Sudden Death

...of infants, in case you were thinking I was going to launch into a diatribe about overtime in hockey games. Just in from the community clinic: don't have family beds (ie bring your baby into your bed) or Your Baby Will Die. So a hallowed institution has been summarily nixed by a group of middle-aged white males (namely the American Obstetrics Association) who have undoubtedly never had to feed a baby night after night.

Even my community nurse sis-in-law has joined their ranks, albeit reluctantly, after reviewing the research on the subject. Apparently until the mid 90's there was little information on what causes SIDS - now they're linking it primarily to smoking, drinking/ drugs, and secondarily "other unknown causes". Nevertheless, no babies in bed. No babies on couch. No babies sleeping on their bellies (which by the way, every single one of my ten nieces and nephews were subjected to because it was the "safest" at the time) No babies in soft cribs. No crib bumper pads. Apparently, babies on floor, on their backs, with no pillows and if you're lucky a thin hard sponge for a mattress, is the only thing that guarantees their safety. It's astonishing our species survives to adulthood at all.

...I think I'm basically callused when it comes to humanity. I mean, we all gotta die. Even babies die sometimes. The overall incidence in the States is somewhere around 1.2 deaths per 1000 births. This is less than 1/10 of 1% which to me, is miniscule.

Of course everyone says "well would you want YOUR baby to die of SIDS?" and though I'm horribly tempted to reply with a cutting remark about their intelligence levels, I inevitably agree of course I wouldn't want that. But does that mean I'll necessarily follow every recommendation by the establishment, which is inevitably based on gross statistics and more often than not, speculation? Dammit, I'm sorry but I'm not going to do that. I will do what I think a loving caring parent would do to safeguard their child. I refuse to be driven to fear-based parenting. If generations of humans have survived to maturity despite scientific and parental ignorance, then goddess willing so will my offspring.

Before you rush to chastise me, this doesn't mean I would deliberately place my child in a dangerous situation. What I'm trying to define is the line in the sand in managing risk to my child. I think 1/10 of 1% is an acceptable risk level. I will take sensible precautions, but I will have my child close to me. And if that means in my bed, then that will be in my bed. Mind you, I do have a king-size bed so it would take some doing for me to actually roll over the bolsters and onto my child - and being a light sleeper, a speed-bump like that would definitely wake me up before I had baby-pate on my hands. It's undoubtedly different if you have two adults and a baby in, say, a queen-size bed. (personally I don't know how couples manage on a queen size, but that's a whole other rant) Sometimes I think parents have abrogated their rights and responsibilities in child care to any and every expert who chooses to propound on what is or is not safe practice.