Shannon, that is a GREAT letter. You go, girl!
What is most distressing to me about the media coverage I saw this morning
is that the CPSC "data" (term used loosely) is being presented as the
scientific facts, whereas the bedsharing advocates are being presented as
emotional touchy-feely types who are upset that something they like to
promote is being debunked by those horrid scientists. The truth, of course,
is that the study is absolute garbage. Just a few weeks ago here on Lactnet
we talked about how numbers of deaths due to cancer couldn't be understood
without knowing the *rate* for the population. Note that in this study,
only raw numbers are used: what are the RATES? How many babies were in
their parents' beds? How many were in cribs? What proportion died in each?
(um, well, the rates aren't reported because - well, the 'researchers' don't
know....) Even before you start sorting out for the cause of death, I am
willing to bet money that the rate of death is higher in cribs.
And what happened to common sense? When I was in bed with a baby and
inadvertently obstructed his or her ability to breathe, I knew it! Baby
would squirm, kick, fuss, pop off. A healthy baby will not tolerate being
overlain - even a little 7 pounder will struggle, surely. I wonder if Carol
Brown of the CPSC (I am NOT happy with her after seeing her on TV this
morning) has ever slept with pets? Do pets ever get smothered by their
human bed mates? Surely our human infants have the capacity to protest in
most instances where they're having trouble breathing - isn't this shown in
McKenna's videos?
Why the absolute black-and-white recommendation? Many children choke and
die on hot dogs each year. Are parents advised not to feed hot dogs to
their children? No, they're advised to cut them up in small enough pieces
that they don't present a hazard. So why must parents be advised NOT to
co-sleep with babies, rather than to be careful and make sure the
co-sleeping environment is a safe one?
I am furious. My taxes pay for the operation of the CPSC and I want my
money back!
And I will be waiting anxiously to see if McKenna and Gartner's letter gets
the media attention that this crappy study, and crappier advisory, has
gotten. <rude noise>
A very disheartened
Mary Renard
Vienna Virginia USA
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