Re: Cosleeping

[Phillip Fogarty]

I have to say that while I did not expect to feel confident in having my son sleeping in my bed with me, I managed to do so on many occasions without rolling over on top of him as I feared.    I received a SIDS information booklet from a friend and remember reading the same information mentioned by Denise in a previous email - that it was primarily a concern for people under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and that a waterbed was also of concern.  I also read that having a child in the room (also in their own cot) reduced the risk of SIDS as the parents movements while they slept would keep the child beyond the reach of the 'dangerous' levels of sleep.    I found that subconsciously I was quite aware of him in my arms while I slept.  I tended to have him cradled in my arms, which I felt more confident doing than having him lying on the bed beside us.  I felt quite close to him doing this.   I would be horrified if a Midwife approached me in a hospital while I slept and took my child off me.  It could be looked at from the perspective that you cannot control what a women does while she goes home (more's the pity at times) and if a mother chooses to hold on to her child while she sleeps, I believe that to be at the personal risk of the parent.   I would not have held Joshua if I feared that I were not doing the right thing.     Kirsty Fogarty.   ---- Original Message ----- From: S.J.F.ELECTRICAL. To: Janelle & Lyndon Webb ; ozmidwifery Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 12:17 PM Subject: Re: Cosleeping My understanding from a SIDS Director in WA that Co-sleeping is only cntra indicated if the parents are under the influence of drugs and highly questionable on waterbeds!   My experience in the past is that these ancedotal reports of SIDS and co sleeping are just that, anecdotes/stories? Where as SIDS does definitely does happen for babies sleeping alone often in other rooms ! Perhaps some one else has the web site for James McKennas study and other supportive of co-sleeping?   The other thing about this SIDS foundation is a great career path for many in laboratories whilst women, mothers are being encouraged to fear for their babies and rely on the instructions of others rather than tune into their babies, breast feed them etc!   cynical denise ----- Original Message ----- From: Janelle & Lyndon Webb To: ozmidwifery Sent: Tuesday, June 11, 2002 11:16 AM Subject: Cosleeping All the sharing on the list about the wonderful benefits of cosleeping has stirred my conscience. I have not had children, but can see that this is a very natural thing to do. However, the is a big SIDS prevention push at the hospital where I work, and one of the big no, nos is cosleeping. One of the paeds is on the SIDS committee and apparently there where two cases in our area last year, two cases too many. We have been asked to get parents to sign a form stating that they have received the information on safe sleeping, including the information that cosleeping is not recommended. A midwives, many of us feel uncomfortable with telling mothers that they must not sleep with their babies, and in my practice I was beginning to encourage more and more mothers to "kanga cuddle" their babies and have a snooze together in the days following the birth. Especially if they were having feeding issues. I do know however, that there are also midwives that if they find a mother and baby asleep in bed together, will remove the baby from the bed!   I know that there is also alternative research on cosleeping which I should try and track down, but are there any thoughts from the wise women of this list as to how to approach the current recommendations on SIDS?