New Study on Co-sleeping

FROM CNN: There's renewed debate over the safety of sleeping with your baby. A new study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows a rise in the number of babies accidentally suffocated or strangled in bed.

Dayton West-Mullen's mom thought she was doing the right thing, letting him sleep with her in her bed. But then, when he was four months old, it was about ten till eight and my mother-in-law came in and yelled, you're laying on top of the baby. Dayton suffocated to death, and Lisa says the feeling of guilt never goes away.

No matter how many times people tell me it's not my fault in my heart, the heart of a mom, from the moment Dayton was born it was like I would give my life to protect this child and I couldn't save him.

According to a new CDC report, more than 300 babies suffocated during 2003 and 2004 when someone rolled over them in bed. "If there's a safe way to share a bed with a baby we don't know what it is yet." So then why, are smart, educated parents like Beverly Steiger sleeping with their babies? Steiger says she's heard the warnings, but she's convinced there's no way she'd ever roll over on four-month-old Simon.

It's really hard to explain but you have such a heightened awareness when you're exclusively breast feeding your baby. I would never, ever roll over on him. It would never, ever happen.
In many cultures, all around the world, sleeping with baby is the norm, and is often done safely. that's why some pediatricians say the CDC study doesn't really prove that co-sleeping is dangerous. "I absolutely do feel that co sleeping can be a very safe thing to do as long as
you're doing it right."

But Lisa West says there's no way a parent should ever sleep in the same bed with their small child. "Those people who are advising parents to sleep with their infants in some of those cases they're signing those babies' death warrants."

OK, so where does this leave parents? Different experts advocate different things, but here's one approach from the March of Dimes. They say that after learning about the risks of sleeping with your baby if you still want to do it, follow this advice:
-lay baby on his back
-keep baby away from blankets, pillows
-don't take certain medications

I think I have said this before, but I cannot sleep with people next to me. I can't sleep with my five-year-old next me. I make my husband scoot to the other side of the bed. There is no way I would get any sleep with a little one next me. However, I did solely breastfeed my second son. Where he slept didn't have any impact on that. So this whole topic was never really a consideration for me. I have heard some women say they sleep better with their baby next to them.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Coroner looks at possible co-sleeping deaths

The Peoria County Coroner is looking into whether two separate baby deaths over the weekend were caused by co-sleeping.

An autopsy shows two infants who died in separate but similar incidents Sunday morning didn't suffer from trauma. Instead, the Peoria County Coroner's office is investigating if adults rolled over 5-month old Jaylin Maxison and two-month old Kendrick Franklin Jr. as they slept in adult beds. Both the coroner's office and the police investigation continues. No one is facing charges at this time.

We interviewed pediatrician Dr. Gail Streater from OSF St.Francis Medical Center on the topic of co-sleeping. She concurs with the American Academy of Pediatrics saying babies need to be placed on their backs in a crib with no bumper pads or other toys. She said, "So for the infant's bed, you want to have a firm mattress, maybe just one blanket not a lot of pillows or those soft crib bumper type of things that the child can roll up against and suffocate."

Dr. Streater mentioned these links:

Kids Health.org Sleep Habits

Kids Health.org on Sleep

Co-sleeping is a controversial topic. Some parents feel like babies are less likely to die if there is co-sleeping because the parent will notice if the baby stops breathing and act fast.

Here's a past blog post on co-sleeping looking at both sides.

What do you think about this story and this topic?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.

Sleep Questions Answered

Hello Parents! I talked to Dr. Sarah Zallek and got the rest of your questions on sleep issues with kids answered. I learned a lot in the process!

1. My question for this story is what happens when kids start giving up their nap? This definitely changes sleep patterns etc. My awesome sleepers now challenge me regularly! Kari Kelly

Dr. Zallek:"It depends on how old the child is, but naps in a child of 5 or under are appropriate in some children. A child who needs a nap and doesn't get one may be irritable and restless in the evening. You have to look at why they are giving up naps. Are they giving up naps because they are truly alert during the day and don't need a nap?"

"If it is time for the child to give up naps, the parent might need to change the time the kids go to sleep or get up. It is really different with each family. If the child is restless, they may still need a nap or need to change the bedtime routine. You need to put the child to sleep when the child starts rubbing his eyes and getting cranky. Don't put them to sleep when they are still wide awake."

2. Hi Jen! We are into our 3rd week of having sleep trouble with our 16month old dtr. She was a wonderful sleeper 3 wks ago. For bed we would have a bath, read 2 books, sing a song, and put her into her crib sleepy. She would cry 30 secs and then be asleep often until 7AM the next day. Now she will do her bedtime routine willingly but when put into her crib she cries. She has a pacifier at bedtime and blanket which she throws both out of the crib knowing we will come in to give these back to her.

We have tried the going back into the room every 5 min, letting her cry (for an entire hour at times of course after checking on her, not picking her up and telling her night night), and now are staying in her room until she falls asleep. She then will wake at all different hours of the night and we go through all of this again. So we all are suffering of being very tired during the day. Thankfully her mood during the day is very happy like before but at night it is a different story. Any tips or references??? Thanks a lot, Jen!Jill

Dr. Sarah Zallek: "What's happening is there's something that triggered her to know parents or mom will go back into the room. It is almost certainly a behavioral problem. They need to figure out how to reward what they want. Right now the child is getting rewarded for bad behavior. Instead, give the child lots of praise, lots of love for staying in the crib. Don't keep rewarding for bad behavior. Give not a lot of love and holding when she goes to bed or when she wakes up. Do a withdrawal of the emotional part.

Jen: Should this parent take away the binky? "It depends on the relationship with the binky. This is a common problem. It is behavioral on the child's part? It will go on a long time if parent's don't do something differently. At 16 months she might understand well enough, I will only give these back to you once. She can't go in and shower reward on this child. Having a husband go in instead consistently may do the trick. Just have them do it in a matter of fact way, neutral not emotional, not angry, not loving. When she's quiet, reward by saying good girl, good baby when she doesn't cry out."

3. Can you ask Dr Zalleck the best way to get a nine month old child to sleep in their own bed and to sleep through the night? Do you let them cry it out? Will the answers and your interview with the Dr be on the website to all to read?We have tried the sound machine, music and everything. We are open to any suggestions-thanks a lot!Thanks,lindsay

Dr. Zallek: The rules of the road are to put her to bed in the crib when she is awake and sleepy. Do the same routine each night. If the baby fusses, calm her down with as little as necessary, maybe just a voice or a pat, pat. If they have to pick her up, okay, but reward her that she is being good when she calms down. The trick is to calm their (the baby) nerves to let them know their parent is there when they need it, but not give them too much love. The comfort will develop. It's a fine line between letting them know you're there and rewarding them for bad behavior.

Also, don't let the child fall asleep on your bed or on the couch. Be consistent. Get out of the room as soon as she calms down. Just one time of letting the baby sleep somewhere other than the crib will break the cycle and you will have to start over. Just one "yes" will make the baby know they can get rewarded for bad behavior.

With an older child, punishment doesn't work. Negative is not as effective as positive reinforcement. Most of the time, parents are not all that consistent. Eventually the bad behavior will extinquish, don't give up. It might take awhile. Reward good behavior.

4. Hi Jennifer...my 2 year old grandchild is still sleeping with her parents...how can they get her to sleep in her own bed? I'm sure others have this same problem and thought you could ask Dr. Zalleck this question for us... thanks...Grandma Wilson

Dr. Zallek:"If the parents are happy co-sleeping with the baby, that's up to them. If the parents are invested in making a change, consistent rewards is what they need. (that's what we mentioned above.) If there are any sleep issues, get the kid out of the bed."

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here

Where is the safest place for a baby to sleep?

Does cosleeping have benefits? Definitely. It is a good idea? The American Academy of Pediatrics says no. After several comments last week from parents who support cosleeping, I thought it would be a good idea to find out why cosleeping is not recommended. Is it based on good research?

Dr. John Kattwinkel from the AAP SIDS Task Force said,"There certainly is a contingent that feels that bedsharing can be done safely, but the AAP SIDS Task Force that I chair felt that there was insufficient evidence of that to endorse it."

Here's why:

Bed sharing between an infant and adult(s) is a highly controversial topic. Although electrophysiologic and behavioral studies offer a strong case for its effect in facilitating breastfeeding and the enhancement of maternal-infant bonding,epidemiologic studies of bed sharing have shown that it can be hazardous under certain conditions.

Several case series of accidental suffocation or death from undetermined cause suggest that bed sharing is hazardous. Some of these studies have found the correlation between death and bedsharing to reach statistical significance only among mothers who smoked. However, the European Concerted Action on SIDS study, which was a large multisite study, found that bed sharing with mothers who did not smoke was a significant risk factor among infants up to 8 weeks of age.

Similarly, a more recent study conducted in Scotland found that the risk of bed sharing was greatest for infants younger than 11 weeks, and this association remained among infants with nonsmoking mothers. The risk of SIDS seems to be particularly high when there are multiple bed sharers and also may be increased when the bed sharer has consumed alcohol or is overtired.

There is growing evidence that room sharing (infant sleeping in the parent’s room) without bed sharing is associated with a re-duced risk of SIDS. Data from the European Concerted Action on SIDS study led to the recommendation by its authors that the most protective sleep setting for an infant is in a crib in the parents’room. On the basis of their study results, investigators in Scotland endorsed the United Kingdom Department of Health’s advice that the safest place for an infant to sleep is in a crib in the parents’ room for the first 6 months of life.

Jen: Attachment Parenting International says there is no good research that shows cosleeping is dangerous. It says the research that had been done on this topic was done by the companies who make cribs. Do you know if there is any truth to this and can you respond?

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The studies cited in our report were done by very reputable epidemiologists that as far as I know were not supported by manufacturers. Certainly no one on our task force receives any such support.

Jen: Some moms believe cosleeping deaths occur when parents are drunk or on drugs. One mom said, "Very often when a co-sleeping death happens, it is related to drugs, alcohol, or obesity. But those things rarely make the news stories - either because of a fear of making the parents feel guilty or because it wouldn't make for the same kind of headline."Can you please respond.

Dr. Kattwinkel:"It is true that all of the factors you mention increase the risk of SIDS and of bed-sharing significantly. However, controlling for these variables in several of the studies still show the adjusted risk to be increased. The most controversial variable is smoking, where a few found that removal of smoking eliminated the risk of bedsharing, but several others did not, particularly during the first 6 weeks after birth."

Jen: Can you respond to this statement from a local mom, "Some studies have shown the risk of SIDS greatly decreases when babies sleep next to their mothers - not only are mothers more in tune and likely to notice breathing disruptions in their baby, but babies' little bodies tend to mimic the breathing pattern of their mother next to them."

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The physiological observations cited by this mother are correct and the investigator has SPECULATED that this may protect from SIDS. However, he has published or presented no evidence that it actually does so."

Jen: Another comment from a local mom, "I still struggle to understand why co-sleeping is considered dangerous when about 50 babies a year die in bed with their parents, but cribs are considered safe and 3,000 babies die in cribs alone every year. "

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The numbers quoted by this mother are not quite correct, or the facts are unknown. However, it is essential to define the denominator. The same argument can be made about sleep position. 997 of each 1000 babies who sleep on their stomachs will NOT die of SIDS. However, when you consider the number of births in the U.S., prevention of those 2-to-3/1000 deaths by babies sleeping on their backs has resulted in over 15,000 fewer deaths since introduction of the "Back to Sleep" recommendation."

-NewsAnchorMom Jen