Many parents choose to sleep with their children, either in the same bed or placing a cot or extra bed next to them. Feeling its smell, warmth and breath while they sleep is really wonderful, and it brings so many benefits that, for many families, it is the most natural and comfortable option when it comes to resting.
But this alternative of family rest becomes a necessity in the case of breastfed babies. And it is that breastfeeding and co-sleeping are two events so closely related that we could even group them under the same concept: the ‘copecho’ .
‘Copecho’, a single term for two closely related actions
Sleeping and breastfeeding are two actions that are so closely related to each other that Dr. James McKenna, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Maternal and Child Sleep Behavior Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame, has been talking about “breastsleeping” for years. term that mixes the concepts of “breastfeeding” (breastfeeding) and “co-sleeping” (co-sleeping). In Spanish we could use the term “copecho” to refer to this idea.
And it is that sleeping next to the baby while he is breastfeeding improves milk production, because by having ‘free access’ to his mother’s breast, the baby makes more feedings. Not surprisingly, a study carried out a few years ago by the University of Maryland, in the United States, concluded that babies who slept with their mothers were breastfed for longer.
But in addition to this important conclusion, the fact that the baby smells and feels close to his mother allows him to satisfy his most primitive needs for feeding, protection and contact, in addition to strengthening the mother-child bond and favoring his night’s rest, which It ends up having a positive impact on the rest of the whole family.
Co-sleeping and breastfeeding, protective factors against sudden death
But we cannot talk about co-sleeping and breastfeeding without also referring to the sudden infant death syndrome, which is defined as the sudden and unexpected death of a child under one year of age. Although the exact cause is unknown, doctors and scientists consider that there are several factors involved, so it is advisable to follow a series of guidelines to minimize risks.
Among the preventive recommendations would be to share a room with the baby for at least six months (age that American pediatricians raise to 12 months). In this sense, it is advisable to sleep using co-sleeping or sidecar cots that are attached to the double bed safely, giving the baby an independent space but close to their parents.
If you want to share a bed with the baby , in addition to meeting the minimum age recommended by pediatricians (never before three months according to the AEP and six months according to the AAP), parents must adopt a series of measures to practice Safe co-sleeping, such as taking care of the firmness of the mattress, avoiding pillows, blankets or cushions that could end up covering the baby’s head, not sharing a bed in situations of extreme fatigue or if tobacco, alcohol, drugs or sedative drugs are consumed, among others recommendations.
A review of studies carried out by the AEPap in 2012 determined that there is no firm scientific evidence advising against co-sleeping in breastfed babies , in the absence of known risk factors.
For its part, another more recent investigation led by the aforementioned, Dr. James McKenna, not only confirmed these conclusions but also indicated that co-sleeping with breastfed babies helps prevent sudden death , as long as there are no other risk factors and the recommendations of professionals are followed
For all this, the majority of women who breastfeed their babies decide to ‘copecho’, since offering the breast on demand during the night helps them to rest better, wake up less and take care of their children in a more comfortable way.
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In Babies and More | Could I crush or suffocate the baby if I sleep with him ?, Co-sleeping with the baby: why sleeping together is beneficial
