James McKenna on co-sleeping
Hello, friends! Today I am spending some time learning more about infant sleep and co-sleeping.
I started with Helping Baby Sleep- The Science and Practice of Gentle Bedtime Parenting by Anni Gethin, PhD and Beth Macgregor. Then I fell down a rabbit hole when I read about co-sleeping and researcher, James McKenna.
James McKenna is a leading researcher at the University of Notre Dame. He's spent much of his career studying the effects of sleep and co-sleeping on parents and babies. Co-sleeping is defined as an infant sleeping close- within sensory range- of a committed caregiver permitting each to detect and respond to sensory signals.
His research has shown that infants who co-sleep are less likely to suffer from SIDS because proximity to a committed caregiver's body helps to regulate breathing, body temperature and keeps the baby constantly stimulated.
If committed caregiver is "mom" and she is breastfeeding, having baby close means mom gets more sleep because she can rest/sleep while baby is nursing. If baby is close to caregiver, that caregiver will hear baby stirring and know baby needs to feed, or have their diaper changed, etc.
When we had Evie, I was determined to listen to my inner voice, I wasn't going to take advice because it was given, I was going to trust myself. For her first few weeks, she slept in a bassinet next to my side of the bed. And she slept and nursed like a champ. At 10 weeks, she had to have a surgery on her spine for Tethered Cord Syndrome. When we returned from the three day hospital stay, she was still nursing but now refused to sleep anywhere but my arms, or her dad's arms. We tried bed sharing, but it didn't work for her dad. He was sure he was going to roll over on her, and therefore he couldn't fall into a deep and restful sleep because of this fear. By this point she had outgrown her bassinet. I was at my wits end because I needed her near me, I needed to sleep, and she needed to be near us. So, we rearranged our bedroom and set her crib up right next to my side of the bed. I would sleep most nights with my hand on her body. She was peaceful, she slept and nursed and by 6 months was sleeping through the night. Her crib remained by our bedside until she was well over one year old. That co-sleeping situation worked for our family.
My advice to new parents: find what works for you. Yes, you will hear from other parents, friends, your own parents and grandparents that what you are deciding to do do is wrong, they will most likely disagree with your decision... and when they do, please show them this video because James McKenna says "parents are the only individuals who have the right to make a decision about where their baby is sleeping". So find what works for you, your partner and your baby and do that... it may not always work, you may need to readjust based on your collective needs, but you are the only people who know what is best for your baby and your family.
When you have the time, please watch the video above. Here are the links for the books:
Helping Baby Sleep, by Anni Gethin and Beth MacGregor
Safe Infant Sleep, by James McKenna
James McKenna’s Website https://cosleeping.nd.edu/
Love and Light Friends,