jewelmcjem
03-26-2009, 08:31 PM
I posted a prayer request last week for a family who lost their baby due to "death by overlay". Dh was the photog on the news story, so of course we watched when it aired tonight. He had told me that he thought it would be balanced and wouldn't be fear-mongering.
He. was. so. wrong.
It was totally "if you sleep with your child, it is very likely you will kill them!" They had a coroner from Oakland County who actually quoted a figure of 85% of all infant deaths are death by overlay!!!! That is ridiculous. That would mean that all infant deaths from every other conceivable reason would only make up 15% of the total infant deaths. That cannot possibly be what he was trying to say! [correction -- he actually said 80-85% of infant deaths happen outside the crib. A very misleadnig statment, that doesn't mean they were all overlay. I don't know if he meant 80-85% of all sleeping deaths or all infant deaths.]
It is hard to refute -- the lady did sleep with her baby and did overlay her. BUT she wasn't actually purposefully co-sleeping. She had taken the baby from the bassinette (6 wks old) and had fallen asleep breastfeeding her. But they were careful to say that it could happen whether you accidentally fall asleep with your child or sleep with them on purpose. Personally, I'm wondering if you don't regularly co-sleep, you wouldn't have the same bond as a mama who co-sleeps, the bond that wakes you before you lay on them, would you?
It's not on their website yet, but they usually don't post 11:00 stories until midnight or so. I am so mad. I am going to need help crafting a not-irrationally-irate sounding email to send to Dr. Fred McGeorge tomorrow!!! The news site is www.clickondetroit.com if you want to check tomorrow to see if it's there (I'll edit if it is or isn't).
The video is here (http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/19027292/).
ETA: Corrected 80-85% and added link to video
He. was. so. wrong.
It was totally "if you sleep with your child, it is very likely you will kill them!" They had a coroner from Oakland County who actually quoted a figure of 85% of all infant deaths are death by overlay!!!! That is ridiculous. That would mean that all infant deaths from every other conceivable reason would only make up 15% of the total infant deaths. That cannot possibly be what he was trying to say! [correction -- he actually said 80-85% of infant deaths happen outside the crib. A very misleadnig statment, that doesn't mean they were all overlay. I don't know if he meant 80-85% of all sleeping deaths or all infant deaths.]
It is hard to refute -- the lady did sleep with her baby and did overlay her. BUT she wasn't actually purposefully co-sleeping. She had taken the baby from the bassinette (6 wks old) and had fallen asleep breastfeeding her. But they were careful to say that it could happen whether you accidentally fall asleep with your child or sleep with them on purpose. Personally, I'm wondering if you don't regularly co-sleep, you wouldn't have the same bond as a mama who co-sleeps, the bond that wakes you before you lay on them, would you?
It's not on their website yet, but they usually don't post 11:00 stories until midnight or so. I am so mad. I am going to need help crafting a not-irrationally-irate sounding email to send to Dr. Fred McGeorge tomorrow!!! The news site is www.clickondetroit.com if you want to check tomorrow to see if it's there (I'll edit if it is or isn't).
The video is here (http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/19027292/).
ETA: Corrected 80-85% and added link to video