It makes for a beautiful photo, but healthcare professionals are cautioning against falling asleep with a baby on your chest.
A new report by Essential Baby details the popularity of the cuter-than-cute photo opp, along with its inherent risks.
“We seem to swoon at the bare-chested dad with the gorgeous newborn asleep on the chest like David Beckham, Robbie Williams,” midwife Amanda Bude from Groovy Babies tells Essential Baby.
Of all my clients I go visit, not many have planned from the out set on bed sharing. Many do plan on co-sleeping as that is what is recommended as a WHO and SIDS initiative in the first 6 months of life.
Research shows many benefits for babies who bed-share safely with their parents, including improved breastfeeding duration rates, improved settling with reduced crying, more infant arousals which are protective for baby, and improved maternal sleep. 80% of Australian families co-sleep or bed share in the first 6 months of life.
Accidental co-sleeping though is dangerous. It’s not planned bed sharing, its bring my baby into bed for some much needed sleep (understandably)in a bed environment not set up for bed sharing, or fall asleep on the sofa cuddles. This is unplanned bed sharing.
My clients all ready feel guilty, and sleep deprived and anxious, and desperate, and alone, very much alone. Fear of being judged, fear of rolling onto their baby, fear they are going to create long term bad sleep habits.
I help them take action and eliminate these fears, and re align the goals they want for the future.
So what is the answer? If you find that the only way your bub settles is with you (naturally), then educate yourself on safe co-sleeping and bed sharing guidelines. Read Dr James McKenna’s information on safe be sharing and co-sleeping here. http://cosleeping.nd.edu/
