Yes, my eyes rolled too when I saw that breastfeeding was the part of the
story the Daily Mail (not exactly my Go-To source for hard journalism, by
the way) emphasized, in the tragic story of the baby who died in her
mother's arms while they were both asleep on a trans-Atlantic flight.  We
have no coroner's report -- the cops are calling it "unexplained" -- we
don't even know *what* happened 9I' imagingn baby got entrapped/wedged) and
yet: there is that headline about the "breastfeeding mother smothers
baby...."  Sheesh.  People get hurt and die in car accidents everyday, and
no one is calling for people to stop using cars.

But all of this begs the question:  we lactation consultants have been
banging our heads against the wall for years, on the issue of (choose your
phrase) co-sleeping, safe-sleeping, bed-sharing. By now, most of us know
that we need to stress to ANY parent that a SAFE sleeping environment is
important.  We talk about not overheating the baby .... firm crib mattresses
on the "side-car" where babe is at arm's reach ... no fluffy toys or bumpers
or quilts ... mom and dad unimpaired, etc.

But what the heck is a safe sleeping environment on a plane?  Certainly
someone on a trans-Atalntic flight is going to have to sleep.  What do we
tell those moms?

We all know how cramped a coach seat can be.  Even business or first class
seats offer all sorts of entrapment issues.   So I was pondering car seats
(assuming mom is willing to pay for a second seat ..).  I am NOT NOT NOT an
expert on car seats, but for the 4-week-old baby in the story, I am not so
sure that mom, strapping baby into a car seat after a feed, is providing all
that "safe" an environment.  The seat has to be wedged rather upright in the
airplane seat, does it not?  I know that little babies (very young or small
in size) sometimes get *too* scrunched up in a car seat, with their heavy
heads smushed down on the chest, and no way to remedy the situation because
the car seat itself prevents the baby from tilting his head back.

I thought a good sling or kangaroo carrier might be the answer.  Mom (or Dad
or Grandma) could strap the baby to the chest, the fabric securing the
upright baby's body, but the baby's head is up and out and free to move
around as it snuggles against the sternum.  Then if mom falls asleep and her
arms relax, the baby won't tumble down into an entrapment scenario.

-- 
Liz Brooks JD IBCLC
Wyndmoor, PA, USA

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