title: The ALTE mysteries: who's to blame?
abstract: In this column, Sara Wickham takes a sideways look at issues relevant to midwives, students, women and families, inviting us to sit down with a cup of tea and ponder what we think we know. A recent paper on apparent life-threatening events (ALTEs) in newborn babies brought to mind an experience from practice, the cause of which remains a mystery. As many similar events are unexplained, is it acceptable that there is a tendency in the literature to claim that skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding are risk factors for ALTEs?
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wickham
mesh_terms: D001238:Asphyxia Neonatorum / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008880:Midwifery / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy