United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

hi all
i have a 5 months old baby with a OBPI right hand ,my PT suggest that he sleep with his hand in supination (spiling??)position with pillow support
and his orthopedic doctor suggest he sleep on his tummy to avoid shoulder dislocation!
he has rest hand splint he wear it when sleeping
how does ur baby usualy sleep?!

Hopefully someone can give you some info on this. I just wanted to quickly comment on sleeping on the belly. These days doctors are recommending that all infants sleep on their backs (as I am sure you know) because of SIDS and the risks that go along with tummy sleeping. If I were you I would reconsider the tummy sleeping position and let your baby sleep on his back with the injured arm down by his side. Maybe someone else can comment on what worked for them. Good luck.
~Krista~

When my daughter was born 8 years ago, we had her sleeping on her side.....I do not know if they say side sleeping is okay or not? You should check with your pediatrican, because I thought side sleeping worked very good. We put her in a side sleeping wedge. Good luck to you!!!!!

My daughter was very uncomfortable on her back when she was an infant. We had her sleeping in an infant seat with a towel rolled up next to her to keep her shoulder in place. She also wore a resting splint. This seemed to be most comfortable for her. She had primary surgery at 4 1/2 months old and by about 6 months we were able to have her sleep on her back-sort of. She wasn't on her side, yet not quite on her back...We lodged her up against the bumpers with her back towards the bumpers. Again, we kept a towel rolled up to support her shoulder. By the time she could roll over, the point was moot... she would sleep how she wanted to.

good luck,
claudia

btw, if you decide to go with tummy sleeping, know that there are a list of contributing factors WITH stomach sleeping that contribute to SIDS. Two of my 4 kids were tummy sleepers...

My son is also 5 months old and robpi. He has however had an amazing recovery so far and moves his arm quite a bit. Supination is still developing, although he does supinate some. He just sleeps however. Since he started rolling over-I haven't been able to keep him on his back. He can usually bring his arm up by his head but once or twice I have found him with it stuck under him. I just move it out, luckily he's a pretty heavy sleeper.
Babies are supposed to sleep on the backs unless they turn themselves over. Personally I wouldn't want to risk a chance of SIDS for an issue with his arm(not life threatening) But listen to your drs-they know what's best for your baby.

We started to let our baby sleep on het tummy when she was 5 months old. First only at daytime, later also through the night. We had two reasons for doing this. Firstly she developed a flat backside of het head and secondly we thought is a very good way to stimulate her arm.

Our doctor advised to let her sleep on her back because of SIDS. I think she was obliged to give this advise. After some reading I conclude that SIDS was not very likely to occur.

I'm still glad we started to let her sleep on het belly because she got more comfortable on her tummy and that stimulated using her arm a lot.


Message was edited by: John Rafter

Tummy time is very important when the child is learning how to bear weight in that position. I believe that tummy time would help the arm/shoulder area get stronger while awake and not necessarily while they are sleeping in that position. I could be wrong, but that seems to make more sense to me. Everyone who has an injured baby should encourage as much tummy time as possible when the baby is awake. It can really make a difference!
~Krista~

I think the chance of SIDS decreases after 4 months old...am I right? I guess if the benefits of sleeping on the tummy outweigh the risk of SIDS...then you have to decide what you want to do for your child.

so if i decide to let my baby sleep on his back what should be the right position for his injured arm??

I am not sure if the case is the same with all babies in sleeping positions, but we were always told to just lay her down with her arm to her side. I would always check on her to make sure she didn't roll onto the arm in a funny way, but most of the time she was just fine with the arm down by her side. If I were you I would lay the baby down, put the injured arm right against his body to his side and that's all. If this is wrong information someone please correct me. I am just saying this b/c it is what we did with our daughter who was just fine. And it was recommended to us by doctors and therapists. Good luck.
~Krista~