Co-sleeping, SIDS and a grieving family

Meaghan is angry. Her emotions have run the gamut over the past few months since her three-month-old baby died – from shock and disbelief to contemplating suicide because her pain has been too much to bear. But right now, she is angry: angry at tactless people, angry at the way her baby’s death was handled by professionals, and, most of all, angry at the way some of the media has sensationalised the dangers of co-sleeping. 

The death of Meaghan’s baby daughter Charlotte was one of those counted in the NSW coroner’s report that triggered a call to make it illegal for parents to bed share with their babies. The coroner’s report states: “Cause of death: SIDS. Risk Factor: Co-sleeping”.