Tag Archives: why swaddle?

Swaddling can help reduce pain response in babies

Posted by on August 21, 2012 Comments Off

A recent study conducted by EM Demps and colleagues from the Department of Paediatrics and Newborn Medicine, Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland used swaddling as a technique to help reduce pain in newborns.

Swaddling pain response

Benefits of Swaddling

They analyzed the pain responses of newborns going through a screening for a retinopathy, which is abnormal blood vessel development in the eye. This is a painful examination and the doctors looked at different techniques to help reduce the pain.  Swaddling the baby is one technique that has shown to be helpful.

So why swaddle your newborn? – It will help reduce the potential pain your newborn might encounter from examinations, blood draws, or tests.

Doctors agree Swaddling helps your newborn sleep longer

Posted by on April 23, 2012 Comments Off

Swaddling has been around for ages and continues on today because parents find it beneficial in raising their newborn. Well, a group of doctors in Belgium wanted to critically study swaddling and see physiological impact on newborns. The study title, Influence of Swaddling on Sleep and Arousal Characteristics of Healthy Infants published in the journal Pediatrics, systematically examined the benefits of swaddling and tried to answer the questions; Does swaddling help induce babies to sleep longer? Does swaddling help reduce crying among irritable babies? The impact of environmental sound was used to test the response of sleeping babies that were swaddle and non-swaddle.

The study shows swaddling was beneficial -

Swaddling helped infants sleep longer

The impact of swaddling on reducing crying was less conclusive in this study, but if babies are able to sleep for a longer time, then I’m sure more parents would still be overjoy. So, if you are a parent who has a baby that doesn’t like to sleep, then give give swaddling a try.

Swaddling will comfort your newborn

Posted by on April 19, 2012 Comments Off

As a parent, I want my son to be as comfortable as possible.  In the first few days after birth, nurses would come by and regularly poke my son in the heel to draw some blood. He was premature and had jaundice, so doctors wanted to investigate his jaundice level in order to get a better idea on how to treat him.  He was poke numerous times and each time he would cry for a good 20 minutes after the blood draw.  Then, one nurse re-swaddle the baby with his leg sticking out for the blood draw.  My son was so relaxed in the swaddle that when he was poked, he didn’t respond with crying.  It was amazing to see him relaxed during the process because it makes my heart ache every time I see him cry.

I found and read an article by several doctors in the Journal of Developmental & Behavior Pediatrics that supports what I noticed in the hospital that day.

Swaddling comforts babiesWhen newborns are swaddle, it will help reduce their crying and screaming when they are poked in the heel for blood draws.  This is a great news because I want my son to be as comfortable as possible and I know he’s comfortable when he is sleeping soundly and not crying. Then when he wakes up I will see a well rested and happy baby.

Facts about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Posted by on March 28, 2012 Comments Off

A lot of the articles talks about how swaddling reduce the occurrence of SIDS.  Well, what is SIDS exactly?  SIDS is an acronym for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and it is the abrupt and unexplained death of a baby under the age of 1 year.  Many babies who fall victim to SIDS are found in their cribs and that is why people may refer to SIDS as “crib death.”  But cribs are no the culprit and cause for SIDS.

Here are some facts that you need to know about SIDS:

  1. SIDS is the leading cause of death for babies age 1 to 12 months
  2. Most SIDS death happen in babies under 6 months old
  3. Babies placed to sleep on their stomachs are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies placed on their backs to sleep
  4. Babies are more likely to succumb to SIDS if they are placed to sleep on top of a soft bedding or if they are covered by soft bedding

Here are some ways you can help to lower the risk of SIDS:

  1. Swaddle your baby
  2. Always place baby on his or her back to sleep (even for naps)
  3. Place your baby on a firm mattress & safety approved crib
  4. Remove soft, fluffy, stuffed toys, and loose bedding from your baby’s sleep area
  5. Remove anything that is covering your baby’s face and head during sleep
  6. Do not allow smoking around the baby
  7. Don’t let your baby get too warm during sleep
  8. Use a clean & dry pacifier when placing your baby to sleep
  9. Let everyone who cares for your baby know that they must follow all these instructions

What is swaddling a baby?

Posted by on March 9, 2012 Comments Off

What is swaddling a baby?

As a new parent you probably heard this word floating around in talking other parents or in your own personal search for baby care.  The short answer is swaddling consists of wrapping a baby in a blanket.  Below are some images of newborns swaddle in different types of blankets.

 

When you take your newborn home, he or she will be swaddle because there are some essential benefits for the baby when they are swaddle. A blanket will keep the baby warm and secure. Newborns are use to the mom’s body temperature around 37 degrees Celsius or 97 degrees Fahrenheit.  When he or she enters the world at a freezing 23 degrees Celsius or 75 degrees Fahrenheit, you can understand why a baby would cry non-stop until parents swaddle them.  A thick blanket or multiple blankets will help maintain a good warm temperature for newborns. A swaddle baby will cry less because the swaddle blanket will re-create the womb like environment from which the newborn is familiar with and this leads to the baby being more comfortable and calmer. A swaddle baby will sleep longer because newborns will have random reflex movements of the arms, legs, and head. These quick movements will startle the newborn when they are asleep and will shorten their sleep time.

 

Swaddling is wrapping babies in warm, comfortable blankets to help soothe newborns from the shock of entering this world. Start swaddling and you will reap the benefits as a parent.

 

Medical Journals Support for Swaddling

Posted by on February 26, 2012 Comments Off

The practice of swaddling has been done for generations and it continues today because of the basic benefits it provides. These are the top three reasons to swaddle your baby.

1.  Newborns when swaddle properly can be help babies sleep in the supine position (sleeping on their backs).  This is important as the supine sleep position reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).  A review conducted by Dr. Rachel Moon and associates at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC, found “parents who routinely used swaddling were more likely to find it effective and to place their infant supine when swaddled.”

Swaddling Journal Quote
Swaddling help newborns sleep in supine position

Link to Journal Article>

2. Newborns usually have quick movements and they are easy startle when something loud sounds in the background. This startling effect and random movements can wake the baby up from their quite nap. By swaddling the baby, these movements are limited and help babies maintain longer sleep duration without any spontaneous awakenings.

Swaddling helps with longer sleep time
Swaddling promotes longer sleep time

Link to Journal Article>>

3. Newborns as they come out the womb are not covered with enough body fat. Thus, environmental temperature will play a big factor in the comfort level of the baby. By swaddling the baby, you are helping the baby maintain proper temperature.  But, always be cautious of overheating the baby. Also, the swaddling reminds the baby of their time in the womb where they were in a restricted space and unaffected by things around them. Thus the familiarity of warmth, restricted movement, all found in swaddling tends to calm and soothe babies from the trauma of coming into the world.

A mom’s reason to swaddle your newborn

Posted by on February 26, 2012 Comments Off

My baby girl was swaddle all the time while in the hospital and when I brought her home, I didn’t pay too much attention to swaddling.  We received some swaddle blankets during my baby shower, but I was often too tired to swaddle and I ended up covering my daughter in a blanket. But my girl would wake up randomly after each feeding and it took outrageous amount of time to get her to fall asleep again. We looked like zombies after a week, so we went web browsing for solutions. We immediately found other stories of moms and dads using a swaddle blanket to help their newborn baby find some rest through the comfort of swaddling. I felt encouraged about the possibility and I started the routine of swaddling.

SwaddleMe Blankets

Swaddle Blankets

From the 2nd week onward, I was habitual about swaddling my girl all the time. We unwrapped my girl for her swaddle blanket for feeding, diaper change, and baths. Following each event, we immediately swaddle her again. While wrapped, I can tell my daughter feels comfortable. Also, the routine gives her a schedule on what is expected of her.  She recognizes its time for sleep and does not create much of a hassle because of it.  Also, a swaddle infant is kept warm and gives support to their neck & back.  Newborns neck are not strong enough to support themselves and with the swaddle blanket, the tight wrap can secure the whole body and provide reinforcement support for the weaker areas. This will aid in the comfort of the baby when the baby is held. Overall, my daughter loves being swaddle and I would recommend it because I’m enjoying more sleep because of it.

 

Why swaddle your baby? – Another top reason to swaddle

Posted by on February 11, 2012 Comments Off

The first benefit of swaddling is its potential to lower SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) because swaddling helps infants sleep in the supine position. But, the benefits don’t stop there. Moms already witness the 2nd benefit when they first held their swaddle baby.

As I rewind thru the video of my son’s birth, it’s easy to see he was shocked and uncomfortable coming into the world.  He was screaming his lungs out and did not stop at all as the doctors examined him. His crying subsided only after he was swaddle.

The newborn has lived in the mother’s womb for almost 9 months (my stayed in there for only 34 weeks, 6 days) and has developed a comfort level. It does not cry or shed any tears in the womb because it’s protected in its very own Garden of Eden.

The act of swaddling will help the infant re-create this awesome time in his life. Where he knows he has nothing to worry about. In the womb, he is feed, kept warm, and shielded by the mom. A swaddle blanket will hope to solve two of those fears.

Select your favorite Aden + Anais Swaddle BlanketsBuy now from AmazonFirst, newborns’ are not use to the cold environment when they enter the world. The body temperature averages 37 degrees Celsius and he comes into a world that averages 23 degrees Celcius. Additionally, newborns typically don’t have much body fat for insulation and this is especially true for premature babies. A tight swaddle around the baby will help insult the baby and keep him warm as he enters a cold world.

Second, the swaddle blanket will act like a shield to help reduce unfamiliar hands from roughing him up. He will not likely be pinch or feel too much pressure against his soft and vulnerable body. The protection continues as the swaddle blanket will help keep bacteria away from the body.  At this time, people might come and visit the newly delivered baby. Having him wrapped in a clean blanket will help keep bacteria off his skin.  The swaddle blanket then should be routinely swapped out and clean to reduce the likelihood of germs building up.

The most noticeable benefit for parents is seeing the baby cry less when he is swaddle. As the environment of the womb is re-created, the baby will remember the good times and will calm down from their agitated states.

Give swaddling a try if you haven’t already because the rewards and benefits are there for infants and parents who try.

 

 

Best Reason to Swaddle your newborn!

Posted by on February 10, 2012 Comments Off

The benefits of swaddling has been tested over time and recent studies by Dr. Rachel Moon at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC, found “parents who routinely used swaddling were more likely to find it effective and to place their infant supine when swaddled.” (1)

Why is supine beneficial?

Supine position is placing the baby on his or her back for sleep. The benefits of supine sleeping position are not much of a debate and have been the recommend position since 1992 by US Health Agencies. All pediatricians agree, infants need to sleep in the supine position to reduce the outcome of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A study by Skadberg, Morild, & Markestad in 1998 (2) shows how supine position can greatly reduce occurrence of SIDS because the possibility of air passage ways (nose & mouth) from being blocked. Additionally, the supine position reduces pressure (from the babies own weight) applied to the lungs of the baby to prevent choking.

Supine position is the way parents need to put their baby to sleep. One method to train infants to sleep in this position is by swaddling. Parents always need to consider safety in raising a baby because they are yong and are at their most vulnerable stage. The best reason to swaddle is safety because it will train your newborn to sleep in the proper supine position. The supine position is the safest way to sleep and the chance your newborn would encounter SIDS will be dramatically decreased.

Definitions:

Supine position – baby’s back is against the mattress (sleeps on the back)

Prone position – baby’s back is facing up away from the mattress (sleeps on the belly)

Side position – baby’s back is perpendicular to the mattress (sleeps on the left or right side of body)

References:

(1) Swaddling: Will It Get Babies Onto Their Backs for Sleep?, R. Moon, etc, 2011

(2) Abandoning prone sleeping: Effect on the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, Skadberg, Morild, & Markestad, 1998