Dr. James J. McKenna directed the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at the University of Notre Dame for 22 years. He pioneered the world's first studies of the physiology and behavior of cosleeping mothers and infants, and has published over 140 scientific articles in medical and anthropological journals on the topics of cosleeping, breastfeeding, evolutionary medicine, and SIDS. He has also authored several books, including Ancestral Landscapes in Human Evolution, Evolutionary Medicine, Sleeping With Your Baby, and Researching the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: The Role of Ideology in Biomedical Science. A leading authority on breastfeeding in relationship to SIDS and bedsharing safety, Dr. McKenna is a sought-after speaker at medical, parenting, and policy conferences around the world. He lives in San Diego, California.

Introductions



Breastsleeping: What it Means and Why it's Important



I. Cosleeping is Normal

Chapter 1: Why I Care So Much About This Subject

Chapter 2: What is Cosleeping?

Cosleeping vs. Breastsleeping

Cosleeping: The Normal and Safe Way for Mothers and Babies to Sleep

Chapter 3: The History of Cosleeping

Cosleeping Around the World

History of Infant Sleep in Western Industrialized Societies

How the Animals Do It-What Happens When Deprived of It



II. The Politically-Charged Conversation Around Cosleeping

Chapter 4: "Never Cosleep!"

Why Public Health Officials Tell You This

Why the Message Doesn't Work

Understanding the Statistics

Bedsharing and the American Academy of Pediatrics

How Current Recommendations Ignore Evidence Based Medicine

The Misguided Public Health Goal: One Message to Curb Two Kinds of Infant Death

Chapter 5: The Silent P

The Relationship Between Cosleeping Deaths and Poverty



III. Everything You Need to Know About Cosleeping

Chapter 6: What the Research Tells Us

The Science Behind Breastsleeping

Bedsharing for Fathers

Why Cosleeping is Important for Breastfeeding, Bottlefeeding, and Formula Feeding

Chapter 7: Benefits of Cosleeping

Cosleeping is Good for Babies

Benefits of Increased Breastfeeding

Breastsleeping and Colic

How Parents Can Benefit from Breastsleeping



IV. How to Cosleep

Chapter 8: Safety First

How to Breastsleep Safely

The Proper Way to Bedshare

Breastsleeping Do's and Don'ts

Is There A Risk of Rolling Onto My Baby?

Chapter 9: If You Choose to Breastsleep

What is the Best Cosleeping Arrangement for Your Family?

Chapter 10: Special Considerations

Breastsleeping With Twins or Multiples

Cobedding Twins

Cosleeping with an Adopted Baby

Cosleeping with Premature or Underweight Babies



V. Fitting Cosleeping Into Your Life

Chapter 11: Cosleeping in the Long-Term

Long-Term Effects on Your Baby

Sleeping Through the Night

Weaning in a Breastsleeping Situation

Deciding How Long to Cosleep

How Do I Get My Baby Out of My Bed?

Chapter 12: Dispelling Myths

"Cosleeping will Change Your Relationship with Your Child"

"Cosleeping will Get in the Way of Your Child's Independence"

"Cosleeping will Negatively Affect Your Relationship with Your Partner"

"Cosleeping Creates a Bad Habit"

"Babies Need Silence to Fall Asleep"

"We Won't Get a Good Night's Sleep"



VI. Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: What constitutes a safe sleep environment, regardless of where my baby sleeps?

Question 2: What do I do about naptime?

Question 3: When visiting friends and family, where can I put my baby down for a nap?

Question 4: What should a cosleeping family know about traveling together?

Question 5: Does SIDS run in families?

Question 6: How useful are apnea monitors for sleep safety?

Question 7: What other infant care practices protect and contribute to an infant's health, including nighttime safety?

Question 8: What will happen if I tell my healthcare provider that I bedshare with my baby? Should I lie to avoid controversy?



VII. Final Thoughts

Chapter 13: Is the Tide Turning?

Chapter 14: The State of Our Parenting: Where We Stand, and Where Our Babies Sleep

Appendices