View Full Version : Co Sleeping Deaths on the rise
just her chameleon
04-02-2009, 12:30
Anyone just watch the Ten news???
There was a report from the US that co-sleeping deaths have quadrupled. :(
Sorry, DD started screaming when they reported the time frame that these deaths have quadrupled. I 'think' it was in the last 90years... But I'm not sure.
The most deaths are occuring in babies between 4-6months. It's so sad. These deaths could have been prevented :(
The study doesn't seem to stipulate the situations in which the babies died. Co-sleeping is only safe when done safely. It really annoys me that a safe (and beneficial!) practice is tarnished entirely when the full story isn't given.
workin'mumof2
04-02-2009, 12:41
The study doesn't seem to stipulate the situations in which the babies died. Co-sleeping is only safe when done safely. It really annoys me that a safe (and beneficial!) practice is tarnished entirely when the full story isn't given.
:iagree:
sids happens wether you do or dont co sleep unfortunately:(
Actually I just had a look at the study abstract, there is nothing in there about co-sleeping at all, it is just conclusion that someone came to when they saw that co-sleeping was apparently on the rise also. The rise could be attributed to any number of reasons and co-sleeping is not mentioned in the study at all.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/123/2/533
This is also interesting:
But some, like Dr. Charles Shubin, director of pediatrics at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, see the results much differently. "This doesn't represent more children dying of asphyxia," Shubin told the Baltimore Sun. "It means we are recognizing it more accurately. Medical technology has improved. Training of death investigators and examiners has improved."
http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/research-rates-of-infant-suffocation-have-quadrupled-since-1984
just her chameleon
04-02-2009, 12:48
The study doesn't seem to stipulate the situations in which the babies died. Co-sleeping is only safe when done safely. It really annoys me that a safe (and beneficial!) practice is tarnished entirely when the full story isn't given.
That is such a good point :yes:. They generally only seem to report 1/2 the story most of the time...
Quick question (and I'm NOT opening this thread up for debate or baiting anyone or anything nasty).
How do you co-sleep safely? ie. how do you make sure bubs doesn't slip under the covers, or make sure mum or dad don't roll onto bubs? I've been curious about this for ages! Could someone please help me to understand :o (Some nights I've really wanted to bring DD in with us, by DH says no because it's not safe)
MimiGrace
04-02-2009, 12:50
The study doesn't seem to stipulate the situations in which the babies died. Co-sleeping is only safe when done safely. It really annoys me that a safe (and beneficial!) practice is tarnished entirely when the full story isn't given.
:iagree:
just her chameleon
04-02-2009, 12:53
Actually I just had a look at the study abstract, there is nothing in there about co-sleeping at all, it is just conclusion that someone came to when they saw that co-sleeping was apparently on the rise also. The rise could be attributed to any number of reasons and co-sleeping is not mentioned in the study at all.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/123/2/533
This is also interesting:
http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/research-rates-of-infant-suffocation-have-quadrupled-since-1984
Thanks for posting that Frany.. How on earth did Channel Ten come up with the co-sleeping part of the report. There is absolutely no mention of co-sleeping whatsoever.
In fact, the study actually concludes that 'the reason for this increase in unknown' :confused: Again, no idea how Channel Ten came up the co-sleeping part...
MimiGrace
04-02-2009, 12:55
That is such a good point :yes:. They generally only seem to report 1/2 the story most of the time...
Quick question (and I'm NOT opening this thread up for debate or baiting anyone or anything nasty).
How do you co-sleep safely? ie. how do you make sure bubs doesn't slip under the covers, or make sure mum or dad don't roll onto bubs? I've been curious about this for ages! Could someone please help me to understand :o (Some nights I've really wanted to bring DD in with us, by DH says no because it's not safe)
you have to make sure your bed doesn't have lots of fluffy pillows, extra blankets etc. ie. just one lightweight blanket.
also, i would suggest the baby sleeps with mum, because (provided you don't have alcohol, drugs or cigarettes in your system) mums seem to have an inbuilt radar when it comes to your baby. Most of mine and my mums friends co-slept and not one of them rolled onto their bub.
Its funny that they say that because I heard that places like Aisa have the lowest rate of SIDS and the majority of them co sleep because there's not room for cots and things:detective:
Co sleeping rocks! It makes for easy night time feeds and a much more rested Mum, Dad and Bub!
workin'mumof2
04-02-2009, 12:58
also, i would suggest the baby sleeps with mum, because (provided you don't have alcohol, drugs or cigarettes in your system) mums seem to have an inbuilt radar when it comes to your baby. Most of mine and my mums friends co-slept and not one of them rolled onto their bub.
:yes: on nights when dh drinks i make sure rubys on my side NOT his because he would be less aware.
granted the first night you do it you dont get much sleep coz your so worried... lol i was (sorry of topic but you did ask)
I recall a while ago there was a story about co-sleeping SIDS deaths and unfortunately one of them was "safely" co-sleeping and still passed away.
None of the babies who were safely slept in their own cots passed away.
Gosh I was lucky when I did it, I rolled onto him (limbs, not his face thank god) more times than I can count and I never drank/smoked/took prescription medication etc. Not to mention the amount of times I'd forget he was there and the blanket would be up by my neck.
The study doesn't seem to stipulate the situations in which the babies died. Co-sleeping is only safe when done safely. It really annoys me that a safe (and beneficial!) practice is tarnished entirely when the full story isn't given.
Agreed.
Thanks for posting that Frany.. How on earth did Channel Ten come up with the co-sleeping part of the report. There is absolutely no mention of co-sleeping whatsoever.
In fact, the study actually concludes that 'the reason for this increase in unknown' :confused: Again, no idea how Channel Ten came up the co-sleeping part...
I never slept with a lightweight blanket or no fluffy pillows, maybe that's unsafe *shrug* Cobey was born in winter, so he slept in my bed in winter, with the doona, with my pillows.. he was swaddled sometimes, he slept with me and my husband, between us. Neither of us rolled onto him.
The recommendations for safe co-sleeping include any parents not being smokers, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, never ever co-sleep on a couch - most co-sleeping deaths happen on couches :(. *thinks* there's more I'm sure, it's not that many recommendations though, just common sense really :D
No drinking, smoking, prescription medication/painkillers etc..
Baby not to sleep inbetween parents.
Baby not to sleep next to a wall where the bed is pressed up against.
No doonas, just blankets.
That's all I can think of atm. I'm sure there's probably more.
just her chameleon
04-02-2009, 13:08
Darn! I just logged into my uni account trying to access the FULL report. Darn Darn Darn! My uni doesn't subscribe to the Official Journal of American Academy of Pediatrics. :hair:
Was just rereading it again and the study does say that the NCHS data may be misleading. Quote:
While NCHS data may be adequate for reporting overall infant mortality and for broad categories of causal mechanisms (congenital anomalies, infections, sudden unexpected infant death) they usually are inappropriate for looking at specific mechanisms such as accidental suffocation and strangulation.
Why do they complete studies and only look at what is happening, rather than WHY?? :confused:
Mathermy
04-02-2009, 13:13
I co-slept with DD before I even knew what "co-sleeping" was.l never knew it was trendy until I came on bubhub :laughing: (said tongue in cheek, I know people are really passionate about the benefits of co-sleeping-I just meant that for us it came by accident ;))
DD slept with me because she was feeding all through the night and I was far too lazy to get up every half an hour and put her back. My queen bed was pushed up against the wall and she slept on that side because I was scared she would fall off.
but.....her dad and I were separated for 8 months when she was born so when we got back together she went into he cot. He is a very heavy sleeper and constantly rolls on me and squishes me during the night and is completely unaware (until I thump him that is:laughing:) so I knew that having her in bed with the both of us was too risky.
Mathermy
04-02-2009, 13:15
Baby not to sleep next to a wall where the bed is pressed up against.
.
:eek:!!! Eek, that's what I did :o
just her chameleon
04-02-2009, 13:17
No drinking, smoking, prescription medication/painkillers etc..
Baby not to sleep inbetween parents.
Baby not to sleep next to a wall where the bed is pressed up against.
No doonas, just blankets.
That's all I can think of atm. I'm sure there's probably more.
Oh my gosh. This just shows how little I understand about co-sleeping :laughing:
I don't like forming opinions without fully educating myself first. :yes: I would have thought DD would be safer sleeping inbetween the two of us... How do you stop them rolling off and onto the floor?
:eek:!!! Eek, that's what I did :o
I think it's mostly in case somebody rolls over/moves and bub gets trapped in between the bed & the wall, apparantly it's happened.
She's fine by the sounds of things :)
Oh my gosh. This just shows how little I understand about co-sleeping :laughing:
I don't like forming opinions without fully educating myself first. :yes: I would have thought DD would be safer sleeping inbetween the two of us... How do you stop them rolling off and onto the floor?
I'm trying to find out but all I can find from the SIDS website is to not co-sleep but sleep them in their own cot next to yours for the first 6-12 months... I'll keep searching (I'm meant to be working PFF as if).
MimiGrace
04-02-2009, 13:22
How do you stop them rolling off and onto the floor?
I think you can buy rails to attach to the parent beds.
Other options that some people use is to get a cot,where you can take one of the rails off, and then just raise the mattress to the same height as the parent beds. That way no parent can roll onto the bub.
Letting the bub sleep between you and the wall would probably work if you made sure there was NO gap between the wall and the mattress. (its not recommended, but they don't specify where the bub should sleep according to the SIDS recommendations...actually co-sleeping is just considered bad in general :rolleyes:)
MimiGrace
04-02-2009, 13:25
(I'm meant to be working PFF as if).
I had been noticing you around today :p should i start reminding you of ALL the work you need to do? :hugs:
http://www.sidsandkids.org/documents/FAQOctober2006_001.pdf
I could only find a little bit of info on page 7.
I had been noticing you around today :p should i start reminding you of ALL the work you need to do? :hugs:
:laughing: Noooooo please don't.. I just got B quiet so I thought I'd jump on here for a bit.. and I'm waiting for some stuff to be emailed to me so um yeah break time for now :p
I'll do the lights, spiders, etc tomorrow :yes: LOL.
just her chameleon
04-02-2009, 13:36
(I'm meant to be working PFF as if).
:laughing: Me too!
I think you can buy rails to attach to the parent beds.
Other options that some people use is to get a cot,where you can take one of the rails off, and then just raise the mattress to the same height as the parent beds. That way no parent can roll onto the bub.
I didn't realise you could buy them for big beds (I thought they were just for kiddie beds (single beds)
Until DD was 8weeks she slept in a porta cot next to my bed so I was only an arms length away from her. Lost count of how many times I rocked her to sleep in the portacot while falling asleep myself (very sore arms in the morning :laughing:).
http://www.sidsandkids.org/documents/FAQOctober2006_001.pdf
I could only find a little bit of info on page 7.
Thanks for that! It's full of helpful information :yes:
Mmmm I didn't start this thread to find out info about co-sleeping (just basically to express my sadness at babies dying which is tragic no matter what the circumstances are).
But now that you lovely ladies have well informed me, co-sleeping is definitely not for me :no:
I understand that you mums who do co sleep make sure its done very safely though :thumbsup:. But def not right for me... I like rolling over to DH in the mornings and mmmm well, you know TMI I know I know! Don't think I could get in the mood with DD in the same bed :laughing:
FiveInTheBed
04-02-2009, 13:37
The study doesn't seem to stipulate the situations in which the babies died. Co-sleeping is only safe when done safely. It really annoys me that a safe (and beneficial!) practice is tarnished entirely when the full story isn't given.
ill be another to :iagree:
~Temet Nosce~
04-02-2009, 14:11
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/babyproducts/gr/snuglenest.htm
If I was going to co-sleep I think this would be a handy thing to have :yes:
I would hazard to guess that this is occuring when the babies have colds and their noses maybe blocked and their breathing already hampered. There would also be more carbon dioxide due to extra people and less oxygen per millimetre of air due to more people using it. If a child is already frinding it hard to breath because of a cold then the more airflow around them would be essential
You then on top of that may have smothering from the other people i.e parents, other siblings and maybe overheating if the child already has a temperature.
I would guess under normal circumstances that co-sleeping does not pose these problems, but if your baby has a cold, especially a head cold, that you should put them in a cot next to the bed, but with a gap b/w them and any other person then just make sure you have your hand on them for reassurance. That way they have a good flow of air around them.
Co-sleeping has been done for thousands of years and in many cultures and it just takes a few accidents or the like (especially in the Western world) and suddenly everyone is up in arms.
I was actually surprised when I couldn't settle my newborn son and the midwife in hospital suggested I co-sleep with him! I used to be against co-sleeping but that was before I had children and now I'm an advocate of it :D
GraceUnhearing
04-02-2009, 17:40
:iagree:
sids happens wether you do or dont co sleep unfortunately:(
exactly!
co sleeping doesnt endanger your child when done properly!
hell i have 2 in my bed with me now!
Harlequin
05-02-2009, 02:47
I used to shove my body pillow in the gap between the bed and wall. :)
squiglet
05-02-2009, 04:38
I don't understand why the western world is so anti co-sleeping?
Most mums for as long as time in the rest of the world co-sleep with their babies.
They don't even think about it as a parenting "choice" it's just they way it is.
codswallop
05-02-2009, 08:01
i co-sleep with mine and love it it took hubby a long time to come round but when i pointed out that more newborns end up in the emergency department through sleep deprived mums falling a sleep whilst feeding in a chair then are smothered world wide through co-sleeping he was converted, now he recommends it to all his pregnant mates!
also those co-sleep bed things are ****e!
we have a large queen bed and it took up more room then it was worth also it was a bigger hassle to get Aby out at night to feed her then when she was in the bassinet!
mini munchkin
05-02-2009, 08:15
My middie actually brought my DD to me on the first night, put the bed rail up and we got about 6hrs straight, had a feed and slept for another 4hrs :yes: Needless to say I felt GREAT the next morning!!! I co-slept from there on in.
As she was a winter bub for the first 6 months we wrapped her and she slept on top of our blankets in my arm. Up until 6 months or so she slept in the crook of my arm away from DH. After that I think we relaxed a bit, she'd sleep in between us and started to sleep under our blanket.
She still comes in now if she wants/needs... yet she kicks off the blankets.... so I wake up cold!! Ratbag child!!!
I slept with DD a fair few times, but didn't practice co-sleeping so to speak. It was more a desperation thing when she would be awake all night and was grumpy that I would pop her in bed with us and I could gently hold her legs down so she would calm down enough to sleep.
DP hated it, but I was ok, though I didn't sleep that well with her in there since I was so aware of her next to me. We used to put her on top of one of our spare pillows between us so she was raised up from the mattress and was harder to squish! :p
KatiesMum
05-02-2009, 12:05
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/babyproducts/gr/snuglenest.htm
If I was going to co-sleep I think this would be a handy thing to have :yes:
I had one of these (with the intention of co-sleeping) but DH hated having DD in the bed .... he was so anti co-sleeping so we didnt do it.
It was really really handy for those early mornings when I would bring her into our bed and snuggle and drift back off to sleep though.
and would work really well for co-sleeping.
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