Co-sleeping, is it safe?

According to research, one of the greatest risk factors for infant death is co-sleeping, yet, it is still a common occurrence either intentionally or unintentionally.  I say unintentionally because we have all experienced the terror of accidentally falling asleep while nursing our baby in the wee hours of the morning then waking in a panic afraid we have smothered him or her.  Co-sleeping is especially dangerous if an infant shares a sleeping environment with other children.  The Center for Disease Control released some statistics in 2003 then updated them in 2008 stating that infants who died of "SIDS" were 5.4 times more likely to have shared a bed with other children*.  I put SIDS in quotes because I believe a more appropriate diagnosis would be smothering or entrapment in the case of co-sleeping since the cause is known.  Dr. Andrea Minyard,  Medical Examiner in Florida explained that 2/3 of the 41 infant deaths she examined were accidental asphyxiations.  She determined "These infants die because they are accidentally smothered by their parents or other children who sleep with them or because they are placed on dangerous overstuffed sofas or heavily blanketed beds."**

More recently, I attended a seminar to hear Lisa Carter, RN speak.  Lisa is the Regional Perinatal Director in Alabama who is undergoing an investigation with the other regional directors in Alabama reviewing the infant deaths in our state from 2010 to 2011.  She stated that 50-75% of cases were sleep related deaths.  1) Co-sleeping in an adult bed 2) Co-sleeping on a sofa or recliner 3) Infants sleeping in swings unattended 4) Lying on the stomach on an adult bed 5) Sleeping on U-shaped pillows (like a Boppy) She was very specific when she stressed, "These were all preventable deaths!

The bottom line is, an infant is safest in a his or her own sleeping environment on a firm mattress.  To answer the question, "Is co-sleeping safe?"  No, it is not.  And for all of you mothers who nurse your baby throughout the night, I recommend nursing the baby in a place other than your bed so you are less likely to fall into a deep sleep in the comfort of your own mattress.  Personally, I had a firm twin bed in the nursery where I would nurse with a lamp on to remind me I was nursing and not safe to fall into a deep sleep. 


*NIH/NICHD "Bed Sharing with Siblings, Soft Bedding, Increased SIDS risk and Frequently Asked Questions about Bed Sharing" NIH/NICHD News Release, May 5, 2003. Updated September 16, 2008.
**Hargrove, T., Bowman, L. Many Babies Die from Suffocation, not SIDS, Study Shows. Scripps Howard News Service, December 16, 2007.