I was talking to my mother-in-law last night (I know, I know--never listen to your MIL), and she was saying something about a new study on SIDS that shows that how your baby sleeps--stomach or back--has absolutely no effect on whether the baby will die from SIDS. According to this study, if a baby is going to die from SIDS, they will die no matter how they sleep or what else you do (blankets in the crib, etc.).
I *know* that this goes contrary to everything everyone on here has ever heard. Don't bother telling me "Back is Best," because I already know that.
I just want to know if anyone has heard about this study, who did it, where I can find news about it, etc. It seems that if it were a reputable study, it would have been all over the media when the results were published.
My babe is due in about 3 weeks, and I want to be prepared for when she comes to visit and says, "You know, you can put your baby to sleep on his stomach. He'll sleep better that way, and it's perfectly safe." Because I have every intention of putting my baby to sleep on his back.
2009-11-24T12:41:52Z
Thanks, everyone. Everything I've been able to find give really compelling evidence that back sleeping and other factors significantly reduce the risk of SIDS. That was pretty much what I expected to find. My MIL is approaching "Old Wife" status (as in "old wives' tales), so I already take everything she says with a grain of salt.
Pippin2009-11-24T12:13:06Z
Favorite Answer
Neither a google search nor a pubmed search turns up any new research on this topic.
EDIT: Rae's Mommy -- you don't seem to understand how statistics work. SIDS is not 'caused by' stomach sleeping, and nobody has ever claimed that it was. But stomach sleeping increases the RISK of SIDS. Of course not all babies who sleep on their stomach die. (For many years that was the recommended position, and obviously the human race did not die out.) SIDS is very uncommon regardless of sleep position, but babies who sleep on their bellies are at roughly twice the risk. IF your baby won't/can't sleep on her back, then you need to decide for yourself if the increased risk is acceptable to you. But claiming that the research is 'nonsense' just because your baby is still alive is pretty foolish. (I never rode in a carseat as a baby -- and I'm still alive. Should we conclude that carseats are useless and don't save lives?)
I know you said you know "back to sleep" is best, but maybe this will help you explain it to her
A common misconception about SIDS is that babies choke or smother, but it really has more to do with breathing. While asleep our breathing pattern can change, older children and adults have the natural ability to correct the breathing and keep sleeping. The problem with belly sleeping is that the pressure on baby's chest and belly slows reflexes. So, when and infant's breathing pattern changes, he doesn't correct it and simply stops breathing.
As mentioned in a previous answer, this isn't the only way SIDS happens.
I wasn't able to find the study your MIL told you about, but I can tell you that before the "Back to Sleep" Campaign more than 5000 babies died of SIDS each year and now the numbers are below 3000.
I also think that one of the reasons mothers choose to let their babies belly sleep is because infants often wake when being transfered from Mommy to bed due to the startle reflex. A good way to stop this is swaddling.
Good luck and don't worry about what your MIL says or thinks. It's your child and this is just the first of many things that you will disagree on when it comes to raising your child.
My daughter will not sleep on her belly at all. She is 6 months. I was worried at the start as she was nearly 5 months when starting to sleep on her belly. But now I am not worried, she moves when she is uncomfortable etc.. I always check on her when she is sleeping and she still wakes during the night for a bottle.. try not to think about SIDS because you would make yourself ill. Just relax and enjoy every moment spent with your new baby. Best of Luck with the birth... and remember mothers know best, That has been the saying for so many generations. x
Also she slept a lot on her belly from day 1 aswell because if on her back all she would do was cry but as soon as I placed her on her back she would sleep soundly. What was I suppose to do, Have an unhappy baby or settled baby.
I haven't heard of it, but here's the thing: no one can prove without a doubt that stomach sleeping actually causes SIDS deaths. What they can do is say that there's a lower incidence of SIDS deaths when babies sleep on their backs.
That said, outside of a laboratory, there are a lot of other variables that can impact the outcome in any situation.
The point here is that yes, there seems to be a corolation between back sleeping and reducing the risk of SIDS, but there's no way to be 100% certain that that's the only factor reducing the incidence.
I've never let my daughter sleep on her stomach. She's a few days shy of 3 months. However, my daughter seems to be comfortable on her back and has never shown an interest in sleeping on her belly. I would probably allow her to sleep on her belly if I were awake as I will sometimes let her sleep on a pillow if I'm up and about. I co-sleep with my daughter, and a lot of times, she rolls onto her side so she can snuggle into me. I was terrified at first of this, but have since eased off. I sleep alot lighter with her in the bed and have always woken up with her every little grunt and movement. As for SIDs, I don't worry about it too much. I take precautions for it not to happen, but I'm not going to drive myself mad over what ifs.