Baby Dies When Sleeping Father Rolls Over

KOIN News6 ^ | 9/23/05 | Drew Mikkelson

[DuckFan4ever]

PORTLAND -- Police say a 3-month-old boy died while "co-sleeping" with his father.

The medical examiner determined that the father rolled over on his son while they were asleep. The father does not face any criminal charges, but it renews a hotly debated issue: Is sleeping with infants a good idea?

The medical director of Legacy's pediatric clinic says when it comes to co-sleeping there are some pros and cons.

Police called the death of the northeast Portland boy Wednesday a "tragic accident," but no law was broken.

Dr. Paul Horowitz says studies have shown that sleeping with babies improves the bonding between infants and their parents, and it supposedly improves breastfeeding rates. However, he says lots of factors can make it risky:

"Especially if the parents smoke, are obese or have been drinking alcohol or taken anything that may impair wakefulness," Horowitz said.

It's not clear in what kind of bed the baby who died was sleeping, but Horowitz says most of the time adult beds are too soft for babies and there are usually too many blankets on adult beds for an infant.

Ultimately, Horowitz says it's a personal choice. But if parents want to sleep with their babies, he says they should ask their doctor about making the experience safe.

[DuckFan4ever]

Tragic. I pray for this family and the infant.

[starfish923]

Darwin 's culling.
This is why CRADLES were invented. Even the poorest of people used them.
We lived across the street from a couple that was so poor they used a cardboard box as a cradle for a while.

[RedRover]

Agreed, though this sounds fishy. I can't imagine how anyone could roll over on to a baby and not wake up.

[End Times Sentinel]

This is sad.  Especially when they could have just shelled out 80 ones for a side sleeper.  I can't imagine the burden of his guilt.

Owl_Eagle

(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,

 it was probably sarcasm)

[old and tired]

I'm so very sorry for this family. I just hope we don't have presidents' wives and Katie Couric (and anyone else who can pay a nanny to be sleep deprived) going on some crusade against the family bed.

When they went on the SIDS sleep on the back kick a few years ago, my wife said, "the babies will be startling awake all night!" Now I hear they don't really think it helps all that much in the prevention of SIDS. But think of all those sleep deprived parents who for the last decade had their babies on their backs.

[flixxx]

There are some cultures in which 'co-sleeping' is very prevalent. Some Hispanic families are very much in favor of the practice. This has been a rather contentious topic among pediatricians and some Hispanic groups...

[mtbopfuyn]

A drawer is free.

[starfish923]

In theory, there is nothing wrong with co-sleeping.
But any moron knows that you do NOT put big and little sleeping together.....because BIG can hurt LITTLE.
Hispanic famillies would know this too.

[SALChamps03]

Think about this some more and repost.

[Hand em their arse]

Oh man, this is so horrible... I would sleep next to both of my children when they were infants, quite honestly it is one of my favorite memories. That being said, I don't really think I ever "slept"... My eyes might've been closed but the sleep was by no means anything deep, I'd have woken up at the drop of a feather...

[nuconvert]

This happens more often than gets reported. It's very sad.

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

This event used to be so prevalent that it had its own word in older times (in Early Modern English: overlay, as in "The mother overlaid her child and smothered it."). In fact, one of the most famous stories in the Old Testament (Solomon's Judgment) depends on this event... two women sleeping in the same bed with their children.

Only modern economic progress in the US has made separate rooms and separate beds a standard. While I certainly grieve for this family, I also view this kind of occurrence the same way I view those incredibly rare malarial deaths in the US, a chilling reminder of how different (and more advanced) we are from the rest of the world. There but for the Grace of God...

[rockabyebaby]

Is sleeping with infants a good idea?

DUH.........

[Charles H. (The_r0nin)]

See my post #12. Not only is this very possible, it was quite common in the days before modern standards of living made multiple beds per household (especially children's beds, which are temporary in nature) a standard, rather than a luxury.

[22cal]

We slept with all our babies (3) as have families for millenia. Cribs and such did not come into fashion until the industrial revolution. "Upper class" people had cribs and nursing nannies. This and artificial feeding started in upper classes and spread 'downwards'. That is, that and sleeping apart were a status symbols, not anything scientifically better or necessary for protection.

Now as a grandma I see all our daughters sleeping with theirs (7). Precautions are the key to rational co-sleeping. In general, the baby is kept away from dad on the other side of Mom. Mom has hormones that attune her to the child's waking and cries.

Also, if breastfeeding, one can go back to sleep and not really wake up for night feedings. This and feeding on demand, along with carrying the child during the day in a sling pr pack, causes the mother not to ovulate(not perfect, but reliably). Child spacing of 2-3 years is an advantage to any baby's development. This natural spacing mechanism was disrupted after co-sleeping and artificial feeding (and mother working elsewhere) became Western norms.

Former LLLI leader --

22cal

[Vinomori]

Agreed, though this sounds fishy. I can't imagine how anyone could roll over on to a baby and not wake up.

Correct. Some combination of obesity and drunkenness at play here.

[22cal]

>>sling pr pack,

sling OR pack

Also washing our hands and having closed sewers contributes to disease control in the West, not sleeping in separate beds.

[Lessismore]

Precautions are the key to rational co-sleeping. In general, the baby is kept away from dad on the other side of Mom.

This seems key.

[Capriole]

I tried sleeping with my babies, but the constant slight crinkling noises from their diapers or diaper-covers kept me awake, I could not breast-feed on my side without smothering them, and frankly it turned out to be easier to keep them in a bassinet next to the parental bed for awhile. It's impossible for me to imagine anyone who was not drunk rolling over on top of a baby and not feeling the big lump under his back.

[knuthom]

Our babies slept with us when they were little. I can't imagine rolling on them without noticing.

If co-sleeping is deemed dangerous, what about putting your baby in a car? I bet far more babies have died in auto accidents or because someone left them in a hot car.