Some parents feel that co-sleeping is the most convenient arrangement for their family. However, sharing a bed with an infant comes at a huge risk. One Pennsylvania Mom’s decision to co-sleep with her babies led to deadly consequences.
Jessica M. Harper, 28, was charged with criminal homicide following the death of her two-month-old son. According to police, the infant suffocated while sleeping with his mother. They responded to reports that an infant stopped breathing on July 12, and later found him dead.
Harper said that the baby slept between her and her 3-year-old daughter. She later woke up to find him not breathing.
Further investigation uncovered that it wasn’t the first time this happened to the family. Harper lost another child in 2011 as a result of asphyxiation. The infant was also 2-months-old, and Harper was living in Maryland at the time.
So, when she gave birth to her youngest child, Harper had to read safety conditions and sign a form with co-sleeping safety guidelines. She was also required to watch a video on safe sleeping before being discharged from the hospital.
Despite being told about co-sleeping dangers, Harper said that she was “going to do it anyway.” Then six days later her youngest also fell victim to asphyxiation.
Some people may call this as another freak accident, while others may blame the mom for making poor choices.
Unfortunately, cases like this happen a lot more often that you think. According to a pediatric study taken between 2004 and 2012, 74 percent of deaths in babies younger than months happened while bed-sharing. However, I’d imagine that the odds of it happening to the same family twice is pretty slim.
This is just a terrible tragedy that could have happened to anyone. But I do wonder about Harper’s mental state.
Personally, I never had any trouble co-sleeping with my kids. It was a nice welcome considering I was breastfeeding day and night. I’d lay the babies down next to me and nurse them back to sleep.
There were times when I grew paranoid that something bad may happen. But there was an unexplained alarm inside my body that would sound off whenever there was danger present. Fortunately, there weren’t any major issues.
In fact, I learned that the practice of healthy newborns sleeping on their mother’s chest for the first few weeks leads to optimal development.
Unfortunately, not every situation has a happy ending. My heart goes out to this family. I’m sure there are many people who may question Harper’s decision and mental state. Either way, it’s a horrible tragedy that no one expects to happen.
Now Harper is being charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. She was placed in Lancaster County Prison without bail.
What are your thoughts on co-sleeping? How does this tragedy affect your position?
Commentsphoto: Morguefile
Stacy-Ann Gooden (aka Weather Anchor Mama) can be seen delivering the weather forecast on the news in New York City. But her most important role is being a wife and mom. She writes about balancing career and motherhood in her blog, Weather Anchor Mama. You can also follow her on twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
