Only in the last 5 years have most studies begun to pull suffocation deaths
out as different from SIDS deaths. Some of us are not so sure that we entirely
want this yet, and the origin of the cosleeping question is the cause: It
seemed for a very long time, if not today, that when a not-easily-explained
death occurred in a crib, it was a "crib death," which later became known as
SIDS. When possibly that very same death occurred in a bed with an adult in
it, the cause was not SIDS, rather it was immediately assumed to be
overlying. This is the main reason "we" want to know whether there are more
deaths, including supposed suffocation deaths, when a child cosleeps, or not.
We want to know whether there truly is an increased risk from overlying, OR is
there a decreased risk from being constantly monitored all night, from positive
hormonal interactions, and from the generally improved/increased
breastfeeding allowed by cosleeping.
It does appear clear that the close monitoring and increased breastfeeding
allowed by a baby sleeping in the same room as a parent allows for far
fewer "unexplained" deaths than does sleeping alone in another room of the
house: http://www.babyreference.com/Cosleeping&SIDS%202005%20Review%
20of%20the%20Studies.htm BUT the cosleeping gets more complicated.
First, some CDC or CPSC announcements only refer to adult surfaces, with no
look at whether that baby is alone or accompanied; adding to cosleeping fears
the very way they want it to. Second, who is in the bed? The parents appear
to be safer than siblings or other adults. Likely the "other adults" part is tied
into another prominent factor in apparent risk: customary sleeping position.
Was it an impromptu co-sleep due to tiredness, illness, other reason or are all
experienced at this practice? Was it an adult bed made safe or a sofa or
something in-between? Was the parent sober? It appears that smoking makes
a big differenece. When you take a breastfeeding, nonsmoking, customary
cosleeper on a surface made safe, the babe is far safer than in a crib in
another room and likely as safe as in a crib next to the bed. The question that
arises from looking at current studies between room-sharing and bed-sharing
disappears after the first few weeks or months, with bedsharing
sometimes/often coming out ahead, and with size appearing to be the
determining factor; hinting but not proving that there may be some overlying
risk in very tiny babies.
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