Australian Researchers Study Co-Sleeping for the First Time
Pregnancy News
Obie Editorial Team
Researchers believe information on co-bedding and potential threats associated with the practice are not being passed from some medical providers to new mothers; particularly midwives. Cassia Drever-Smith, an honors student at the UQ School of Nursing and Midwifery noticed a lack of important research information or educational information on the topic of co-bedding. According to the student, women learning the art of midwifery are not given adequate information about the threats of co-bedding. Thus, midwives don’t pass on information to patients.
Drever-Smith calls for specific guidelines and educational materials discussing the benefits and potential risks of co-bedding. She further states that hospitals should have this information available for new mothers and midwives. Information available to midwives needs to be based on evidence gathers in clinical studies. Regular reviews of co-bedding information must be upheld to ensure the information being passed on to new mothers is up-to-date.
The need for midwife education is linked to a lack of education available to new mothers. Typically, new mothers learn skills from their mothers. Co-bedding may be a family tradition or it may be a topic never discussed between a mother and child. Midwives are typically the first people to introduce the concept of co-bedding and thus they are the first line of defense against SIDS and other potential risks.
Source: University of Queensland. Cassia Drever-Smith. 20 July, 2011.