Dr. Mercola October 28 2008 27,971 views
I am a Certified Natural Health Practitioner and a mother of two. I kept my babies in bed with me until they were pre-schoolers. I believe that leaving the womb is traumatic enough - it is important for baby to hear and feel her/his parents' heartbeats and breath while sleeping. I breastfed my eldest, now 14, until she was four. My 2 and a half year old still nurses to help her digest her food. Both were and are voracious eaters. I believe that nursing spared them every second cold, flu or illness that the children around them got. Neither have ever been vaccinated as my uncle died a slow and agonizing death from kidney failure as a result of a vaccine. When my eldest got chicken pox, it was a one day non-event while vaccinated friends suffered for more than a week. I take my children with me wherever I go, and we travel by bicycle, so our exposure to sun and fresh air is several hours a day most of the year.
I believe that immunity through breast milk, fresh air, healthy sun, nursing and physical contact with parents, especially when sleeping, prevents SID and many other physical and emotional problems.
I do not believe that there is any evidence to suggest that sleeping in parents' bed contributes to SID except possibly in the case of intoxicated or ill parents.
In the book, "Our Babies Ourselves", the author sites a study that monitored the vital signs of babies that slept separate from their mothers and those that slept in close proximity w/ mommy and compared them.
The lone sleepers' vitals were very disorganized and they were more likely to experience instances of sleep apnea and those that slept w/ their mommies aligned their heart rates and breathing w/ their mothers. The conclusion of the researchers, The Author, and myself, were that bed sharing lowers the risk of SIDS in babies.
Just my .02,
Peace All my babies slept on their belly's and not only are they all alive, they never had to have their heads reshaped with that helmet thingy.
It sounds good, but I'd be so worried about rolling over and squashing the baby - they're so tiny when they're new. How do you get around this? Is having the cot right beside the bed ok?
I agree. Studies show that safe co-sleeping reduces SIDS. www.babyreference.com/Cosleeping&SIDSFactSheet.htm
I only know one of one baby who died of SIDS in his parents bed...his father rolled on him. I co-sleep but I do it safely. My babies are not at risk of being rolled on or smothered.
I coslept because it was the only way I could get any sleep. :) My 18 month old is happily in her own room now, but the new baby (I'm due in February) will be in our bed.
PS on belly sleeping...I've done that too. If they are not in the crook of my arm (on their backs) in my bed, then they are on their bellies next to my bed.
They do it in the hospital because the babies sleep much better that way. The concern with belly sleeping IS NOT that they can't turn their heads and thus smother. NONE of my babies had a problem turning their heads. It's because 1) their faces are too close to the chemicals they are breathing in and are suffocated by them and 2) because they sleep so soundly they may not wake up frequently enough to breathe. If they don't have apnea and are healthy babies, this shouldn't be a problem either. If they have apnea, it's going to happen even while on their backs.
Sarah, mom to 5
Dizzy,
There is something, I think it's called a co-sleeper, that you attach to the side of your bed so the baby can sleep there. Baby is close but not too close so you don't have to worry about rolling on him/her.
Peace
I totally agree with you Tracey TieF. I also did extended nursing and all of my children (5!) have slept in our bed for at least the first few years of their lives. I believe that the parents' breathing rhythm helps the baby breathe too.
I've read that the only studies that show that co-sleeping may be a risk factor in SIDS made no distinction between those parents who chose to co-sleep and those who were alcohol- or drug-users that passed out in bed with and rolled over onto their child.
I've also read articles which site studies that suggest that co-sleeping helps reduce the risk of SIDS because the infant does not go into such deep sleep that s/he forgets to breathe. Mother and baby both cycle in and out of lighter sleep in almost identical cycles. Both seem to be aware of eachother, and do not roll over onto eachother.
Dizzylzzy1-
Nature is an amazing thing. When my kids slept with me, the infant slept in the crook of my arm on the outside of the bed. When the new baby was born, the older one went in between me and my husband and the new one slept between me and the co-sleeper. I never had a fear of rolling on the babies because I had a heightened sense of where they were. Several people with pets report the same thing, they just somehow wiggle around the little ones. I would believe intoxication or any drug use might change that, but advisories that obese Moms can't sleep with babies is rediculous, everyone has nerves in their skin and I believe every mother is so in tune with her children that she would awaken before rolling on the baby.
My daughter slept on a sheep fleece over her mattress. It probably served to protect her from any chemical emissions and as it was temperature neutral stopped her from startling awake when put to bed.
Please bed share folks (but don't couch share)!! It's actually safer so long as you are not obese, smoking, doped up on any drug - legal or otherwise - and the mattress is firm etc. Developing countries bed share and SIDS is almost non-existant there! Heck half the world bed shares!
And by the way Dr M suffocation is not SIDS - it's suffocation.
I don't often disagree with Dr Mercola but.......here's the argument:
www.askdrsears.com/.../T071000.asp
check out Dr. James J. McKenna of the University of Notre Dame - his evidence shows very interesting protective behaviour amongst breastfeeding bed sharers.
Women fall asleep whilst breastfeeding - it's normal to - so let's stop making them feel guilty and start supporting them to follow their instincts and their babies' needs.
AS
UK Breastfeeding supporter
There was a point where they stopped vaccinating infants in Japan--they waited until age 2--and SIDS virtually disappeared. Then they started vaccinating infants again and SIDS came right back.
Best way to avoid SIDS--keep the needle away from your child.