Do you believe newborn tummy sleeping produces SIDS? - Page 3

[jezebelle]

I don't really follow any anecdotal advice when it comes to my child--by which I mean, "we did it and my baby turned out fine" doesn't really apply.  I much prefer scientific research to back the decisions that I make.  I personally don't think tummy sleeping "produces" SIDS, but to say it does not contribute would be to deny the overwhelming results of scientific research.

I keep my child in a carseat in the car because it has been proven to save lives.  I don't spend hours outside in the 99-degree Arkansas heat with him, because doing so would endanger his life.  He may not like either of these things, but he's going to do them.  So personally, when I read that studies show back-sleeping reduces the risks, I am going to make sure that he back-sleeps, because I want to reduce the risk as much as possible.  Same reason my child is never around cigarette smoke, his arms are always exposed when he is sleeping (now that he is too old to say swaddled), his face is never buried in my side, etc.  The best thing I can do for him is to try my hardest to keep this tragedy from affecting him.  And the best and most thorough research we have at this time shows that back-sleeping improves the odds of that happening.

The most recent study I have seen showed that this is possible because SIDS can be caused by a lack of serotonin, which signals the child should raise his/her head up when there is a risk of suffocation.  If this research is correct, this means that just because an infant is old enough to lift their head doesn't mean they will.  And serotonin levels are not exactly an observable attribute, so no one knows whether this particular factor might affect their baby.  So instead of gambling with my inability to know whether my baby might lift his head if there is danger, I would rather remove the danger from the equation.

[Sharlla]

Originally Posted by Shami 



Do you hold any stock in the tummy sleeping equals SIDS fear? Are there statistics that prove the 'Back to sleep camplagn' prevented SIDS?

 

No i dont.  I let my babies sleep the way they wanted to
 

[Sanveann]

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

I believe a baby should always be laid to sleep on their back first. There's too much research out there suggesting that this is preferable, for me not to. BUT-- I also think it's a valid point that there comes a time when yes, you do need to weigh what is best for your child and your family, and if you have tried back sleeping, and it is NOT working, then there is no shame in switching to tummy sleeping and keeping an extra eye on the baby. And because like I said, we are all smart MDC mamas, I know that the women here who lay their babies tummy to sleep are doing so with care and caution, and because it is the best option for them, not just because they don't care. 

I agree with this exactly. I do believe that "back is best," but in the case of our oldest, it meant basically NO ONE sleeping, ever. We finally tried him on his tummy and he slept like a dream. I didn't like it, but it preserved our sanity. My second baby was fine with either his back of his side, and I felt much more comfortable with that. (At least, I wasn't staring at him at night and poking him to make sure he was still breathing!)

[Agatha_Ann]

I'm not trying to be snarky, this is an honest question I always ponder when this question comes up around here and people say they don't believe in the link.

If there is no link between the two...what is the payoff for the Back to Sleep Campaign? I understand people not finding vaccine research credible when it is funded by the pharmaceutical companies because they have something to gain from those studies showing vaccines to be positive. So what would be the incentive for SIDS research to favor infants sleeping on their backs?

[KABB]

 "In other words, the cause of death cannot be established." Gets to me, if they can't establish the cause of the death how can they say what may or may not contribute to it? They have said all sorts of things, back to sleep, say no to co-sleeping, etc. etc. but no one really knows anything. I think in this term you just have to be smart and do what works best for you and your family. 

Originally Posted by jeninejessica 

Well that's really what it is... no one is clamining SIDS is a diagnosis. 

But that's the problem-- is that there is no one cause. All we have is piles of things which may be contributing to the unexplained deaths of infants. As the pp mentioned, some of them I'm sure aren't technically SIDS- they do have other factors (vaccinations, falls, etc), but the point of trying to reduce SIDS is about trying to eliminate the other possible risk factors that seem to contribute to this deaths that don't make sense. And that's where it's hard to really answer the question-- there's so much more to it than back or tummy sleeping 'causing' an illness or trauma... 

[sacredpresence]

Hi again,

I'm the one who asked how people in Sri Lanka sleep their babies.  I am curious to know this because Dr. James McKenna, the co-sleeping researcher who I'm sure most if not all of you have heard of, talked about how in cultures that co-sleep, SIDS is virtually non-existent.  He notes that the co-sleeping pairs he studies tend to arrange their babies on their backs, which makes nursing access easier, and that the mothers rouse frequently to rearrange their infants - checking blankets, reposition, etc.  When co-sleeping, my girl mostly slept on her side or back because that is how we finished nursing.  Though, I did tummy sleep her during naps starting around 8 weeks when she could roll over consistently.  She never really napped well even after I did that, but it was better.

Interesting discussion.

[APToddlerMama]

Originally Posted by jezebelle 

I don't really follow any anecdotal advice when it comes to my child--by which I mean, "we did it and my baby turned out fine" doesn't really apply.  I much prefer scientific research to back the decisions that I make.  I personally don't think tummy sleeping "produces" SIDS, but to say it does not contribute would be to deny the overwhelming results of scientific research.

I keep my child in a carseat in the car because it has been proven to save lives.  I don't spend hours outside in the 99-degree Arkansas heat with him, because doing so would endanger his life.  He may not like either of these things, but he's going to do them.  So personally, when I read that studies show back-sleeping reduces the risks, I am going to make sure that he back-sleeps, because I want to reduce the risk as much as possible.  Same reason my child is never around cigarette smoke, his arms are always exposed when he is sleeping (now that he is too old to say swaddled), his face is never buried in my side, etc.  The best thing I can do for him is to try my hardest to keep this tragedy from affecting him.  And the best and most thorough research we have at this time shows that back-sleeping improves the odds of that happening.

The most recent study I have seen showed that this is possible because SIDS can be caused by a lack of serotonin, which signals the child should raise his/her head up when there is a risk of suffocation.  If this research is correct, this means that just because an infant is old enough to lift their head doesn't mean they will.  And serotonin levels are not exactly an observable attribute, so no one knows whether this particular factor might affect their baby.  So instead of gambling with my inability to know whether my baby might lift his head if there is danger, I would rather remove the danger from the equation.

Totally agree.  My son has always been in a carseat, but we've never been in an accident, so he would have been perfectly fine riding on my lap, Brittney Spears style.  Doesn't mean I am claiming that is what people should do.  Carseats have been proven to save lives and so has back sleeping.  Not personally experiencing SIDS or a car accident doesn't change those statistics. 

[2goingon2]

According to the AAP, babies that are put on their tummys to sleep are 18 times more likely to die than those placed on their backs.  Studies have shown (and no I don't have any to post - feel free to use Google) that putting a baby on his/her back is more safe.  Newborns don't "decide" or "find" the way they want to sleep.  They are totally helpless.  Why would you risk it? 

While it is true that there is no one sure cause of SIDS - and my pediatrician has been part of a study group and one of the ideas is that tummy time causes the child to breathe in too much carbon dioxide - it is a known fact that babies that are put on their backs to sleep are less likely to die in their sleep.  It is even taught at the children's hospital where I work.

[fyrwmn]

Originally Posted by cassandraz 

AE has slept on her belly on my chest since day one, it was the only way she slept.

i think this is very different from a baby belly sleeping on their own though. they take breathing cues from a parent while sleeping. we co-sleep, and i kno wthat if i take a deep breath ds will take a breath right after (hey, i get bored sometimes and had to try it out lol). i don't think that sleeping flat on their belly is a natural position. i belly sleep, but my face is alwaysturned to the side. i can't imagine face down being comfortable. that said, all of my kids have naturally chosen a side-lying position and have all co-slept from birth.

[USAmma]

I am not in a position to say whether or not it is related to SIDS, however the reserach seems to have shown that the SIDS cases have gone way down since the "back to sleep" thing started. That being said both my babies were tummy sleepers. They both had reflux and with both I had a scary moment of waking up by mommy instinct and seeing them choking on their own vomit and too little to roll over to empty their mouth and breathe.