brain damage?

Question

ok well my 3 week old daughter is 3 weeks old and she is colic and last night i was soo tired i havent really slept in a few days...so i went to feed her on the couch and i fell asleep by accident and she fell off the couch and its 8:00 almost and i have been crying since 4:30 i keep thinking i am the worst mother in the word...could my daughter have brain damage because of the fall??

sorry about the typos like i said i havent slept in a few days:(

Answer 1

Yes, it's possible, but it's very unlikely. *All* babies take a fall occasionally; their brains are very well protected. And you are not a bad mother--only a very sleepy one!!

Call your doctor. She/he will tell you whether the baby needs to be seen and what to watch out for.

Please don't sleep on a couch with your baby. It is inherently unsafe. I am adding a link to a page on safe co-sleeping. It's better for all concerned.

Answer 2

I wouldn't worry... I'm willing to guess that if all the people who have ever dropped their babies by accident, let them roll of the bed by accident, etc. had brain damaged babies, the world would be in shambles, LOL. Anyone who tells you their baby has never fallen off the couch or the bed or out of the crib (because they forgot to pull the rail up when the put the baby to bed) is probably lying. Sure, tons of people never have babies who fall or who are dropped accidentally, but I think at some point or another, most people will have accidents like this with their babies.

Since your baby fell only from the sofa, and landed (more than likely) on carpeting, I'm sure your baby is fine. If you see any signs of concussion (vomiting, excessive sleepines, pupils of her eyes are different shapes and don't dilate when exposed to bright light) you need to call her pediatrician immediately. Otherwise, I'm sure she's fine. :) Babies are very tough little creatures as a rule, and can withstand quite a bit.

Answer 3

If it were my baby, I would call my Pedicatrician for advice. They will want to see her and make sure everything is ok. It does not mean you are a horrible parent. Sometimes things happen. To keep them happening in the future you need to institute a few rules.
1. NEVER fall asleep with your baby, especially when feeding. More babies have been smothered by an adult falling asleep on them. This does include lying down to feed when you are tired. Do NOT do it! Do a google search and see. It is probably a good thing your baby ended up rolling off of you to the floor in this case.

2. It is exhausting. Maybe you can have your husband be awake with you if you are that tired while feeding (even if he has to work, it takes two to be parents). Or, express your milk and bottle feed, taking turns with your husband or maybe one of your relatives who could come and stay until you get some rest. If these things are not possible, set an alarm while you feed to go off that you know you will hear to wake you up if you fall asleep. If you do not fall asleep, you can catch it in time and reset it before it goes off. I would set it for every 4-5 minutes in case you are getting drowzy. Use that method only if you cannot get some help.

3. It is ok to feel tired and miserable. We have all been there in the first few weeks of having baby home. Do not take it out on yourself and do not be afraid to SPEAK UP for some help. You need your rest so you can be the GREAT mom you are for your baby. It does get better.

Congrats on your new sweet baby!

Answer 4

I don't have children, however this same thing happened to one of my closest friends, and she called me crying and asking for advice, because I am an RN. She felt guilty about the incident for weeks, and now she looks back at it and laughs, when she thinks about all the other accidents her daughter has had. I would be pretty confident in telling you not to worry. She probably fell a foot-foot in a half at the most. And more than likely, she did not fall on her head. When a person has brain damage, it is quite apparent. She would be tired, her eyes might look watery, pupils could be dilated, and she would not respond normally. I am sure she is fine, but I understand your concerns

Answer 5

Don't fret, I felt the same way when my 7 month old rolled off the bed. Almost all babies have fallen, you have to look for differences in their behavior. Did the baby cry right away? I f she did, that's a good sign. How high was the couch? What did she fall on? Was it carpet? I looked on the Internet when my baby fell, I can't remember the site, but it had all this info on falls and how high was OK and all. I just googled infant fall head trauma, I think. Don't worry, if you are still unsure there's no harm in taking the baby to the Dr. They won't think you're a bad mom, like I said , it's happened to most parents and babies!!!

Answer 6

Hey, mom - you're doing just fine. It's hard being a parent!! Especially in the early years. The first 40 years of parenthood are always the hardest (just kidding). Things will get better! During the first ten years you spend all your time trying to get them to go to sleep and in next ten years you spend all your time trying to wake them up (not kidding)! Don't hestitate to get that husband of yours, a relative, or a friend to babysit for a bit so you can get a much needed nap every now and then, ok? Hire a teenager to take your baby on a walk in the stroller so you can snooze for an hour or so. People really don't mind helping out new moms (but you have to ask). Also, next time your baby is having a screaming colic fit, try gently massaging her feet (that always worked with my baby). And car rides work for a lot of babies (although not mine - turns out they got car sick, but I didn't know that until they were old enough to tell me, ha!). Hang in there and take care. You're going to be a great mom!!

Answer 7

What a shame that such immature and insensitive people would post non-answers... ignore them. They're not worth your time.

My pediatrician (in order to easy MY mind after a similar incident with my daughter) shared a story about how when his son was a baby (over 20 years ago), they had him in bed with them... and his son fell asleep on the pediatrician's outstretched arm... well, you can imagine what happened when he lifted his arm during the night to roll over... off went junior, right onto the floor. But junior ended up being okay. Something he pointed out to me: keep in mind the amount of trauma that your baby had to go through to get into this world! She was made to be VERY resilient!


Now... I took my baby to the pediatrician's office, because I was concerned (I'd checked her pupils and her head)... but I wanted a medical practitioner to tell me whether I should be worried or not. He wasn't concerned, so I wasn't.

Just take her in, if you're really worried.... they will be HAPPY to help you.... they know you're a new mom, that you're sleep deprived, and that you're going to be worried. They WANT you to call so that they can help you out. So don't be embarrassed... I'm sure you can see, after reading most of these posts, that a LOT of Moms have had similar incidents happen.

Good luck!

Answer 8

She's fine...You're doing a great job as a mother your just a lil sleep deprieved and thats how everyone is until you get into the swing of things. Try to get your family or someone to watch her for a few hours so you can sleep you cant keep going on no rest itll make you crazy!! but im pretty sure your daughters just fine babies roll of the bed and everything else all the time

Answer 9

Hi, Since your daughter is only 3 weeks old then you should be taking her the ER to be examined. She is way to young to wait it out and see what happens.
I would suggest pushing your bed against a wall and put the baby between you and the wall for those night wakings. If she cries all the time from *colic* then I wouldn't dare leave her alone to cry it out.Here is something you can truy to calm her....put her legs around your stomach and put one hand under her neck and the other under her back facing her out like you were going to kiss and bounce lightly on the couch or bed and I bet she loves it and sleeps for you!! If I lived close enough to you I would be more than happy to help you out. Remember to LEAVE the dishes, laundry, vacuuming go.......Try to sleep everyc chance she does.

Best Wishes and God Bless You

Answer 10

Oh Hon, it is okay! It happens to ALL of us at one point or another! You are NOT a bad mom! Dont beat yourself up over it! Every parent has stories like that! She is probably fine. As long as she isnt still crying, is not extra sleepy or groggy, doesnt have any limbs that hurt her when you move them, and doesn't have dilated pupils, or any other odd behavior, then she is probably a-ok. All babies fall at some point or another...and you are going to make MANY MANY mistakes as a mother - we ALL do! the fact that you arent a perfect mom does not make you a bad mom! It makes you human! and trust me, you dont want to be a perfect mom! If you never made a single mistake, your daughter would grow up thinking SHE had to be perfect too and she would fall short and always feel bad about herself. That would be terrible! Try not to be so hard on yourself! If you lighten up, then she will learn that making mistakes is okay and that she doesnt have to be perfect either! Sounds like youre pretty sleep deprived! Try to relax and get some rest if you can!

Answer 11

When you are upset about things the baby will pick up on that and will cry. Does the baby have any swelling ? Check her pupils with a small flashlight if her pupils respond by getting smaller then she is most likely ok. Keep a close eye on her for vomiting as this could indicate a problem. Sit down with her rub her back and talk to her soothingly try to be calm and relaxing. She will continue crying if you are aggravated. Please remember to never leave a baby on furniture unattended.