Hello everyone,

It is so refreshing to hear the subject of "sleep problems" discussed from
the point of view of meeting baby's needs. It is very interesting to hear
all the great ways you all use to explain this to parents in your classes.
I hope to encorporate them in my future classes. This is what I do: I ask
parents how they would feel if they were completely bed ridden and unable
to communicate. What if when they cried for help, their partner would walk
in, say "you're ok" and leave? How would they feel about their
relationship, and what would they do about it when they got better (eg out
of bed)?
As a graduate student I did research in a neurobiology rat lab. One of the
behavioral models I learned about was a model in which they would put rats
in a cage with a metal bottom that could deliver electrical shocks to the
rats. Some of the rats would be in a cage where they couldn't escape the
shocks. These rats learned there was nothing they could do about their
situation. This is called "Learned Helplessness" in the litterature, and is
a model for depression. I think that letting baby's cry it out is another
good example of such a behavioral model.

I also have a question for the Peds out there. Is aksing if baby is
sleeping through the night one of the routine questions you are supposed to
ask along with the other basics? I had a wonderful Ped who always asked me
that. I answered "I don't know, she's sleeping with me and I don't have to
completely wake up to nurse her". But that didn't seem to matter, so why
was he asking? He went ahead to co-sleep with his baby too. The only thing
that I can think of is that this was his way of asking if I needed help
with sleep issues. Is this a common question peds ask and if so, what is
the real issue here?


Thanks
Dalia Abrams
In sunny Birmingham
CBE, BFC

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