thedivinegoat_archive: (Default)
[personal profile] thedivinegoat_archive
I don't know if any of my UK based friends have kids, but I thought I'd make you aware anyway…

A couple of days ago it was splashed all over the papers and TV that the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID) have changed their advice on co-sleeping, as it increased the risk of cot-death with babies under 8 weeks.

BBC News Report

Most people I know on NCT lists and the like were extremely sceptical.

And then today, this came out -

UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative.

When other factors are controlled for, bed-sharing between non-smoking mothers and their babies becomes non-significant (Odds Ratio = 1.56 [95% CI:0.91 to 2.68]) - this can be seen in Table 2 of the Lancet paper). It is not clear why the unadjusted result has been highlighted in the media. Well, the media has never been known to sensationalize as story, with no regard for the damage they do, have they? (MMR anybody?)

The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative has asked the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths to reverse its policy change pending a full discussion of the issues at the National Patient Safety Agency on 9 February

It is also interesting to note that the study did not record infant feeding method at the time of death. We do not therefore know whether the babies who died while bed sharing with non-smoking parents were breast- or bottle-fed, or whether breast feeding may have been protective.

Something to note here - breast feeding is widely known to reduce the risk of cot death, (Something the FSID don't make as big a song and dance about as you might imagine they would). Co-sleeping, especially in the first few weeks, is known to increase the chances of a mother continuing to breastfeed.

Oh look, FSID's main corporate sponsor is Cow & Gate. Oh, and they make baby formula. Of course they have no influence over FSID's attitude towards breastfeeding, and would never dream of trying to influence them in the future.

Date: 2004-01-22 03:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mildred.livejournal.com
I hate the way that the British media quote medical findings and research papers. It's always obvious that they are stretching the truth, or leaving important bits out - I'm very skeptical about stuff like this.

Date: 2004-01-24 09:21 am (UTC)
ext_170: (Sleep)
From: [identity profile] thedivinegoat.livejournal.com
It's just so irresponsible - MMR take up rates have dropped below that needed for herd immunity in parts of England - all because the Press wanted a good headline.

Now parents are going to be too scared to co-sleep, find night feeding too hard and start bottle feeding. Breastfeeding rates are low enough in Britain as it is. (I'm not saying it's not possible to breastfeed without co-sleeping, but it is a hell of a lot easier).

Date: 2004-01-22 06:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mamajoan.livejournal.com
Are there really even moms who cosleep and don't bf??? that just sounds so darn unlikely.

Date: 2004-01-24 09:26 am (UTC)
ext_170: (cute)
From: [identity profile] thedivinegoat.livejournal.com
There must be a least a small number as they've proved in studies that Mums that bottlefeed, when they're asleep, don't have the awareness of where their baby is. There can't be that many though, or so I would have thought.

Date: 2004-01-22 08:32 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Ugh! Reports like this make me crazy. I'm surprised that the corporate sponsor is a formula company and not a crib manufacturer as we had recently here in the states.

Date: 2004-01-24 09:29 am (UTC)
ext_170: (cullyn)
From: [identity profile] thedivinegoat.livejournal.com
I don't think we have any really big crib manufacturers like that over here. What company was it?

Date: 2004-01-22 01:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cydrin.livejournal.com
Winds me up too! I tried co sleeping but never managed it...settled on a crib next to the bed and managed to breat feeed okay...
I am a trainee ANT and just about to teach my first course so I expect this will be one of the 'hot' topics...
Have you seen the MIDIRS news section on it?

Date: 2004-01-24 10:13 am (UTC)
ext_170: (sky)
From: [identity profile] thedivinegoat.livejournal.com
Was that posted to the main NCT list? 'Cos other wise I don't think so. (Have you got a link?)

Another NCT person! I think you and I might be the only ones on all of LiveJournal. What Branch are you? I'm Chair of the North East Somerset Branch, (formerly Midsomer Norton & District)

I'm hoping to start training as a ANT too, I had all the forms last summer, but decided to get this pregnancy out of the way first. (Now I just have to remember to send the blasted things in!)

We'll have to get some more NCT types on here, maybe we should pimp LJ on the coffee list? (BTW do you have any idea what the other NCT is that comes up on people interests list, 'cos it sure isn't National Childbirth Trust!)

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