Jessica Simpson Draws Criticism Over Baby Birdie’s First Photo

Jessica Simpson arrives at the 11th Annual John Varvatos Stuart House Benefit in West Hollywood, Calif., on April 13, 2014. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Jessica Simpson posted a photo of her baby girl, named Birdie, and drew criticism because of the way she was sleeping.

Simpson gave birth to the girl on March 19, and she posted the first photos of the girl about a month later.

One photo shows her family, including husband Eric Johnson and their two other children, Maxwell and Ace.

She also posted two photos of Birdie sleeping on her stomach.

Several commenters said that babies should not be placed on their stomachs as it might cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

“Beautiful girls, beautiful dresses, but please BABY BACK ONLY,” read a comment, according to Yahoo. “Save yourself the heartbreak of SIDS.”

“Not to be a jerk but that baby should be back sleeping,” wrote another follower, who added, “She’s someone people look up to. If one person took it that this was the correct way for [a] 1-2-month-old baby to sleep that would be bad, right?”

Some groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that babies should sleep on their backs.

Some commenters accused others of overreacting on social media.

“Everyone is an expert,” said another person. “This isn’t her first child, people, and they are standing right there.”

SIDS

A number of U.S. government websites recommend that babies sleep on their backs for the first months of their lives so as to reduce the risk of SIDS.

“Babies are at risk of SIDS only until they are 1 year old. Most SIDS deaths occur when babies are between 1 month and 4 months of age. SIDS is not a health concern for babies older than 1 year of age,” the U.S. National Institutes of Health says.

“Babies should be placed on their backs until 12 months of age. Older infants may not stay on their backs all night long, and that’s OK. Once babies consistently roll over from front to back and back to front, it’s fine for them to be in the sleep position they choose. There’s no need to use positioners, wedges, and other devices that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS,” the KidsHealth website also says.

Regarding whether babies should sleep with a parent in the same bed, experts disagree.

James McKenna, a biological anthropologist at Notre Dame University, said his research suggests that babies who are breastfed have the best outcomes if they sleep with their parents or a parent, describing it as “breastsleeping,” USA Today reported.

A file photo of a baby's feet Christiana Bella/Pixabay

He said it helps the child regulate its metabolism, blood pressure, and temperature, adding that “the baby’s habitat is the mother’s body.”

Jay Gordon, a pediatrician in  Los Angeles, said that he believes co-sleeping is safer than sleeping alone.

“It makes mothering unpardonably harder when you tell a mother that she can’t rest when the baby rests,” he said.