Safely sleeping Aboriginal babies in South Australia

Some people believe

Safety advice needs to make sense to people.

• I’m scared she will choke on her back.
• He’s on his side so he won’t get a flat head.
• They propped her on pillows in the hospital, I don’t know why I can’t do it at home.
• I know back is best, but she settles better on her tummy.
• We all sleep together to keep warm. Our house is freezing.
• When my baby is sick he always sleeps in bed with me.
• We fall asleep together feeding on the couch, never in our bed.
• I didn’t think you could use patches when you’re pregnant.
• Can’t see what breastfeeding has got to do with cot death.
• The crying gets to you. I’ll do what works.

The realities of the moment can compete with what is essential for the baby.

• If families are low risk I’d rather not spend time explaining everything.
• There is so much to cover. Sometimes I can’t get to everything.
• With my kids I smoked, I slept them on their tummy, and in our bed, they turned out OK.
• It’s hard to support babies sleeping in their own beds. It can make breast feeding more difficult.
• Everything keeps changing – cot deaths, SIDS, SUDI.
• It’s hard to keep up.
• I didn’t think SUDI was such an issue any more.

Personal beliefs can creep out into professional practice.