Jeanette shares some good stuff with us - I agree with your approach, 
Jeanette, and the way co-sleeping brings in other parental and 
relationship issues that are difficult to quantify but which may well 
be beneficial.


>
>The reality is, if we don't ASK mothers in an open-ended way and 
>with different phraseology:
>- Where does your baby sleep most of the night?
>- What do you do when your baby cries during the night?
>- How many days a week is your baby in your bed for some part of the 
>night? Etc....
>...you will never know that babies are in bed with moms.


I am  even more open. 'Can you tell me a bit about your baby's 
sleeping?' ' What happens at night time?'  are more likely to get 
information and less likely to sound potentially judgmental - mothers 
already hide the fact they co-sleep some of the night, and that does 
not help with safe sleep education.

>
>This means the data about bedsharing and risks to infants is very 
>skewed (the denominator is much larger than assumed), but it also 
>does not allow us to provide education about how to reduce the risk. 
>Of course babies in cribs/cots NEVER die from having an adult roll 
>over on them - but they DO die ...despite the desire to hide it by 
>changing the name from Crib Death to Sudden Infant Death and now 
>Sudden Unexpected Infant Death.


In the UK we call it SUDI - sudden unexpected death of an infant.

>
>As moms sense from me the willingness to listen to what their sleep 
>arrangements are without criticism, they also are willing to hear 
>from me what they need to watch out for and avoid (got one dad to 
>stop smoking - an added bonus!).  THAT is public health education - 
>not scare tactics!


Absolutely.

>
>So I advocate for 1) Open ended questions, 2) Validating Feelings 
>and 3) Provide Targeted Education ...and we need to use this method 
>also with those who have such strong feelings about the SIDS/SUID 
>"single messaging" - LISTEN, then validate, then provide education 
>and examples...  Maybe we will be able to find a common ground...or 
>find some leadership who will listen to US!


I hope so! Of course the 'simple single message' does work - with 
some people. But it becomes subject to the law of unintended 
consequences :(


Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
-- 

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