Joy,

The quote you put on Lactnet on cosleeping also appeared in Pediatrics,
Vol. 100, No. 2, August 1997, p. 272.  (In the same issue was James
Mckenna's article, "Bedsharing Promotes Breastfeeding," pp. 214-219).  It
was written by the Task Force on Infant Positioning and SIDS.  This
statement was then (mis)quoted in the same December issue of Newsweek that
had the much-discussed breastfeeding cover, as a medical alert to warn
parents against sleeping with their baby.

I, too, do not understand why the findings of an earlier study, as reported
by RPK Ford et al, "Breastfeeding and the Risk of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome," International Journal of Epidemiology 1993; 22(5):885-890, were
not cited and used to promote breastfeeding as a way to protect against
SIDS.  Even some of the secondary authors of the article later discounted
the effects of breastfeeding.  It's very puzzling to me, as the 1993
article was so emphatic about the protective benefits.  For some reason, it
seems as though these researchers just don't want breastfeeding to be found
to be of any importance.

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC and LLL leader in Madison, WI
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