Tuesday, May 19, 2015

NYC campaign to stop moms from co-sleeping with infants.

I am very upset about The New York City  campaign to stop moms from sleeping with their babies described here
http://www.nyc.gov/html/acs/html/pr_archives/pr08_05_08.shtml

They are dead wrong about this and are hurting children, possibly even killing them.

Co-sleeping helps prevent SIDS see
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/sleep-problems/scientific-benefits-co-sleeping
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7119782

Co-sleeping also facilitates night time breast feeding. Moms who have to get up to breast feed get more tired and are more likely to stop.  I found this from personal experience having breastfed one baby who did not co-sleep and one who did.

Breast feeding is very important to infant health http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/benefits.asp
http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/exclusive_breastfeeding/en/  Making babies sleep separately from moms is putting them at risk of early weaning, when they should be breastfed exclusively until age six months and with supplementation at least until age two.

The City is grouping together unconnected information about sleeping accidents in a misleading way. Yes, blankets and pillows can suffocate a child.

I cannot believe that a sober mom will roll over on her child. Sober moms learned not to roll over on their children when pregnant and continue to sleep very lightly for the rest of their lives, because of the concerns they develop for their children. If you have moms who roll over on their babies, I suspect they are usually drunk, high or lying. It is wrong to stop moms from sleeping with their babies due to these questionable instances.

I am particularly concerned that moms who are not using alcohol or drugs are going to be labeled as child abusers for sleeping with babies, when in fact that's the best thing for the baby.

I believe that the New York City campaign is putting babies at risk of SIDS and early weaning -- and not really addressing the issue of young moms who are chemically dependent and therefore endangering their children. I implore them to stop this misguided action.

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