LACTNET Archives

Lactation Information and Discussion

LACTNET@COMMUNITY.LSOFT.COM

Options: Use Forum View

Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Rachel Myr <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 5 Oct 2005 18:48:47 +0200
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (58 lines)
Linda Smith puts some questions to me about the report I am a co-author of
about bedsharing, pacifiers etc.  
First let me say that I share Linda's view that 'no research' is a finding
we must use in arguing with those who claim to have evidence that bedsharing
is unsafe, or that pacifiers are preventive against SIDS.  The evidence
isn't, in fact, there.

We who did the review of the literature were interested in illuminating the
effects of mother and baby sleeping together in the same bed on both BF and
SIDS.  Unfortunately there was no agreement among the researchers of the
1019 articles we originally found through our extensive search strategies,
about the definition of co-sleeping.  We chose to look at studies about
bed-sharing, not about sleeping in the same room, (or sleeping at the same
time!)  That narrowed the field a lot.  Still, the definitions are slippery
and unstable from study to study.

We only looked at studies about SIDS as defined by the very best SIDS
researchers.  Studies about suffocation and roll-overs were not considered.

We looked at epidemiological research.  Most of the research about babies
and mothers is population based, and there are practically no experimental
studies on our topics except the three we found about the effects of
pacifier use.  Nearly all the other studies compared cases with controls,
which is not as strong a form of evidence as a clinical trial when you are
trying to determine causality.  But obviously you can't ask people to
participate in a study where they might be randomized to bed-share or sleep
in separate rooms, or to breastfeeding vs artificial feeding.  
If we had come across any studies looking at the risk of separating babies
from mothers we would have looked at them.  In our extensive chapter on the
ethics of examining questions such as the ones we examined, we did discuss
this as an ethical problem.
All the doctors in the group were cognizant of the fact that babies put in a
room without their parents are at higher risk of dying of SIDS, but this is
knowledge we already had, and since the recommendations in Norway are clear
on this point already, and no one disagrees, there was no need to look at
that further.  The risk of taking babies out of mothers' beds was not looked
at in studies, but several members of the group, myself included, were
concerned that current information from the SIDS association could be
impeding successful breastfeeding because of the scary warnings about
bedsharing they promote.  

I hope all those with questions about this report will continue to ask on
the list.  I'm happy to answer to the best of my ability.
Rachel Myr
Kristiansand, Norway

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

ATOM RSS1 RSS2