I read with irritation and frustration about the study from MCH in Palm
Beach County.  If I am not mistaken, this has already been said.  Co-sleeping
increases the risk of SIDS as opposed to decreasing the risk as suggested --
especially per McKenna's research.  However, whenever I read about these
studies where normal biological mammal behavior is blamed for death, I want
more details and more variables.  When I heard James McKenna speak about his
co-sleeping research and watched the video, the one thing I found very
interesting is babies seem to naturally sleep on their sides to nurse and
then over to their backs when finished.  Being placed on the stomach does not
seem to be what would come natural to the baby.  (As a mom, I do have to say
they are deeper sleepers and longer stretches on tummies--probably another
reason why it's not a good idea.)  So, the idea of back to sleep is probably
not only good science, but fits into what seems to be natural behavior.
However, why is co-sleeping  considered natural behavior among all mammals
with the exception of humans?  So, if this should be a natural behavior, what
else is going on to increase the risk of SIDS and have all these variables
been accounted for?  For instance, smokers not only add the risk of second
hand smoke to the environment, but the chemicals that are excreted from the
skin are also toxic--perhaps we need to not only consider maternal smoking,
but paternal smoking also.  Even if the parents smoke outside the home, their
skin is still an issue and co-sleeping might add to the exposure. Is the baby
breastfed--McKenna's research (if I am not mistaken) linked the co-sleeping
with breastfeeding.  I don't remember seeing any bottle-feeding moms in the
video.  What was labor and delivery like for these babies--what meds were
used for pain relief and/or labor management?  I think there is so much NOT
known about SIDS that we are always going to be looking for something we can
hold onto and say, "OK, if you just don't do this and you do this, your baby
will be safe."  Unfortunately, SIDS happens to babies who sleep in cribs,
babies who co-sleep, babies who breastfeed, babies who don't, and eventually
someone will find out what triggers SIDS and what puts certain babies at risk
more than others, but to blanketly suggest that normal mammal behavior puts
babies at greater risk for death without taking all variables into account
doesn't sit well with me.  I want to know more.  Part of me wants to know
more because I only like pure research data that takes every issue into
account that I can imagine (okay, not a reality I admit), and the better part
of me wants to know because I am a mom and I want to know that not only is my
mothering healthy and emotionally nurturing, but I will not be guilty of
causing my child's death because of my choices.  I think we spend alot of
time trying to not make parents feel guilty because of their choices and I
think with SIDS that may be a good thing, but IF the truth is that smoking
during pregnancy and smoking in the home and putting the baby to sleep prone
greatly increases that baby's risk than forget about making parents feel
guilty and tell them the truth.  On the other hand, if they are not going to
play the smoking card for SIDS,  than why are "they"  so quick to use the
co-sleeping card?   When I read the research from the study that encouraged
the use of Back to Sleep campaign, the list included not smoking--actually
that was listed first--as well as breastfeeding and the "back to sleep" was
one of the risk reducers, not the only one.  I want to know more about the
entire environment of  co-sleeping babies who died from SIDS (including
maternal prenatal behaviors and medical interventions for birth) before I
accept that this is not a safe practice.

Just my opinion and 30cc's worth,
Pam MazzellaDiBosco, IBCLC     Florida, USA
  (Making lots of milk and choking Carissa regularly even though the breasts
still feel "floppy" and "mushy" --a condition I now must accept as part of my
age and not my ability to produce milk.)

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