Best Alternative Doctor of the Year

I am close to being 1st in the voting for best alternative doctor this year. Polls close on the 15th, so if you haven't voted, please do so before then!

http://www.longislandpress.com/bestof/

(remember to click on 'green' category. For some reason alternative docs and health clinics got put there instead of in the 'health' category)

Co-Sleeping

Co-Sleeping, or having your infant sleep with you in your bad, has gotten much bad press over the years. It is the official AMA stance that it is more dangerous than having an infant sleep in a crib. This however, is based on some false data, and on a lobbying effort by the JPMA (the crib manufacturer's lobby).

Infants sleeping on a safe surface with sober, nonsmoking parents respond to their parents, and the parents respond to them. The chance of SIDS occurring in this situation are close to zero. Babies in a crib or in a room away from their parents, on the other hand, will breastfeed less and are at greater risk of infections, including life-threatening ones.

The medical profession, as it often does, is approaching the entire idea of the family bed backward. A baby in the same bed with his or her parents is surrounded by the best possible surveillance and safety system. It must be the responsibility of the manufacturers and proponents of cribs and separated sleep to prove that such disruption is safe, not the other way around.

Newborn babies breathe in irregular rhythms and even stop breathing for a few seconds at a time. To put it simply, they are not designed to sleep alone.

In a recent Mothering magazine article, the statistics show that co-sleeping is about twice as safe as letting an infant sleep alone. It also seems that if the mother is breastfeeding, the infant is even safer in bed with the mother.

The following is a list of things to do if you sleep with your infant:

·Never leave an infant or toddler unattended on an adult bed. Co-sleeping or family bed sharing consists of an adult and a child. Babies can roll off of beds (even when using a co-sleeping device), can become tangled in blankets, or otherwise need the attention of an adult. We recommend babies not be left unattended in the early months.

·Never sleep with your baby on a water bed or on a couch. Water beds and couches are associated with suffocation of babies.

·Avoid adding railings or putting furniture next to the side of your bed. Baby could become lodged next to railing or furniture and suffocate

·Avoid pushing your bed against a wall. Baby could also be lodged between the bed and wall causing suffocation.

·Never let another sibling sleep next to your baby. Children sleep deeply and may roll over on baby. Baby is best placed next to Mom or Dad only.

·Never sleep next to your baby if you are intoxicated or have been using drugs, are taking medications, are overly tired or in any other way feel that your ability to be aroused could be affected.

·It is not recommended that you bed share if are currently smoking. This has been associated with higher incidence of S.I.D.S.

·Use a firm mattress for bed sharing. Soft mattresses can allow baby to accidentally roll over causing suffocation.

·Make sure all bedding fits snugly on the mattress. Fitted sheets that come loose could cover baby's face.

·Make sure mattress is flush against head- and footboards. If there are any gaps baby could become lodged between head or footboard and mattress and cause suffocation.

·Always place baby to sleep on her back. This has been shown to reduce the risk of S.I.D.S.

·Avoid over-dressing your baby. Overheating is also associated with an increased risk of S.I.D.S.

·Avoid strings or ties on night clothes or blankets. These could cause strangulation. Be sure to remove toys or other objects from bed before sleep time, to avoid suffocation.

·If you have long hair tie it in a pony tail or braid it. Long hair could cause suffocation or strangulation.