Volume 188 - Issue 5
Lack of consistency in safe-sleeping messages to parents
Authors: Roger W Byard, Glenda Cains, Helen Noblet and Maxine Weber
Med J Aust 2008; 188 (5): 319-320. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2008.tb01640.x
Published online: 3 March 2008
Published online: 3 March 2008
In reply: Our position on bed-sharing was not based on the assumption that it is intrinsically dangerous, but that there is an increased risk of mortality for bed-sharing babies of “parents affected by alcohol, extreme overtiredness, overcrowded housing, or where the sleeping environment was unsuitable” (to quote Buckley). These risk factors were not mentioned by the telephone health advice line quoted in our letter,1 which rather commented that mortality in bed-sharing babies was such a rare event that the caller should not worry about it — little consolation if a fatality occurred.
We agree completely that parents need to be able to “make an informed and safe choice”, but this also requires informing them of potential dangers — which did not happen. Also, we do not agree that mothers are always aware of the presence of their babies, as reports of accidental suffocation during breastfeeding in bed clearly demonstrate.2,3
An informed decision is made when all the information has been provided, not just information that supports a particular point of view. Curiously, Buckley’s final point is to recommend a website for safe bed-sharing advice4 that states quite clearly (with italics): “the safest place for a baby to sleep is in a cot by your bed”. We concur.
References
- Byard RW, Cains G, Noblet H, et al. Lack of consistency in safe-sleeping messages to parents [letter]. Med J Aust 2007; 187: 62. 0_CBBEEEHD
- Asphyxiation of neonate during breast feeding. Aust J Med Def 1992; 6: 6-7. 0_i1091827
- Byard RW. Is breast feeding in bed always a safe practice? J Paediatr Child Health 1998; 34: 418-419. 0_i1091829
- UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative with the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths. Sharing a bed with your baby. A guide for breastfeeding mothers. http://www.babyfriendly.org.uk/pdfs/sharingbedleaflet.pdf (accessed Aug 2007).