I remember the very first time we came home from the hospital with Sofia and all the help that we had at the hospital was gone (well…it was gone for me). Now, it was totally up to me to look after, and nurture this tiny little human. wow. so scary! Scary because I was a first time mother without knowing if I was going to the best mom for her. Even though I knew in my heart that He chose me to be her mom (out of all the people in the world He chose me!) So that was comforting.
During the day time I felt like I could manage, even as a first time mom. Not saying I didn’t have extra hands helping a girl out, but it was not as difficult as night time. Come around night time, and I would immediately freak out! I almost remember not wanting night time to come because it was a lot, to say the least (thanks to Gio, hubby) helped out tremendously. So we would take turns checking on Sofia while she slept.
To be honest we didn’t really deep sleep, between night time feedings and constantly checking up on Sofia, it was a sleepless night almost every night. We would literally check up on her almost every 30 minutes! We would literally wake up just to stare over her while she slept to make sure we saw some movement. Since Sofia was a deep sleeper it was so scary not hearing her all night. To sum it up, it caused a lot of anxiety not knowing if she was still breathing, or she could potentially stop breathing. Especially since we read so many articles about SIDS we were always on high alert.
Thankfully right after we had Sofia we discovered the Owlet baby sock monitor. This is the first smart sock that was designed to track baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels, while baby slept. Unfortunately Sofia was around 6 months when we discovered it. By this time we felt like Sofia surpassed SIDS and we didn’t think we would need it. So we decided that for the next baby we would definitely invest in this monitor.
This time around when I was pregnant with our second, I knew exactly the baby items I needed, and wanted. We purchased the 2nd Generation smart sock. Now it has been updated to an even smarter 3rd Generation smart sock. The monitor comes with a base (pictured above) and the smart sock comes in three different sizes (0-18 months.) The smart sock tracks oxygen levels, and heart rate in real time readings. You can see the sensor flickering inside the sock which indicates that it is ready to use.
This is the smart sock which wraps around the baby’s foot, while baby naps, or sleeps in the crib. It comes instructions on how to properly put on the sock inside the sock, or on the manual in case you forget (I’ve been guilty of this one, especially in the beginning.) Then you’ll become a master and know exactly how it goes on. The sensor can easily be removed from the sock whenever you need to wash the sock.
As soon as you put it on baby, you press down on the base for three seconds to turn it on. It will turn bright green when it is properly placed, ready to use and ready to track baby’s sleep. You can also dim it by pressing down on it again for three seconds for night time mode. It will lightly blink on and off like a heart beat throughout the night/day while baby wears the sock.
The best part of it all?! You can easily track baby from the comfort of your bedroom, living room or anywhere you are. Even though newborns co-sleep in the same bedroom you can still catch some z’s with this sock! By downloading the owlet app you are able to create a profile for baby. On the home screen you will see baby’s photo and the real time readings of the heart rate and oxygen levels.
The app will break down baby’s sleep segment with an overview and overall sleep quality for the night. It literally tells you exactly how baby slept, what time baby wakes up, when baby is in deep sleep or light sleeping. It will also tell you the longest sleep segment and wakings in the overview for each night. This means that you will have it all recorded for the pediatrician to see incase you forget (I know I did, especially if I didn’t write it down.)
If at anytime anything is abnormal the base will sound notifying you (trust me you will hear it) and your phone will also alert you immediately. So you can always count on the sock to give you peace of mind every. single. night. I just can’t believe they created this amazing tool for us mommies!
In the morning after Emma wakes up, I take off the sock and let it charge for the next time. It will turn on white while it charges but when in doubt, you can always check the battery percentage on the app. I use the sock during naps too! I seriously cannot imagine myself without it anymore. It’s been proven that 96% of parents that have the smart sock sleep compared to the parents without it. Crazy right?!
So I can go on and on about how great this smart sock is but ultimately it is up to you to research; whether this is the right purchase or not. The price is a little bit on the steep side, but if you will consider having more children in the future (or not) this will give you peace at night. You will deep sleep for the 2-3 hours that you need to sleep before the next feeding. Trust me I know, so do yourself a favor, or add it to your registry but YOU NEED IT!! I know I do. Sincerely, a mama who wishes another mama some sleep.
xo,
