I picked the topic of SIDS because I had a little cousin whose death was caused by it. I had heard of SIDS before but it wasn’t until this happened that I really looked into it. SIDS is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant who is younger than 1 year old. There are many factors that could possibly contribute to a child dying of SIDS but the real cause is still questionable. There are things that you can do to prevent a baby from succumbing to this horrible disease.
· Sleeping on the stomach (Back 2 Sleep)
· Being around cigarette smoke while in the womb or after being born
· Sleeping in the same bed as their parents (co-sleeping)
· Soft bedding in the crib
· Multiple birth babies (being a twin, triplet, etc.)
· Premature birth
· Having a brother or sister who had SIDS
· Mothers who smoke or use illegal drugs
· Being born to a teen mother
· Short time period between pregnancies
· Late or no prenatal care
· Living in poverty situations
Most deaths due to SIDS occur between 2 and 4 months of age. African-American infants are twice as likely and Native American infants are about three times more likely to die of SIDS than Caucasian infants. More boys than girls fall victim to SIDS.
I researched the comparison of SIDS in other countries versus the USA and I found that in 2005, the U.S. rate ranked second highest (after New Zealand) among 13 countries in a research study. The lowest SIDS rates among these countries were in the Netherlands and Japan.
International SIDS Rates, Ordered from Lowest to Highest SIDS Rate in 2005
Even though there had been a decline in the rates of infants dying from SIDS, the number is still too high. We as a society must work on so many different factors to help reduce this number significantly. We have to try and decrease teen pregnancy, making sure that mothers are taking care of themselves when pregnant and putting our babies to sleep on their backs. There are many other factors we can work on but it will have to be a worldly effort. Education is the key to success in any situation and we need to get the word out more, so that we can save the lives of our babies.
References:
Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The changing concept of sudden infant death syndrome: diagnostic coding shifts, controversies regarding the sleeping environment, and new variables to consider in reducing risk. Pediatrics. 2005
Committee on Fetus and Newborn. American Academy of Pediatrics. Apnea, sudden infant death syndrome, and home monitoring. Pediatrics. 2003
Hello Vondrea!
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for sharing those statistics about SIDS. I would not have guessed that the U.S. would be ranked so high. I feel like when my son was an infant, SIDS was discussed so much. The doctors, nurses, magazines and research was really pushing the information! I felt good knowing that I was following the guidelines you mentioned above. You know how babies are supposed to be put down on their backs- Well, adults in my family (and husband's) would argue that "when my kids were young, we laid them on their tummies." I used to get very frustrated because they did not respect the fact that we were following the doctor's orders- Back 2 Sleep! Thanks for sharing!
Anne
Hi Vondrea,
ReplyDeleteI had two children that died from SIDS it was very hurting i did not know until i start having children the different sign if SIDS and what could happen. The doctor told me i was high risk when carrying children it was not a good thing for me. Every one should be educated about SIDS.