Thank you Pamela for your thoughts.  I certainly see your point that it is
the pacifying that is protective and to some, that is by artificial means
whereas to all of us, that is part and parcel of the  breastfeeding
relationship.

As a middled aged kiwi (New Zealander) I well remember the days when the
SIDS rates were high and I know our country looks back on that time with
horror as we thought we had a good health system. Now our SIDS rates appear
to be affected by an unequal health status, but that is another topic.

The SIDS rates were always highest in winter and in colder regions.  We are
bred quite tough out here and do not heat our homes much.  As well as that
home insulation is a relatively new concept.  Many a young baby was raised
in a cold draughty house, and yes, often put out into the kitchen/laundry
area so you could not hear the crying.A lot of rural women worked hard on
the farm and had to get up early for milking.  It was often bitterly cold
with a fire only being lit at night.  Putting on an electric heater was seen
as very wasteful and heating the house at night because their was a new baby
in the house was unheard of!  I remember waking up some days to frost on the
inside of the window panes!  Breastfeeding was relatively common, but only
for a few months.  Most mothers spent 2 weeks in hospital where their babies
were in a nursery.  I guess they saw crying babies as normal.  In fact, many
believed it exercised the lungs!

Then along came the next generation who wanted something better for their
babies. Rooming in evolved with shorter maternity stays.  Breastfeeding
improved in the eighties and modern parenting was born. Out came the
sheepskins and the comfort of tummy sleeping.  What a disaster that turned
out to be.

It seems to further we get from our biology, the bigger mess we make!

Karen Palmer
Midwife and LC
New Zealand

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