Experienced Mom Almost Loses Newborn to a Lovey Blanket

Sara was not new to parenting. As a mother to three older children, she felt totally confident when her youngest child, Benjamin, was born. Benjamin was healthy in every sense of the word. He was developing properly, feeding regularly, pleasant, and a great sleeper. Sara felt no need to worry; little Benjamin was perfect. Every night when Sara and her husband put him to bed, they’d kiss his cheek, hand him his little Lovey (a small blanket with a stuffed toy sewn onto corner) and shut the door.

The Smart Sock is the first baby monitor to track your baby’s oxygen level and heart rate—the best indication of baby’s health—while they sleep.

Sound familiar? Every night similar nighttime routines are practiced by parents around the world. However, on December 14, 2016, an ordinary night almost turned into a nightmare for Sara and her husband.

lovey-blanket-safe-sleep
The Lovey blanket used by Benjamin while he slept.

“Last night about 30 minutes after putting 4-month-old Benjamin to bed, we were on the couch relaxing and all was quiet on the baby monitor so I figured he was down for the night. I heard his Owlet Smart Sock he wears notify on my phone showing “low oxygen” so I ran back to him figuring it must be a false alarm. I walked in to find his little lovey blanket on top of his face. 

My husband, Joel, tried keeping him awake while I called 9-1-1. They were able to come and help him get breathing again with a few compressions. An ambulance took him to the ER and they got him stable and he was able to come home after a few hours. But the doctors and nurses all agreed that the Smart Sock helped because I wouldn’t have checked on him otherwise. That stupid little lovey is so small and lightweight and he usually puts himself to sleep by rubbing his cheek on it. I thought it would be okay to leave on the side of his bed and I definitely didn’t ever think he would be suffocated by it. Really mad at myself for that. So don’t make my mistake! Nothing in their cribs, not even tiny little lovey toys!”

Paramedics who rushed Benjamin to the ER for further treatment.

When it comes to safe sleep, even small items can create big problems. Thankfully Benjamin’s parents arrived in a time to act. Benjamin is now approaching his first birthday, healthy and happy and the memory of this night serves as a reminder to parents everywhere to keep items out of the crib during sleep.

 

In an effort to promote safe sleep conditions and shed light on common factors that coincided with the Smart Sock notifying for oxygen level we’ve compiled a list of the top five correlating factors for red notifications.,

Airway obstruction was one of these five factors, with 11 percent of families who reported experiencing a low oxygen notification discovered their baby had restricted breathing.*

September is Baby Safety Month and in an effort to reduce the risk sleep-related injuries of infants, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has established safe sleep guidelines that parents should follow to keep their baby safe when sleeping. These guidelines, designed for the first year of life, include:

  • Following the ABCs of safe sleep: Placing baby Alone, on their Back, in their Crib (or other safe sleeping place).
  • In following this advice, do not place any soft bedding including loose blankets or pillows, stuffed animals, or other soft objects in your baby’s sleeping area. This also includes crib bumper pads.
  • Your baby should sleep on a firm mattress that does not conform to their head shape, and should not be placed to sleep on a regular bed, couch, or another soft surface that could contour to their body and create a risk of accidental suffocation. AAP recommends using a firm mattress with a tightly fitted sheet only.
  • Consider room-sharing with your baby, but not bed-sharing. The AAP recommends doing this for at least the first six months and optimally, for the first year of life.
    Benjamin – 12 months old
  • Keep your baby at a comfortable temperature to avoid overheating. Dress Baby in appropriate clothing that does not cover the face or head. Consider using a safe wearable blanket, like a sleep sack.
  • Using the Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor isn’t a reason to ignore safe sleeping guidelines. The Owlet Smart Sock Baby Monitor is not intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. The Smart Sock is only intended to assist you in tracking your baby’s well-being and is not intended to replace you as a caregiver. You are ultimately responsible for your baby but we believe using Owlet while practicing safe sleep and other healthy parenting practices can help.

Do you know someone who could benefit from knowing this information? Please pass it along and follow our blog during the month of September for more safe sleep tips.

*We cannot say definitively the cause of the low oxygen levels but we can report the facts that were given to us when these different families shared their experiences.

 

These stories are from users of the Smart Sock and are based on their actual experiences. As you read these stories, we want to remind you that the Smart Sock is not a medical device. It is not intended for use as a medical device or to replace a medical device. It does not and is not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, alleviate or prevent any disease or health condition or investigate, replace or modify any physiological process. The Smart Sock is only intended to assist you in tracking your baby’s well-being not to replace you as a caregiver. You are responsible for the health and well-being of your baby and following safe sleep, health, and care guidelines.



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