Bringing my son home was one of the most nerve wracking experiences I’ve had. I was a labour and delivery nurse and had this (ridiculous) notion that it wouldn’t be a problem since I work with babies all the time.
Boy, was I wrong.
I realised I had the same fears and insecurities as every other mom. I remember setting him down in his bassinet the first night and thinking “how do I leave him?”. I sent my husband out to buy an apnea monitor. Something that never crossed my mind till I wondered how I would ever sleep and not worry about him. Griffen was a healthy, term baby- the chances of him having a problem were so small. Yet, my mind would not shut off and trust that he would be fine.
I remember this when I am helping clients of newborns. I empathise with the moms who feel anxious and overwhelmed about not watching their baby sleep. The transition to motherhood is overwhelming and it is hard to just trust that things will be fine. I believe that with time comes knowledge and confidence which makes trusting the process a little easier; but apnea monitors can be beneficial to a mom who is concerned about their babe and sleep.
The monitor we purchased used motion to detect breathing. It relied on a pad that was placed under the mattress and when it was turned on it sensed Griffen’s movements (breathing). The problem with this was that we had MANY false alarms. If he shifted or sometimes even if he didn’t, it would alarm and we would bolt out of bed and shake him awake. This left us with our hearts racing and a wide awake baby to deal with. Another issue we had was portability. The pad had cords and needed to be placed on a flat board to be most effective. I wanted to bring the security of a breathing monitor with me wherever we went, but it was difficult to pack the board, the pad, the cords and the monitor.
The monitor we purchased was far from perfect, but it did give me the ability to close my eyes when Griffen did (which wasn’t often). I used it until the six month mark when he was rolling around and setting the monitor off frequently and we were having many false alarms.
But WOW has technology changed. Owlet has designed a “smart sock” that uses hospital technology to monitor your baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels right from your phone.
It is similar to a monitor you’d find in a hospital. The sock stays secure on the baby’s foot, minimising false alarms. It can go under your baby’s sleeper and travels with you without the fuss of pads and cords. It is compatible with Apple products and will work with Androids in June 2016. It alarms both the base station and your phone, eliminating the worry of your phone dying or your Wi-Fi signal faltering. The socks come in different sizes so the monitor will grow with your baby.
The Owlet is perfect for a family bringing a preemie baby home. It’s an incredible shock to have your baby monitored day and night in the hospital and have them take it away and send you home. It is like losing your security blanket. The Owlet is a parent’s security blanket and their baby’s potential safeguard.
As an Infant and Child Sleep Specialist, I understand the different circumstances of families and their anxieties towards their baby’s safety. If you are going to use an apnea monitor, the Owlet is worth the investment. Worth every penny if it helps parents feel secure enough to sleep when their little one sleeps.
Do you have questions about your newborn’s sleep? I would love to answer them – comment below.
Sleep well,
Carrie Bruno RN, IBCLC, Sleep Sense Consultant
Love this new product! What a great idea to keep a mamas mind at ease! Thanks for the great give away Carrie! I’ve shared it on Facebook!
Hi!
I gave birth to my son at 24 weeks and 6 days. We have been in the NICU for 3 months on a ventilator and now on high flow. Hopefully we get to go home in the next month! I have been reading about this product and asked my nurse about it- she says by the time he gets to go home, I shouldn’t need to rely on a monitor because he will be like any full term baby going home. Easier for her to say though- I have been staring at a monitor for he last 3 months and not sure how I will cope without it… Thoughts???
Hi Kelly,
Your nurse is right – you wont NEED to monitor your baby at home. However, I think a product like this might make the transition to home easier. I understand the anxiety about bringing your little man home – yes he is now like any full term baby going home but you haven’t been down the same road as women who deliver full term babies. Your path was most likely anxiety inducing and it will take time to overcome that. So I would give yourself permission to do what you need to in order to feel better and gain confidence with bringing him home. I would try not to use it 24/7, maybe when you are sleeping and see how you are feeling. Congrats on bringing him home!!
My daughter often moves and talks a lot in her sleep. She has been doing this since she was born. It often wakes me up at night as she can be very loud. Shes only 7 weeks old. Is this normal?
Hi Kat. This is normal! I would suggest not disturbing her when she does this. Babies this age are noisy and move even when they are sleeping. Often parents disturb a baby who is making noise, kicking, grunting when in fact they are sleeping. This ends up creating wake ups that aren’t probably needed and actually disturb your baby’s sleep.
Wow, I did not know about this. We have the false alarming monitor you mentioned. You know my story so you can imagine those first few false alarms…I think my heart stopped a few times. This is amazing. What is the age limit?
Hi Amanda! The owlet works until age one and fits some babies up till 18 months. The sock comes in three sizes.
Love this product I can’t wait to use this when we have baby #2 … would of helped with baby number 1! Thank for the info
I totally understand the insecurities and you feel them even as a health care professional. This is a very neat product
I love this product. Definitely something for every parent with a newborn. Give you that feeling of safety.
Great give away Carrie! Looks like a great product I could pass on to my sister in law!
This is AH-MAZING! You’re right…technology sure has changed! Who knew you could essentially have an SpO2 monitor in the comfort of your home! Wow!
Sounds great. Would love to win this for my newborn!
Wish I would of seen this before I left the hospital with my daughter this is pretty need.
This would be perfect for our baby girl! Hope we win!
I need this! Would be so much better than watching my nightly TV show 😉 … I’m working on letting go and trusting, but it’s tough.
This is so smart! When we first brought the baby home all I could think was why doesn’t a monitor like this exist! I hope we win 🙂
This is such an amazing idea.cant wait to read the The posts
Would love one of these for my second baby on the way! I was up all night for weeks with my first just being paranoid!
This is super to help both mom and dad get a good nights rest! Someone should have thought of it sooner!
What a cool product. Would love to try with my newborn.
Love it ! Hope we win ☺
I would love this for my preemie when we go home