Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

I will never forget the sound of the siren in the small rural neighborhood I lived in. It was a warm summer night. Whenever the sirens went off it was on its way to the home of somebody you knew. This particular night it was an infant that stopped breathing. According to the gossip, the mother fed the baby and then put him in the crib to rest. When she went in to check on him he was not breathing. The baby died of SIDS. It shattered the neighborhood. Everybody had their own thoughts and ideas of what may have happened to the baby. Was he burped? Did he choke? Was there a baby monitor? How long did he lay there before someone checked on him? Oh, it went on and on. No one asked about his sleeping conditions. I hope more parents and care givers will practice safe sleeping methods for babies. That’s why I choose to talk about SIDS. Below are facts retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website http://www.cdc.gov/sids/Parents-Caregivers.htm United States • Each year in the United States, more than 4,500 infants die suddenly of no immediately, obvious cause. Half of these Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) are due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of SUID and of all deaths among infants aged 1–12 months. • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden death of an infant less than 1 year of age that cannot be explained after a thorough investigation is conducted, including a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. • More boys died of SIDS than girls. • SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants aged 1–12 months, and is the third leading cause overall of infant mortality in the United States. • Although the overall rate of SIDS in the United States has declined by more than 50% since 1990, rates for non-Hispanic black and American Indian/Alaska Native infants remain disproportionately higher than the rest of the population. UK In the UK they refer to crib death as cot death. Below are facts retrieved from Patient.co.uk http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/sudden-infant-death-syndrome • Sudden infant death risk 'is five times higher if the baby sleeps in its parents' bed' • It is believed that 120 babies could be saved each year in the UK if parents stopped bed sharing. • More than 300 babies per year die from SIDS in the UK. • The UK rate for SIDS is 0.41 per 1,000 live births. • Research shows 88 per cent of deaths while co-sleeping could have been avoided had the baby been in a cot. • Cot death is more common in male infants (about 60%) of cases. • Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328048/Sudden-infant-death-Risk-times-higher-baby-sleeps-parents-bed.html#ixzz2YyroY4Bw Reducing the Risk The U.S. and the UK both have the same risk reducing factors. There has been a lower percentage of SIDS in both countries since families have been made aware of safe sleep. Always place babies on their backs to sleep. Babies who sleep on their backs are less likely to die of SIDS than babies who sleep on their stomachs or sides. Placing your baby on his or her back to sleep is the number one way to reduce the risk of SIDS. Use the back sleep position every time. Babies who usually sleep on their backs but who are then placed on their stomachs, such as a nap, are at very high risk for SIDS. It is important for babies to sleep on their backs every time, for naps and at night. Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as a safety-approved crib mattress covered with a fitted sheet. Never place a baby to sleep on a pillow, quilt, sheepskin, or other soft surface. Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area. Don’t use pillows, blankets, quilts, sheepskins, sleep positioner, or pillow-like bumpers in your baby’s sleep area. Keep all items away from the baby’s face. Avoid letting your baby overheat during sleep. Dress your baby in light sleep clothing and keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult. More Information What does a safe sleep environment look like? To learn more about safe sleep environment and reducing the risk of SIDS, check out the National Institute of Child Health Development (NICHD) publication. What groups are most at risk for SIDS? Babies who are placed to sleep on their stomachs or sides are at higher risk for SIDS than babies who are placed on their backs to sleep. African-American babies are more than two times as likely to die of SIDS as Caucasian babies. American-Indian/Alaska Native babies are nearly three times as likely to die of SIDS as Caucasian babies. Among industrialized nations, Japan has the lowest reported SIDS rate (0.09 cases per 1,000) whilst New Zealand has the highest rate (0.8 cases per 1,000).

My Personal Birth Experience

I would like to share my personal birth experience of my last child.  First of all I was forty-four when I gave birth to him.  Because of my age I was considered at risk.  I was offered the amniocentesis to check for downs syndrome.  I declined, because the test was invasive and carries a small risk of miscarriage.  During my entire pregnancy I felt like a scientific experiment.  Somewhere around my 24^th or 28^th week I had a glucose screening and was told I had gestational diabetes.  At that time I was told that my baby could be born weighing more than averaged.  I changed my diet and checked by blood sugar daily.  I guess sometime around my 8^th month I was told my baby weighed around nine pounds and it would be best that my labor be induced.  On October 14^th 2006 I gave birth to a six pound baby boy.  Yes, six pounds.  I was very upset. 

Now, let me tell you about my labor.  I choose to have an epidural because it worked so well during my first labor experience.  This time it didn’t work.  Prior to receiving the useless needle in my spine, I told the nurse that my first baby came quickly and to be prepared for this one to do the same.  I can’t recall how much I had dilated the last time the nurse checked, but I know it wasn’t enough to concern anyone.  About five minutes after she walked away I went into full blown labor. They were saying over and over DON’T PUSH!   It was a very weird experience.  My body completely took over and I had no control.  The baby was out and the nurse barley caught it.  The table wasn’t ready and when the doctor came in it was over.  My husband said they barely caught him as he was entering this world for the first time.  My baby is now six years old and will be in first grade this fall.

I choose this to write about the care I received because I received more treatment during my pregnancy due to my age.  Yet I am grateful but it so overwhelming.  In some countries I would not have received this amount of care.  Although I choose not to have the amniocentesis it was available and could have detected a genetic disorder.

Botswana

In this region of the world it is common for mothers to have HIV and pass it on to their new born.  There are programs in place to test mothers for HIV when they are pregnant.   Botswana has the highest HIV infection rate in the world.  Having HIV is considered an at risk pregnancy.  My pregnancy was also considered at risk because I was older and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  The doctors in Botswana take precautions by offering special tests and provide medicine to the mom and child to prevent the transmission of the disease to the baby.  My doctors required me to check my blood sugar daily to maintain a certain sugar level to prevent any other health risks.

“Botswana's Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) program is being heralded as one of Africa's best examples of how a developing country can save babies from acquiring the deadly virus. Recent surveys show that Botswana has been successful in reducing the rate of HIV transmission from mother to child to less than 4 percent, representing the first time that a developing country with a high prevalence of HIV can lower transmission rates to those in Western nations... 32 percent of its pregnant women are HIV-positive.” http://www.cdc.gov/botusa/news/1107/page_01.html (retrieved 7-6-2013)