On our local news they just mentioned a story of a couple that have had two children die in the last two years because of co-sleeping. How could you co-sleep again after it caused the death of your first child? It wasn't SIDS, it was because they slept in the bed. So sad.
Re: 2 co-sleeping deaths...
Links?
The other thing I hate is that people use that one story to make a point. How many times have parents safely co-slept without incidence?
People love sensationalism. And this is just another sensationalized piece. (Mind you, I do not bed-share but I hate the way things are always sensationalized.)
I bedshare with my LO. I position myself in my bed so that I can't really roll over (put my arm out, if I were to roll over my shoulder would be completely stretched out). And I wake up quite a bit too for like a second to check on her. The blanket doesn't go over her arms at all so she can't pull them up over her face. And she sleeps on the opposite side of my husband (he's a deeper sleeper than me).
I would never ever sleep with her if I was on any sort of drug though.
And I've always felt better with her in our bed than not for some reason.
Denial?
I haven't read anything about this. I don't know the facts of the cases. Were both kids smothered? If not, if the first baby just inexplicably stopped breathing, why would she think that it would happen a second time? Because that would be rotten luck.
That is a hearbreaking story. There's probably something more going on for the parents to make the same mistake twice to bedshare while on drugs.
I echo PPs about there is a way to safely bedshare and these stories do give it a bad rep. I do it, and my mommy instincts keep me from rolling on him. Even when I roll away from him and he squirms behind me, I instinctively check where he is before I roll back towards him. I also sleep with him by myself since DH sleeps too deeply for it to be safe with him in bed too (we have an extra mattress), but the bed is pushed up flush against the wall on the side.
this is probably harsh but if you're dumb enough to bedshare while on some sort of drug once? you're probably dumb enough to do it again. just saying.
we bedshare for part of the night on most nights. I'd never do it if I or my husband had taken anything that had any potential to make us sleep more heavily than normal. period.