Co-sleeping... Matter of Facts and a Matter of Heart.

I am so sick of the barrage of unexplained 'evidence' that we are subjected to in relation to the negative impact of co-sleeping. When I say unexplained evidence, what I mean is this: evidence that while on the surface looks unfavourable, doesn't explain the conditions as to why it was unfavourable in the first place.

In the media today, an article was published by the Sydney Morning Herald titled Hosptials warned over baby deaths. In this article, the following statistic was given :  "More than 3720 babies died in NSW between 1996 and 2008... About 73 per cent (of these deaths) had been exposed to tobacco smoke,57 per cent had not been put to bed on their backs and 60 per cent were co-sleeping." (Benson: 2010, 1) What I want to know is, what percentage of co-sleeping deaths were those that included exposure to tobacco smoke? What percentage of co-sleeping deaths were the infants not positioned safely? What percentage of the co-sleeping deaths were on a sofa? A recliner? A waterbed? Loose bedding? With a parent under the influence of drugs or alcohol? Where are the answers for that? Well, the answer is there are no studies that have ever shown any infant death from SIDS directly attributable to co-sleeping when under the safe and recommended conditions. (McKenna, McDade, 2005, 1)

But the question I want to ask is, WHY AREN'T WE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS?! It is unexplained evidence at its worst. It is statistical data that is ambigiously worded to make co-sleeping look unfavourable, when infact, it is the group with the least risk of SIDS if practised safely.

To put it out there, lets look at the overwhelmingly solid evidence in favour of co-sleeping that is not slanted or manipulated to promote its cause:

- Cosleeping is the cultural norm for approximately 90% of the world's population (Young, 1998).
- The U.S. consistently stands out as the only society in which babies are routinely placed in their own beds and in their own rooms. (Sinnot: 2009, 1)
- When mother and baby sleep together, the mother's breathing and movement affect the baby's breathing and arousal patterns.(Sinnot: 2009, 1)
- Most USA and other western infants die from SIDS or from fatal accidents during solitary sleep outside the supervision of a committed adult. (Drago: 1999, 103)

 - The increased sensory contact and proximity between the mother and infant induces potentially benefical changes in the infants  behavioural and physiological health. (Ball: 2003, 181)

 - Less infant crying, more maternal and infant sleep and increased milk supply due to the increased frequency of night-time breast feeding that close contact facilitates. (Ball, Hooker, et al: 1999, 141)

- Three major epidemiological studies have shown that when a committed caregiver, usually the mother, sleeps in the same room but not in the same bed with their infant the chance of the infant dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is reduced by 50%.(Blair, Smith, et al: 1999, 1457)
- Recent studies suggest that supine infant sleep in the breast feeding/bedsharing context maximises the chances that the baby will be able to respond to its mother. It further promotes easy and constant communication that reportedly serves as the basis of the growing mutual attachment between the mother and infant–—a prerequisite for healthy infant development (Lewis: 1993, 1)
- Bedsharing can make the management of breast feeding easier apparently acts to increase the likelihood that mothers will be willing to extend breastfeeding into the second half of the infant ’s first year of life, goals for which the World Health Organisation, Baby Friendly Hospitals, UNICEF and the United States Breast Feeding Committee are all committed.(Chen, Rogan: 2004, 113)

-  There is no published evidence of any increased risk to a baby who co-sleeps on a firm mattress with parents who do not smoke and have not consumed alcohol or other drugs providing the bedding is arranged so that it cannot slip over the baby’s head, and the baby is not sleeping on a pillow, or under an adult duvet (McKenna, McDade: 2005, 134)

Data showing decline in SIDS deaths with increase of breastfeeding. (McKenna, McDade: 2005, 134)
When we look at co-sleeping, we also need to look at putting the infant to sleep in another room. This, in all cases involves 'sleep training' to stop the baby crying. Just a side thought on this. I do not know any mother that I have ever been into contact with, who knowingly when hearing her baby cry for her, will happily let them cry themselves to sleep.

"Why is my baby crying?"

 Why is this not being asked?

Why are we ignoring the reasons behind this? There is a simple answer as to your a baby cries when left alone in a seperate room. The answer:  Listen to your instinct and you will know that your baby needs you. So, what happens when we leave a baby to cry in another room? What happens when we detach ourselves from our instinct for the sake of social ideology? Well, take a look below:

- Crying infants experience an increase in heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure. (McKay: 2010, 1)
- Research has shown that infants who are routinely separated from parents in a stressful way have abnormally high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as lower growth hormone levels. These imbalances inhibit the development of nerve tissue in the brain, suppress growth, and depress the immune system. (Butler; 1978, 199)
- Researchers have found babies whose cries are usually ignored will not develop healthy intellectual and social skills (Leibermann: 1995, 571)
- Animal and human research has shown when separated from parents, infants and children show unstable temperatures, heart arrhythmias, and decreased REM sleep (the stage of sleep that promotes brain development).(Hellenbach: 1998, 11)

I don't want to be mistaken here. I am not some attachment parenting nazi who growls at any one who doesn't parent in the way that I believe (and unbiased scientific evidence) is best. What upsets me is the lack of education that is offered to parents. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we look to authority to measure our success as a parent. We are the ones who are 'trained' not to believe in our instincts. We are trained to believe that there is a socially acceptable norm of raising babies. We are trained that despite our hearts telling us something is wrong, we shouldn't listen to that voice inside because the invisible authority knows our own baby better than we do.

My anger is not directed at parents. I can't stress this enough. The whole nature of the westernised culture is in need of a permanent shift. We have fake heart beats, fake breathing stimulators, fake dolls to simulate mothers, listening devices being sold to parents so their baby has comfort in another room. Heres an idea: Be that comfort that the companies are trying to emulate. They are emulating YOU for a reason... because its what babies need.

I tend to break things down... Would a lioness ever put her cubs in a seperate den? NO. Would any other animal in the world? NO. I don't know about anyone else out there, but science aside, I JUST KNOW that co-sleeping is the safest for my babies. If my baby has a febrile convulsion, a fever, chokes on vomit, stops breathing, seizes, rolls onto his stomach, has an asthma attack, how could I possibly save their life if I am obliviously asleep in another room? I COULDN'T.

Getting into the whole 'controlled crying' thing is not the place for this discussion, but let me conclude by touching on this lightly. Like baby animals, baby humans cry for a reason and that is to have their needs met. Controlled crying might 'work' after a couple of weeks of making your baby cry to sleep, but why do you think that is? How can a baby have the intelligence and reasoning of an adult to dissect the message to mean 'Okay, Mum and Dad are just in the room next door, they will come and get me in the morning at 7 am and I will have my thirst and hunger satisifed then'. They stop crying after being 'trained' because they have learned that there is NO POINT crying out for help anymore. They have been 'trained' that noone will respond to their cries, so as a protective measure (just as seen in the wild) they go quiet to avoid predators since they have established that they will not be protected by their mother.

I don't know about anyone else out there, but there is no way I could sleep at night with the knowledge thats how my baby feels. Bringing it back to the original reason for this article... unexplained evidence. When you go searching for the right answers, you will always find them, and when it comes to parenting, you don't need to look very far at all. Forget what some random company tells you who profits off your unknowing ways... forget some random who doesn't even HAVE kids... forget some study that does not look at the overwhelming evidence to prove it innaccurate. The answer is right inside you. I guarantee that if you push aside all of the societal brainwashing and cultural desensitisation, you will actually feel secure in your parenting decisions..

instinct is there for a reason. We were designed that way to protect our young... its about time we ignored all the hype and did just that... the way we were designed to since the beginning of time, just like every other animal out there.



References:

Ball HL. Breastfeeding, bedsharing, and infant sleep. Birth 2003; 30:181–188

Ball H, Hooker E, Kelly P. Where will baby sleep? Attitudes and practices of new and experienced parents regarding cosleeping with their newborns American Anthropologist 1999; 101: 141–151.

Benson, 2010, Hospitals warned over baby deaths:
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hospitals-warned-over-baby-deaths-20101006-167vv.html

Blair PS, Fleming PJ, Smith IJ et al. Babies sleeping with parents:casecontrol study of factors influencing the risk of the

sudden infant death syndrome. CESDI SUDI research group. British Medical Journal 1999; 319: 1457–1462.

Butler, S R, et al. Maternal Behavior as a Regulator of Polyamine Biosynthesis in Brain and Heart of Developing Rat Pups. Science 1978, 199:445-447.

 

Chen A, Rogan W. Breastfeeding and the risk of post-neonatal death in the United States. Pediatrics 2004; 113: E435–E439.

 

Drago DA, Dannenberg AL. Infant mechanical suffocation deaths in the United States, 1980–1997. Pediatrics 1999; 103: e59.

Hollenbeck, A R, et al. Children with Serious Illness: Behavioral Correlates of Separation and Solution. Child Psychiatry and Human Development 1980, 11:3-11.

Leiberman, A. F., & Zeanah, H., Disorders of Attachment in Infancy, Infant Psychiatry 1995, 4:571-587.

Lewis M, Havilland J. The Handbook of Emotion. New York: The Guilford Press, 1993.

McKay, 2010, Sleeping LIke a Baby,

McKenna, McDade, 2005, Why Babies should never sleep alone, University of Notre-Dame, Indiana.