I can only speak for myself here. I'm an LC in private practice, been doing
this kind of work for over 30 years, slept with my own kids way back when
the anti-co-sleeping lobby was even stronger than it is now. Many practices
that were "against the grain" have now become the standard of care, and I'm
just WAITING until co-sleeping in safe conditions moves into that category.
I routinely recommend (more than "condone") co-sleeping IN SAFE
CIRCUMSTANCES. Nobody in the family a smoker, breastfed baby, safe surface,
nobody drunk, protect the baby from falling, etc. The data are very clear,
in my mind, that separate sleeping can be more dangerous than co-sleeping.
I have read just about every research article on this topic, and found that
the best summary of the scientific evidence was published in the Sept-Oct
2002 issue of Mothering, including some material written especially for the
magazine by some of the top researchers in the world. I ordered a box of 50!
For info, see www.mothering.com. I sometimes give the family a copy of that
issue of Mothering magazine to read, and encourage them to draw their own
conclusions.
A recent client brought back a rental breast pump that smelled like smoke.
When I asked, she said yes, she was a smoker, and has heard all the
arguments, even stopped during her pregnancy. I asked her if she knew about
the connection between SIDS and smoking, and suggested that since she
smokes, she should not sleep all night with her baby - or stop smoking.
Nursing at night is OK, of course. She was shocked that nobody had told her
about SIDS as a possible consequence of her smoking. She decided that
co-sleeping with her baby was more important than smoking. How's THAT for a
surprise ending?
Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre www.bflrc.com
6540 Cedarview Ct., Dayton, OH 45459-1214 USA
(937) 438-9458 email [log in to unmask]
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