Dear Ros

Since the majority of sids deaths occur in cribs then why are retailers and professionals
who recommend them not be prosecuted and lose their insurance?

As a bereavement specialist for a mortuary, I truly am well aware of infant death.

 Now that even the Public Health/WIC brochures actually refer to breastfeeding as a way
to lessen a baby's chance of dying from SIDS, are the other-than-human milk production
companies worried about their insurance?

And what about hospital maternity professionals and the babies that die from
"mis-adventure" during childbirth?

You have an important point, of course we should include safety messages in our work but
why are we focusing on waterbeds when there are so many culprits?  If you recommend a
sling and a child suffocates in it, who do you prosecute - the LC?

It seems to me that we tend to focus on a particular item as if we can keep everyone from
using it then all babies will be  safe and well.  I can think of strollers, playpens, car
seats when used out of the car as buckets (infant repositories), incredibly dangerous
medications given to babies routinely for  simple reflux because thrown up milk is
inconvenient, sedation for fussy babies, the oral polio vaccine, paregoric for
over-active babies, etc.  Many things are dangerous and I feel that sometimes we are
lulled into a feeling of safety that if we just stay away from waterbeds our baby won't
die.

Babies die sometimes regardless of what we do, Thousands of Babies have died in cribs,
playpens, on floors, in cars etc. so why don't we invent a home isolate and keep the baby
isolated from family and its environment to protect it?  Oh yes, that's right, they did
do that in the earlier days of orphanages and the babies died from it.

I greatly respect Ros and have learned many important things from her.  I am in no way
being critical of her feelings.

I just wish people would get as upset about issues that are killing babies on a daily
basis, that could be prevented through breastfeeding, mother\baby bonding/ and gentle
guidance as they do about waterbeds.

I hope that I teach safety in all the options my clients and I discuss.

BTW, The AAP has many dirty little stories in its own closet that caused afflictions and
deaths to babies over the years.

 Thanks for allowing me to express an opinion.
















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