I wanted to let everyone know that we had the meeting that I posted about
some weeks ago that was to decide what message our state (IN) wanted to
officially present to the public regarding co-sleeping and bedsharing.  Dr
James McKenna is a member of this workgroup as we are fortunate enough to
now count him as a resident of this state.  I posted about a certain
response to my letter to the editor of our state perinatal organization's
publication wherein I disagreed with their printed article on the dangers of
co-sleeping and SIDS.  The response was written by a local doctor who is now
the director of a children's sleep lab at a local hospital.  This doctor (a
woman) is also a member of the workgroup.  In person, she was as viciously
opposed to any form of bedsharing as she appeared to be in her letter (part
of which I posted, see archives)  To say she was very defensive would be an
understatement!  Even Dr. McKenna (whom she accused of being patronizing!
Huh??  Does he have a patronizing bone in his body?!) commented afterwards
to the effect that she did not present herself well.  Even the moderator, a
pediatrician, corrected her for something she stated as fact when, according
to the ped, the opposite was widely accepted to be true.  This lady doctor
stated that she did not accept as true that ANY bedsharing was safe.
Period!  That means under any circumstances or conditions, even the ones
generally accepted to be 'safe'!  So again I'm shaking my head (only they
couldn't see it!) wondering how, then, we all came to exist, since most
assuredly all of our ancestors somewhere up the line (and probably not far
up!) shared beds with their infants.  All this made me really curious about
what has happened to this lady to make her take such a hardline position.  I
understand that the SIDS director feels this way, her child died of SIDS.

Anyway, one of the things that has struck me in the wake of recent publicity
and posts about PPD  is that one of the risks for PPD, according to the
media, is lack of sleep.  Yet, our mothers are being told not to fall asleep
while feeding their babies.  As much as babies need to feed at night, if we
were all to do that, we'd all be crazy!  I have always said that the reason
I originally started bringing my babies into my bed was self-preservation.
I needed to get some sleep.  Not because it was good for baby (though that
was obvious) or because it was easier, or more 'warm and fuzzy', but because
I needed the sleep, and that allowed me to get it.  (I was a young mother
then, my reasons for bedsharing were later expanded)    What's the point if
you can't fall asleep while feeding.  One of the cautions against bedsharing
is if mother is 'overly tired'.  What new mother isn't?  How do you quantify
that?  I did get some of Helen Ball's research (thank you, Helen)  and it
was very helpful.  She made several points that I shared at this meeting,
but one of the ones that is a show stopper to me is that, most of the
subjects of her research did not plan on co-sleeping, yet 85% of the
breastfeeders ended up doing it.  So, since we are trying to increase the
rates of breastfeeding, she says, we should expect that the rates of
bedsharing will also go up, and we need to be ready to educate parents
(fathers as well as mothers) on how to do it safely.  In fact, she stated
from her research, that the parents who continued to breastfeed longer
tended to be the ones that incorporated bedsharing and/or co-sleeping into
their nighttime routine.  (I hope I correctly presented her intent.)

We are currently working on a checklist, like I've seen several
facilities/organizations provide, on safe and unsafe sleeping conditions for
babies.  We may yet drag this state into the present state of the art of
breastfeeding.  Of course, you all can tell me if the water's fine, since
you were all likely there first!

Marsha, who, as a self-styled visionary, sometimes tires of wearing boots
and slogging through the mud of old ways and ideas here in the Hoosier
state....  Wishing all fellow-countrywomen and men a happy 4th of July!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marsha Glass RN, BSN, IBCLC
Mothers have as powerful an influence over the welfare of future generations
as all other earthly causes combined.
John S. C. Abbot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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