Excellent Blog on Healthy Sleep Solutions

I found this blog while searching for info on infant sleep and I am just so happy. This blog contains so much great information! I had to share... Enjoy. :)

http://www.drmomma.org/2009/12/sleep-training-review-of-research.html

"Crying-it-out does not lead to 'sleeping through the night' - it results in learned helplessness."

~ Danelle Frisbie

A Wake Up Story...

I don't know about you, but ever since I found out I was pregnant, I started becoming more aware of what I was putting in my body. I knew everything that entered me, could effect my growing baby, for good or for bad. Once he was born, the awareness didn't cease. I became more aware. More concerned. I worry about what chemicals are in his environment, even in our home, that might be harmful.

I've been reading a lot about SIDS, too. Mostly because I want to know more about it. Also, I have a hard time believing that the answer to preventing SIDS is as simple as placing babies on their backs to sleep. Why, then, do most babies prefer to sleep on their tummies? That seems to defy nature since babies should tend to prefer what is safest for them and will promote survival. I've also found studies that link back sleeping to other problems.... (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595182/?tool=pmcentrez)

I'm not saying there isn't validity to the "back to sleep" movement, I'm just questioning, because that's what I do. :)

I want to understand more. To understand more, you question what is "known" and you go from there.

From what I've found, it seems that SIDS is, for the most part, not fully understood. Scientists don't really know 100% what causes it or how to prevent it. There seems to have been a downward trend in SIDS cases since Pediatricians promoted the "Back to Sleep" campaign in the early 90's but there was also a dramatic shift in defining SIDS at that same time and therefore more infant deaths were categorized as "suffocation", "murder" or even "related to other health problems".

These are a few studies I did find. They are all from Pub Med and have been published in quality peer reviewed journals. Always look in well respected peer reviewed journals and focus on studies that are large and randomized. Also, keep in mind that if you do not have a PhD in the subject matter, you will likely be overwhelmed and confused. That is normal. I do not have a PhD and even with a medical background, I find many studies I read to be cumbersome and difficult to understand fully. Most doctors feel this way, too (whether they admit it or not) and that's normal. This is kind of a soap-box-issue for me, but I think we tend to expect too much from doctors. They can't know everything. We can all try to be more educated, though. Its a worthwhile effort to make (I think, anyway).

This one is small. What some researchers would call a "pre-study", but it is interesting, none the less. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20092400

This is a "retrospective study" or review of previously collected information. Not truly conclusive but also interesting as a stepping stone towards more research. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19414432

This is a "pre-research study" in the gathering information phase. It is worth noting, though, because it is focused on how babies sleeping in the prone (tummy) position may be more susceptible to toxic bacteria exposure. So, if the baby's sleeping arrangement was safer and less prone to bacterial/fungal growth which promotes a toxic environment for the sleeping infant, would it be safe for babies to sleep on their tummies? No conclusions have been made at this time. I would love to see the follow-up on this, though. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10443485

Again... not conclusive but interesting points made on the role of bacterial toxins, smoking and genetics all playing a role in the cause of SIDS. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10335950

I could list more but the list would go on and on and there really isn't an answer.... So, I'll let you check it out on your own. ;) PUB MED

So, because there are so many variables, it is hard to pinpoint the reason for the decrease in SIDS in the early 90's. And scientists have their hands tied in doing rigorous scientific method-type studies because this would involve infants dying and that would be unethical to allow that to happen. So.... the questions keep piling up and the answers fall short.

In my quest to understand more about SIDS, I stumbled upon an interesting theory. A Chemist in New Zealand hypothesized that babies were dying of SIDS or "Cot Death" not simply because they were on their tummies but because they were sleeping on mattresses that were emitting toxic chemicals that the babies were breathing in which compromised their neurological behavior which stimulates breathing and heart rate regulation. The babies on their tummies were at a higher risk, not because of their tummy sleeping in-and-of-itself, but because this put them closer to the toxic fumes being emitted and thus inhaled. He theorized that the babies on their backs had better air circulation and thus less susceptibility to the toxins. He published his theories and findings in a book and led a campaign in New Zealand for higher safety standards for the manufacturing of infant mattresses.

This made me start to wonder about the mattress my own baby was sleeping on....

I was already interested in getting a newer mattress (the one I have was given to us, generously, but who knows how old it is...) and I was already looking at organic mattresses because I had heard people talking about "all the chemicals in mattresses" so I was concerned.

When I started looking, however, I became increasingly surprised at how few options there truly were for 100% organic crib mattresses.... I could only find one! All the others toting the "organic" label were only part organic (sometimes as little as 5%) and the rest was still full of toxic and potentially toxic chemicals. Did you know that when you buy a new mattress, it is recommended to let the mattress "off-gas" for about a month before using it?! I had no idea!

Here is a link to the Naturepedic website (they make organic crib mattresses) http://www.naturepedic.com/newmom/ebook-naturepedic-crib-mattresses.pdf

Have you ever noticed that nice "new car smell"? That is also known as "off-gasing" and it is literally the release of chemicals into the air from the synthetic (also known as "man made") product.... Whoa. That shocked me.

So... I find myself a little unsure where to turn at this point. I don't want to be one of those parents that is ultra paranoid about every little thing that comes near my child. I don't see myself that way.

I believe that our bodies were created to withstand a lot of toxins and to filter them out just fine. On the flip side, I do believe, as has been evidenced by modern science, that too much toxic exposure is overwhelming to the body and has very negative effects. That's why we see an increase in cancer. That's why people are concerned about the nuclear power plants in Japan after the Tsunami. That's why the FDA regulates consumer products (although, probably not strictly enough) and this is why we should all be careful and educated consumers.

For me, I don't plan on letting myself be overwhelmed by the truth that there are toxic chemicals in our everyday environment. I do, however, plan on making a few changes, continuing to educate myself and I will do my best to limit the large amounts of chemicals we are exposed to daily.

I plan on getting a new mattress that I feel is safe for my baby, because he spends upwards of 12-14 hours a day sleeping on it. I also try to buy toys and dishes that are BPA-free. Occasionally he will have a toy that is not. I'm not going to stress about it. You can't avoid every bad thing in this world, but you can drive yourself nuts trying, in my opinion.

I want to avoid the things that I feel are dangerous but I'm not going to stop "living" or move us all into a "bubble". I just don't think that is realistic or healthy.

This is a video I found at: awakeupstory.org

I thought it was interesting and worth paying attention to.



These are my thoughts. If you have any to share, or helpful ideas/information, I would really love to hear it!

May we all be happy and healthy. :)

Is "Bed-sharing" Safe for Baby?

We have tried several different sleep arrangements with our baby and some of them worked better than others, but I wanted to understand more about what constitutes a safe sleep environment and what would work best for our family.

These are some interesting articles I found:

{the first two articles are by Dr. James J. Mckenna, PhD. who works at the University of Notre Dame Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory and has published several articles on infant-child sleep. Dr. Mckenna specializes in: Infant Sleep, Breast Feeding, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Evolution of Human Behavior (especially parenting and infant development), Evolutionary Medicine, Primate Social Behavior, Human Evolution}

In Defense of Maya's Mother, by Dr. James J. Mckenna, PhD. - published in the Contemporary Pediatrics Journal, 2000.

Why Babies Should Never Sleep Alone: A Review of the Co-Sleeping Controversy, in Relation to SIDS, Bed-Sharing and Breastfeeding, by Dr. James J. Mckenna, PhD. - this is an article that was published in Pediatric Respiratory Reviews in 2005. It is long, just FYI, but very interesting information.

Kellymom.com defines "Bed-Sharing" and "Co-Sleeping" and if you go HERE you can read more about these options and why there are some really positive reasons to "Co-Sleep" & "Bed-Share". Also, if you scroll to the bottom of the page, there are many, many more articles from various authors on this topic.

May we all sleep well and feel rested! :)

Will Giving Formula or Solids Help Baby Sleep Better?

I found this info at kellymom.com and I thought it was a good bit of "just so ya know" and might give you something to consider when looking for a "sleep remedy". Good luck and happy reading! :)

The idea that solids will help your baby sleep is an old wives' tale that has been disproven by medical studies. Feeding your baby solids or formula in an attempt to make baby sleep longer is not a good idea for several reasons:

There's no evidence that it will help. Some babies will sleep worse, due to reactions to the formula or solids (tummy ache, etc. are not uncommon), particularly if baby is younger than around 6 months. Two studies have indicated that adding solids to the diet does not cause babies to sleep longer. These studies found no difference in the sleep patterns of babies who received solids before bedtime when compared to babies who were not given solids. Here are the two studies:

Macknin ML, Medendorp SV, Maier MC. Infant sleep and bedtime cereal. Am J Dis Child. 1989 Sep;143(9):1066-8.

Keane V, et al. Do solids help baby sleep through the night? Am J Dis Child 1988; 142: 404-05.

Formula requires a baby's digestive system to work overtime as baby tries to digest something not specific to the human body. Formula is harder to digest than human milk; thus formula-fed babies tend to go longer between feedings. While this may seem like a benefit, it's probably not something we want for our babies' bodies unless there are no other alternatives. There are also risks to formula use (see What should I know about infant formula?). It certainly has a place in infant feeding but probably shouldn't be used whenever mom's milk - either directly from the source or expressed - is available.

Early introduction of solids (before six months) carries its own set of risks.

Recent research suggests that longer stretches of deep sleep are associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and babies who sleep longer/deeper may be more vulnerable to SIDS (see in particular the research of James McKenna, PhD at the University of Notre Dame). Some scientists are saying that it appears that long sleep stretches are not "natural" for human infants and that sleep interruptions in the early months may provide a protective factor against SIDS. More research is needed on this subject, but parents might want to think twice about significantly manipulating baby's natural sleep pattern in the early months.

You can read the full text HERE.

Swaddling

For anyone having trouble getting their baby to sleep well, I found this article in the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal, about swaddling to put baby to sleep and help them sleep better. You can read it HERE.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends putting baby to sleep on their back until they are physically able to roll back and forth, to prevent SIDS.