After giving birth to her son, John, on April 10, 2017, Kristin Hoffman joined the ranks of overwhelmingly exhausted, droopy-eyelid mothers, soaking up every second of pure baby bliss.
Kristin Hoffman
But after waking up in the middle of the night for one of many feedings, Kristin has a desperate warning for all parents about the dangers of feeding your baby in bed.
It’s the “normal,” if not most natural, thing to do—the baby wakes up, you grab him from the crib, bring him to your room, prop up against the headboard and get to filling that little stomach.
According to her Facebook post, that’s just what Kristin did—the night that 7-week-old baby John died. She was breastfeeding her son when she unintentionally drifted back to sleep. She didn’t realize John was in distress until it was too late:
“My precious son slipped off my breast and into the covers of my bed early Sunday morning and into heaven. The way we discovered him was a tragedy; I don’t want [it to] happen [to] anyone else.”
Baby John had suffocated in her bed—a danger that Kristin wishes she would have known more about before it was too late.
Kristin Hoffman
Most parents know not to put your child in a crib with blankets or stuffed animals until they reach a certain age. Other mothers have spoken out about the dangers of co-sleeping with babies who are too young.
Now Kristin wants parents to know how a split-second decision to move to a chair, or somewhere you won’t fall asleep, could literally be the difference between life and death for your child.
“No matter how tired you are as a mother, GET UP AND GO TO A CHAIR or somewhere you won’t fall asleep when you feed your child at night.”
As you can imagine, the loss of baby John has been a devastating blow to the entire family.
“I cry so much about my son. It’s torn our family apart.”
Still, through mourning the death of her son, Kristin says she hopes her experience, and speaking out, can save the lives of other children.
Kristin Hoffman
For more information and safe-sleep recommendations, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics website.
