Hi, All:  The recent thread about co-sleeping issues is certainly a timely
one for me.  A huge controversy erupted here at our hospital when the LCs
started giving parents the UNICEF-UK brochure and education on co-
sleeping.  A large percentage of our mothers co-sleep.  Our hospital serves
a high-income, predominantly white married population.  Some of our
pediatricians have openly challenged me about educating parents about co-
sleeping and have vehemently stated under no circumstances are we to tell
parents it's OK to co-sleep.  One went so far as to say that the AAP
guidelines state that co-sleeping is forbidden. (Wrong!  The guidelines
don't state anything definitive, just that parents need to concern
themselves with safety issues).  We were routinely giving the brochure to
all moms in their admission packet - the brochure has been removed from the
packet, but I still give it to moms who bring up the subject themselves.  I
have given our director a lot of the current literature on co-sleeping,
including all of James McKenna's work to give to our legal dept.  The
concern on the hospital's part is the legalities - can we be sued if a baby
does die as a result of co-sleeping?  I maintain we will certainly be sued
if a baby dies from co-sleeping and the parents state that they were never
instructed on safe co-sleeping during their hospital stay!
I am only adressing the issue of co-sleeping after hospital discharge.
Almost all of our mothers receive an epidural during labor and receive
either Dilaudid or morphine via PCA pumps after C/S delivery.  All moms are
receiving Norcor/ibuprofen until discharge - so we have a highly medicated
population while in hospital - probably not a good idea to encourage co-
sleeping in the hospital.  UNICEF does have a sample hospital policy
available on the same web site.
The co-sleeping opponents here also point out that UNICEF is for "those
other 3rd world countries", not for OUR patients.  In answer to that
attitude, I have found a brochure put out by the University of Illinois
Extension that is every bit as good as the UNICEF brochure.  Their web site
is:
web.aces.uiuc.edu/familylife/sleeping

I may be wrong, but I firmly believe hospitals have a moral, legal and
ethical responsibility to educate parents on the benefits of co-sleeping as
well as how to safely co-sleep with their babies.

Pam Hirsch, RN,BSN,CLC
Clinical Lead, Lactation Services
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
Barrington, IL  USA

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