> We do have increased knowledge on the mechanism of many SIDS deaths
> and in many cases it is the depth of the sleep that causes the
> problems.  It is the very fact the infants do NOT sleep as deeply and
> rouse more often that is protective for some infants...it is also one
> of the protective mechanisms in co sleeping in a safe environment.

I think this is an extremely important point to make to mothers! I hear many 
mothers who say "but my baby sleeps better on his tummy" (meaning sleeps 
longer and doesn't wake up as much) and I tell them "that's exactly what's 
WRONG with sleeping on his tummy!" We have this idea in our society that 
babies who sleep deeply and for long periods of time are sleeping "better" 
when in fact it is more dangerous.

Of course, the vast majority of babies won't die of SIDS no matter how they 
sleep. But tummy-sleeping does increase the risk.

Teresa Pitman
Guelph, Ontario
(who was relieved when this was discovered, because my co-sleeping babies 
always slept on their backs during a time when we were told to always make 
babies sleep on their tummies. They would nurse and roll away from me onto 
their backs as they fell asleep, and I didn't want to wake them up again to 
put them on their tummies. And yes they woke frequently at night.) 

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