Hi, all -- I thought I'd lurk longer before posting (I've only been on the
list for about 3 weeks).  My name is Kerry Ose and I'm an LLLL in Maryland.
I'm responding to the MCH alert that lumps bedsharing in with prone
sleeping as a risk factor for SIDS.  The only numbers in the MCH alert that
refer to bedsharing, however, come in the following statement, "*At the
time of their death, 89.1% of the infants had been sleeping in the
> prone position, had been bed-sharing, or both."  This obfuscates the
issue of what sort of risk they have found associated solely with
bedsharing.

It disturbs me when the AAP, the CPSC, and now MCH warn against bedsharing
with virtually no evidence to back up these claims, particularly when we
know, thanks to McKenna, the risks associated with solitary infant sleep
and the obstacles such sleep arrangements create for breastfeeding.

One salient point I recall from the AAP statement about bedsharing is that
sleep customs in the US such as sleeping a few feet off the ground on soft
mattresses with lots of bedding make bedsharing less safe here than in
other countries.

What should I tell moms about bedsharing in light of these
recommendations?  I want to encourage them to do it, but when one reputable
organization after another is saying not to, it leaves me at a bit of a
loss.

I know this covers very familiar territory for LN, but with every
new "official" warning against bedsharing, I feel a need to revisit the
topic.

Thanks,
Kerry Ose

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