Sarah Vaughn asked “Pat Jacoby” (Ahem…me, Sue Jacoby…) 
why I think the Three In A Bed poster is such a problem, and in particular what I see as unethical about it?   

Because SIDS is frightening enough for parents without making it seem MORE likely than it actually IS.  That is why.

 “Bedsharing Risks?”  Those would be the risk of SIDS and the risk of overlaying or suffocation.  As I said before, suffocation is preventable.  But SIDS has unknown causes.  SIDS is not caused by rolling over and it is not suffocation from bed clothing.   Eliminate the hazards and you may still have the worry about SIDS, but if you are breastfeeding and taking appropriate safety precautions, you should feel good in knowing that if you follow the “Safe Sleep Seven:”
1.Non-smoking household (including maternal smoking during pregnancy)
2. Sober and unimpaired caregivers
3. Breastfeeding mother
4. Healthy baby
5. Baby on his back
6. Baby not overheated
7. Mother and baby sharing a surface that is free of objects, indentations, or gaps that could compromise the infant’s breathing.
Then….
“When all of these seven conditions are in place, a baby in bed with his mother is at no greater risk of SIDS than if he’s alone in a crib.” (LLLI, 2013) 

Now, reading Sarah's post to Lara, I think we need to look at her statement: "However, the evidence clearly doesn't support bedsharing being something we should advocate as protective against SIDS."  Right.  (I suspect one day we will find that it IS, but that will take some careful study.)

No, it is the BREASTFEEDING that is protective.  Breastfeeding is the norm.  Breastfeeding must be supported.

Bottom line for me, make breastfeeding hard at night and you will reduce the amount of breastfeeding that is done.  Therefore, I call the scare tactic type posters unethical.  They do not present a balanced viewpoint.  They assume parents are stupid.  Parents are not stupid, (nor are they unloving) but they ARE fearful.  Make bedsharing seem dangerous and they will not do it, (and many will stop breastfeeding)  or, they will unwittingly move to a sofa or elsewhere more dangerous.  It’s hard enough to get parents to give breastfeeding a try, without throwing them such unhelpful curveballs.  Cause breastfeeding to be stopped and what have you really achieved?

Sarah asks:  “What would you do differently if designing a poster?  What slogan would you use?”    Hmmm.  Maybe everything is not reducible to a slogan. (You said so yourself, actually, Sarah:   “…it’s fair for mothers to know….as part of a sensible, realistic discussion about different risks and possible practical strategies to reduce them.”)    But I DO like the LLLI Safe Sleep Seven.   

SUE Jacoby, IBCLC
California

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