Unfortunately it’s not safe for you or your partner to bedshare with your baby while using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for the following reasons:
- The tube is a strangulation risk
- CPAP machines can cause you to fall into a deep sleep, which affects your responsiveness. And in this heavy sleep, you may have trouble staying in the cuddle curl position, which would increase the chance of overlay.
- CPAP machines are loud, and you won’t be able to hear your baby if they are in trouble and trying to get your attention. For more information on why your sense of sound is important to safe bedsharing, see this post.
If you have sleep apnea, I wouldn’t advise you to stop using your CPAP so that you can bedshare. Untreated sleep apnea affects your alertness and reaction time, which are critical for safe bedsharing.
Instead, I’d advise you to set up a safe roomsharing arrangement for yourself or a partner who uses a CPAP machine.
