Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

In my teachings, I always find my student’s interest in SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) to be overwhelming, and the stories shared often cause tears. I tend to discuss this topic at the end of a class session, because I think the impact of our discussion would hover over us during the rest of our class. In spite of this, I often find myself involved in discussions about SIDS long after class is over. I find this topic to be scary for parents and newborns.

When my son was infant sleeping in his crib, I would go in and out of his room continually to make certain that he was sleeping on his back and breathing. I admit that, as a first time mom, I was paranoid of SIDS.  At least, I was knowledgeable enough to know what to do and what not to do. Through my parent workshops, I have come to the realization that some parents are not aware of SIDS, some are misinformed, and others can describe it but are convinced it will never happen to their baby.

After choosing the topic, I thought it would be interesting to see if hospitals teach new parents about SIDS. I called 3 hospitals and spoke with maternity nurses. Two of the three nurses were eager to share information, and the third was too busy to answer my questions. When I asked to speak with someone else, she responded, "Ma-am, SIDS does not affect mothers in our hospital. We take care of our babies.” I don’t even feel the need to comment on this remark! The two “cooperative” nurses informed me that a SIDS' pamphlet was given to each new mom. The pamphlet, according to the nurses, is “self-explanatory and doesn’t require additional information.” I wonder how many moms read this information… how many pamphlets are thrown out… and how many are placed somewhere to be read when (or if) mom has time. Just like new moms are taught how to breast feed their infant, I think they need to hear the hard core fact about SIDS.

SIDS is the “sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than one year old.” Most SIDS related deaths happen when babies are between 2 months and 4 months old. In some nations, parent worried that back-sleeping would cause an infant to choke, but as parents heeded the doctor’s advice to place infants to sleep on their backs, SIDS rates began to decrease. According to Berger, “protective factors, in addition to back sleeping, include breast-feeding and pacifier use, which may help by strengthening infants’ breathing reflexes.” In addition, it is advised to place baby on a firm, safety-approved mattress and keeping toys and soft objects out of the baby’s sleep areas will aid in the threat of SIDS.

While researching this topic, I discovered that In Australia (where my sister lived for almost 6 years, and no, I never went there!) there is evidence that sharing a sleep surface with a baby increases the risk of SIDS. According to studies, babies under 4 months old and preterm babies are in jeopardy. “Most SIDS deaths in Australia “are predominately amongst babies whose parents smoke” (Shared sleeping, 2011). In addition, there is a “very high risk of infant death and sleeping accidents when a baby shares a sofa or couch with an adult during sleep” (Shared sleeping, 2011).

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood. New York: Worth Publishers.

Shared sleeping surfaces linked to a high percentage of sudden and expected infant deaths. (2010, June). Retrived at http://Sidsandkids.org/