Rachel Barnhart 11/11/07 ( Rochester, N.Y.) – Yaritza Acevedo’s first child died on February 16, 2000. Baby Yarimyl was 3 months old. “I still think about it, especially on her date of birth, the day she passed away,” said Acevedo. “I think about it all the time.” Yaritza had gone to work, leaving Yarimyl with her boyfriend, the baby’s father. The new parents were 18 years old. According to the police report, the father placed the baby in bed with him and fell asleep. When he woke up, he found Yarimyl’s lifeless body next to him. “The only thing I can imagine is that I crushed her when I was sleeping because I sleep too heavy. I know it was my fault,” the father told police. “We both feel guilty. I feel guilty, because I was working. I should have been home with my baby,” Acevedo said. What happened to Yarimyl was not a freak accident. It’s something Rochester police see time and again, babies dying while sharing a bed with their parents. The practice is called co-sleeping or bed-sharing. The American Academy of Pediatrics says parents should not co-sleep with their infants. The group says babies should be placed on their backs in uncluttered cribs. Rochester police have recorded 10 baby deaths related to co-sleeping since 2005. There were three such deaths in 2005, four in 2006, and three in 2007. Co-sleeping was a factor in nearly half of all infant deaths in the city during this time. “It seems like it's a natural thing to do, but they don't consider that bad things can happen,” said Sgt. Tony DeBellis. “There's moving of arms and legs that can cause a parent to roll over on a child, cause a child to become entangled, perhaps in a pillow or a quilt, and the baby ends up suffocating,” said Sue VanStrydonck, a social worker with the Bivona Child Advocacy Center. Sgt. DeBellis and VanStrydonck are the Monroe County Child Fatality Review Team. The group, made up of police, prosecutors, medical and social workers hopes to identify patterns in child deaths that can lead to prevention efforts. Since the team began meeting a few years ago, members have been alarmed by the number of infant deaths related to co-sleeping. DeBellis and VanStrydonck are calling for more public awareness about the issue. “There's no crime here. It's just they don't know any better,” said DeBellis. “I really believe a lot of this is preventable,” said VanStrydonck.
Deaths Under the Radar
Co-sleeping has emerged as a serious issue in some communities. Rensselaer County’s Child Fatality Review Team began meeting in 2004. The group reviewed several cases involving co-sleeping in the Capital District. As a result, the team created a brochure about co-sleeping that is handed out in hospitals and pediatricians’ offices. Last month, the Philadelphia Human Services Department launched a television and radio campaign telling parents to never sleep with their babies. In the past two years, Philadelphia recorded 57 deaths of infants who were sleeping in beds or on couches and chairs with adults. The Philadelphia commercials say more children die from co-sleeping accidents than abuse or neglect. In Rochester, concern about co-sleeping has not risen to that level. A spokesman for the Monroe County Health Department said the issue is not on the agency’s radar and declined our request for an interview with the director, Dr. Andrew Doniger. 13WHAM News asked the Monroe County Medical Examiner for statistics on co-sleeping deaths. The office told us that since 2000, there have been only two rulings that babies have died from suffocation as a result of co-sleeping. Baby Yarimyl’s death was not among the cases cited by the Medical Examiner. The cause of her death was ruled “undetermined.” DeBellis says the Medical Examiner rules the cause of death in a majority of co-sleeping incidents undetermined. Police say it’s difficult to prove a baby was suffocated in a co-sleeping situation, if the adult involved was sleeping when the baby stopped breathing. DeBellis said it’s rare that a parent wakes up on top of an infant, and can say for sure that’s what killed the baby. DeBellis says co-sleeping is considered a “risk factor,” not a cause in the deaths. VanStrydonck said at a recent meeting of local child fatality review boards, members discussed the need for a state database to keep track of deaths related to co-sleeping. Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green has reviewed co-sleeping cases. He considers them accidents, not crimes. “What is the solution for this issue? I don't think the solution is necessarily locking people up who sleep with their children. I think the solution is education,” Green said.
Co-Sleeping Common
Any push to discourage co-sleeping would face resistance from parents like Andrew and Rebecca Wolf. They live in the 19 th Ward with their two children. The Wolfs sleep in the same bed with Arianna, 4, and Ostara, 5 months. “We all got the best sleep we could get,” said Rebecca Wolf, who blogs on parenting at thrivingbabies.com. The Wolfs are not alone. Studies show more than 1 in 10 U.S. parents regularly sleep with their children. Researchers think the number may be higher, because many people don’t admit to the practice. “My pediatrician has told me we shouldn't co-sleep but she has children of her own and admitted she does it,” said Andrew Wolf. The Wolfs say their children are happier in a bed-sharing environment. The Wolfs say they get better sleep, by not having to get up to tend to the baby. Experts disagree on whether co-sleeping with infants can be done safely, but all agree there are ways to minimize the risk. • Parents should not be exhausted. • Never use drugs, alcohol, or medication. • Parents should not be obese. • Bedding must be firm, without heavy pillows and blankets. The Wolfs object to the message parents should never co-sleep with their babies. “I think it really robs parents of the opportunity to make an informed choice, when you just come down and say ‘no’ you absolutely cannot do this,” Rebecca Wolf said.
"One Death is Too Many."
“We're the ones that see the deaths,” said VanStrydonck. “If there's a one in a million chance that your child is going to be killed as a result of some action on your behalf, I just can't believe that parents would put their child at that kind of risk.” “In my mind, one death is too many deaths,” said DeBellis. Yaritza Acevedo remembers being warned against co-sleeping when she took Yarimyl home from the hospital, but she didn’t understand the risks. “Me, as a first time mom, I had no clue,” she said. Acevdeo now has four other children. She hopes other parents take her story to heart. “I think they shouldn't have their babies in bed with them. I learned that the hard way.”
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