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Bed Sharing Statistics + Information
Bed Sharing Statistics + Information
“The four biggest issues associated with SIDS are smoking, laying a baby facedown for sleep, leaving a baby unattended, and formula feeding.”
“The US has a higher rate of SIDS than just about anywhere else, given the prevalence of the four big risk factors mentioned above. Bedsharing is not one of them.”
“Breastfeeding mothers and babies sharing sleep is a biologically normal behaviour, while formula feeding and separate sleep are departures from the norm.”
“A first step in looking at infant deaths in adult beds would be to look at what was wrong with the beds, not what was wrong with the mothers. Sofas and chairs represent a much greater risk than safe bedsharing.”
“For example, in 2010 there was a campaign in Milwaukee County against bedsharing.[xi] When the statistics were investigated it was found that all the “bedsharing” deaths in the past year had involved adult alcohol use, a baby on a pillow, difficult living conditions and
/or smoking. Every death involved a formula fed baby.”
“A 2009 study by public health officials in Alaska which aimed to tease apart known risk factors and look at them separately found that 99% of the babies who died had at least one of these risks: face down position, sleeping with someone other than the mother,
maternal tobacco use, impaired bed partner, sofa or waterbed. It was not bedsharing per se, but the condition of the adult and safety of the sleeping environment that led to those deaths.”
“... the amount of CO² the mother expires in her breath acts to stimulate infant breathing. Expelled CO² appears to act as a potential back-up, should the baby’s own internal drive to breathe falter or slow, since the baby’s nasal regions can both detect and
respond to the presence of this gas by breathing faster.”
“Whilst no sleeping environment can be entirely risk-free, studies by Professor Helen Ball of Durham University have found that mothers who sleep with their breastfed babies in bed adopt a protective position that makes overlaying difficult and smothering by bedding unlikely.
She has observed that babies “demonstrably do not overheat” and that they breastfeed more successfully and for longer, which has significant health benefits for mother and child.”
“Policies designed to protect the health of a few babies may result in harm if applied to all. The blanket recommendation that parents “simply avoid bed-sharing” may well scare women into making decisions which are not right for them, their family or their baby,
and could lead to babies being breastfed in places where it would be riskier for women to fall asleep. Ultimately, it could also lead to women stopping breastfeeding because they are too worried about where to feed.”
https://www.laleche.org.uk/bedsharing-breastfeeding-risk-sids/">https://www.laleche.org.uk/bedsharin...
Stop letting fear mongering control your maternal instincts. It is biologically normal to sleep with your infant. You can reduce the risks and follow the guidelines to safe sleep. Be educated.
If you have any questions about co sleeping/bedsharing please dm me or go to the search bar and enter in my username + bedsharing.
“ @mamaamckinley bed sharing “
“ @mamaamckinley bed sharing “
or type “ @mamaamckinley co sleeping “ and click the latest tab.
