Michael Alexander is suffering from his sixth double ear infection in less than a year. He's on his seventh round of antibiotics. (Eighth if you consider the course of Cefdinir we had to cease because he's allergic to the one specifically designed to treat ear infections.) He's not eating, save for milk and an occasional bite of anything we offer -- and we've tried everything, and none of us is sleeping through the night.
Last night I was plagued by nightmares as Mike and I took over the living room so Michael Alexander could have his own serene space to sleep after waking in the wee hours as he's done every night for the last two weeks or so. We've been coddling him more than usual, as we have trouble coping with his pain and our inability to do more than what the doctors say. Unless you count letting him sleep with us when he wakes around 2 a.m. We moved into the living room last night, partly because we worry maybe we shouldn't be letting him share our bed so often. After all, there's so much concern over the potential physical and mental health risks in this Puritanical, litigious and generally un-compassionate country of ours.
The American Academy of Pediatrics cautions against co-sleeping in the first year due to an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals go so far as to scare parents into believing this will happen. I understand they're scared of being sued, but new parents have enough to fear without the added AAP propaganda. While co-sleeping with your toddler is common in many cultures and countries, about a third of U.S. *experts* discourage it, another third think it's OK -- even beneficial -- and the rest are just scared to say anything. The threat of lawsuits silences far too many alleged experts in this country. Funny, though, how those with no training or data to back up their claims are constantly offering their opinions.
Researchers from the Stony Brook University School of Medicine in New York, led by Lauren Hale, associate professor of the preventive medicine graduate program in public health, released a study in the August issue of Pediatrics that shows bed-sharing or co-sleeping with your toddler does NOT lead to an increased risk in behavioral or learning problems later in life. "There seem to be no negative associations between bed-sharing in toddlerhood and children's behavior and cognition at age 5 years," the study concluded.
The "overwhelming majority of mothers and babies around the globe today" share a bed in what is "an unquestioned practice," according to Dr. James J. McKenna, professor of anthropology and the director of the Center for Behavioral Studies of Mother-Infant Sleep, Notre Dame University. It's common in much of southern Europe, Asia, Africa and Central and South America, and is prevalent in the countries with the lowest SIDS rates.
Trust I take every study avere sale in zucca, even as I may mention only those that suit my sentiment.
My sanity seeks equal doses of starlets and science.
"Children will tell you how lonely it is sleeping alone. If possible, you should always sleep with someone you love. You both recharge your mutual batteries free of charge."
_ Marlene Dietrich
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