i wasn't going to share this but it is relevant to the co-sleeping
discussion and I'll bet some others have experienced something similar
to this. Please be nice and don't beat me up if you do not agree with my
comments.
A neonatologist approached me last week and, right in front of all the
nurses at the Main station asked "what do you tell mothers about
sleeping with their babies?" My stock answer to any potentially loaded
question is "why do you ask?" Seems one of our "breastfed" neo's went
home at 2 kg. and mom said she was breastfeeding in bed at 3 am and when
she awoke at 7 baby was dead.  To add to the mess, one of the more
outspoken NICU nurses chimed in "well La Leche League tells mothers to
do "it". I very calmly asked if she was a representative of LLL and if
she thought this mother ever contacted LLL for information. (I doubt it)
then I said, I am a card carrying member of LLL and don't ever recall
being told that sleeping with your baby was a requirement for
membership. However, I base my professional practice on the standards of
practice delineated by my professional association and yes I do tell
mothers how nice it is to breastfeed lying down. When I come in early to
do rounds with the night nurses, 4 out of 5 breastfed babies and
sometimes 4 out of 5 bottle fed babies are in bed with their moms.
    I asked if they knew what the baby REALLY died of and he said they
did not. I also said that if mom is sedated or on medication that may
make her sleepy I would recommend that she not sleep with baby and I'd
ask about the bedding arrangements. Did he check on any of that? It was
an infuriating experience and my boss backed me up (she walked up to the
nurses station while this was going on) and said "are you sure the baby
was even in bed with mom when it died?"
    I don't want to start a big argument about dual roles (LLL vs. ILCA)
since there are many of us who are members of both. It is so maddening
when the uninformed assume that we make our practice recommendations
based on what LLL says or assume that we are speaking for LLL when we
act as professionals. sorry if I'm rambling but it has been a busy
morning.
Mary Kay Smith, CLE, IBCLC and proud to be a LLLL
Romeoville, IL

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