put any of my DC to bed swaddled, but i have used it to help them sleep in the day. Was it just me who hadnt been told how dangerous it is?

HV said it can cause SIDS, over heating, joint problems in the hips....

[ILetHimKeep20Quid]

Because it's not true.

[purrpurr]

Sounds needlessly inflammatory to me. Risks should be negated by doing things properly and following guidelines. I dare say if your idea of swaddling is to wrap your baby up tight in a duvet in July then you're going to have problems, but most people know how to swaddle safely, surely.

But yeah, omg, panic stations ftw wtf bbq.

[meditrina]

Scaremongering.

Here is some more considered advice.

If there needs to be more publicity on safe swaddling, the why restrict it to mothers? Or are fathers to be excluded from caring for their infants?

[Lorelei353]

The midwife who ran our ante natal class did warn us about these risks but our NCT Ante natal teacher taught us how to do it. We didn't do it often but did make sure we did it safely when nothing else would work.

[Mumof3xx]

My hv tries to swaddle dd!

Dd not into being swaddled she just likes to be tucked in

My hv also told me its very important they can get hands to face to learn to self settle and I don't really understand how they are meant to do that if swaddled

[Mumof3xx]

Tried not tries

[WestieMamma]

Actually it is true. Sort of. Swaddling can be a SIDS risk See here. Here in Sweden it's not recommended for this very reason.

[Fakebook]

I've swaddled both my babies from day one. The only reason I was told to cut it down with DS was because his right hip was a bit immature and I was told to let him loose whilst asleep to allow his legs to move freely.
Even with swaddling both sucked their thumb and DS still does.

Your hv and mother are just scaremongering.

[MrsBungle]

Both of mine were swaddled in hospital by the midwives (4 and 1year ago).

[barbedgirl]

This is why i never listened to HVs. Utter nonsense.

[GrandstandingBlueTit]

Both mine loved being swaddled. They are 4 and 3.

Swaddling has gone on since the dawn of time. In the late stages in the womb, there is not much room for them to move their limbs around.

As far as I am aware, swaddling provides comfort, and as long as you use a light material to swaddle, and don't over-blanket them on top of the swaddle, it is perfectly safe.

[hairylittlegoblin]

The advice seems to vary. I think most parents need to know that if they choose to swaddle then only a thin swaddle is needed. The temptation is to use too warm a covering I think. I decided to swaddle after reading studies which suggested it was safe and promoted good sleep (don't have links, was about 6 years ago!)

I had a lovely swaddle blanket from Boots that worked well for DS. It was thin and stretchy. I kept his arms out mostly as he liked to suck his fingers.

[wishwehadgoneabroad]

We swaddling in a huge muslin. (thin and stretchy!)

DD loved it. It settled her. And from 7 weeks she was sleeping 7-7 (with a break at 11 for a feed)

We followed the Harvey Karp method, it saved our sanity! And I'm sure it's why our LO now is such a happy little baby! Loves her sleep. Loves her room. Has been able to self settle from a young age.

We only stopped swaddling her when she was able to roll over (as recommended) but for quite some time she was swaddled and placed in her moses basket. Happy. As. Larry.

[sparkle12mar08]

Hairy has it ^^ - A thin cotton cot sheet is all that's needed for swaddling - our midwife swaddled both of ours before she left from our homebirths.

[MortifiedAdams]

Dd was born just over a year ago. She was swaddled.by the MW within ten mins in three hospital blankets.

They tend to factor in stupidity and go.with the lowest common.denominator - just like cosleeping - rather than say "this is how you do it safely" they say "dont do it".

I used giant muslin cloths and will do so again with any future babies.

[SupermansBigRedPants]

Dd1 was swaddled in hospital 8 years ago by a midwife who said that they aren't allowed to officially recommend it but they do do it. I swaddled ds because he was a huffy lump and it was the only thing I could settle him with. Dd2 hasn't needed it so far but if I felt she did I would.

[HeyUGuys]

I've done it with all of mine, im glad its not just me then i felt awful thinking i'd been putting them at risk. I use a thin blanket, with the holes in, an dont do it through the night only when i am awake in the day.

[MoominsYonisAreScary]

Ds1 is 18 and I remember even then being told not to swaddle as it can cause over heating, they were all swaddled in hospital, except ds3 who was really prem and on a heat mat. Saying that, it was bloody cold in the hospital

[petitemarionette]

I had no clue about this. My preemie was swaddled by nurses three years ago! They meant to make her comfortable, it was already warm enough. Houdini wasn't having a bar of it though.

[LEMisdisappointed]

I have two DC, one is 23 now, the other is 8! So imagine my horror on the maternity ward when i had loving swaddled DD2 (just like they showed me to do with DD1) and the midwife bitch came along, saw me feeding her swaddled and comfy, took her from me, practically unrolled her and she nearly rolled out off the bed! If it hadn't have been 2am I would have called DP and made him come and fetch us home

Willfully putting a baby at risk?

[labelwriter]

When I had DD, which was only 5 years ago, we were advised by our NCT and HV to swaddle her. She really liked it and seemed to find it really comforting. We used very thin swaddling blankets. We tried the same with DS and he hated it so we didn't bother with him... and he never slept!

[HeyUGuys]

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2404754/Can-swaddling-baby-like-Prince-George-raise-risk-cot-death.html

I think this is whay my DM was talking about

[MortifiedAdams]

But shops sell swaddling cloths¿¡ Surely if it were that dangerous, tgey wpuldnt be allowed to sell them?

[georgettemagritte]

We were in hospital for about a week after DD was born a few months ago and all the midwives swaddled her! DD hated it though and got free every time (she was unusually strong from birth and was holding head up and able to use hands to wriggle out of swaddles, midwives were all The lovely swaddling wrap we had bought went back to the shop unused....

[marriedinwhiteisback]

My hv told me to wrap myself in a blanket and sit by the fire as a solution for such sore and cracked nipples I couldn't bear a silk nightie against me. Not a thought to two bouts of mastitis, difficulties feeding, antiibiotics and the fact I might have thrush of the inner breast tissues. Oh no, but mothers who put their babies frst breast feed. Oh no, she couldn't provide any expeet help, that's what the nCt were for.

HVs - still talking through a different orifice from the rest of us I see. That's why I never saw one again. Nearly 20 years on and still bitter, still upset at the pnd the hv drove me to. HVs pose extremely serious risks to mothers and babies in my opinion.