Babies sharing beds with mothers are the most breastfed

Pregnant women who expressed a strong motivation to breastfeed were more likely to share the bed with their babies frequently, finds a new study.

The study indicated that the mothers, who frequently sleep and share the bed with their infants', breastfeed consistently for a longer period than mothers who do not bed-share.

Also, they were twice as likely to breastfeed their baby for at least six months than mothers who began breastfeeding but did not bed-share, the study said.

"In this paper we show that mothers with the strongest intent to breastfeed are the ones who sleep with their babies the most," said Professor Helen Ball, professor at Durham University in Britain.

The study, published in the journal Acta Paediatrica, focuses on the safety of the infants during breastfeeding from tragedies such as sudden infant death syndrome.

Mothers need information on how to make bed sharing while breastfeeding as safe as possible, suggested the researchers.

The study questions whether recommendations to avoid bed sharing due to concerns such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) may impede some women from achieving their breastfeeding goals and could thereby prevent women and their children from experiencing all of the short and long-term benefits of breastfeeding.

A total of 678 women were studied in a randomised breastfeeding trial that were recruited at mid-pregnancy.