SIDS

I feel like this needs to be reposted....

All information is from The American Sudden Infant Death Institute 

What is SIDS?
SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history. (Willinger et al, 1991).

In a typical situation parents check on their supposedly sleeping infant to find him or her dead. This is the worst tragedy parents can face, a tragedy which leaves them with a sadness and a feeling of vulnerability that lasts throughout their lives. Since medicine can not tell them why their baby died, they blame themselves and often other innocent people. Their lives and those around them are changed forever. 

What Can Be Done?

Unfortunately, we cannot expect to prevent all SIDS deaths now. To do so requires a much greater understanding of SIDS, which will be achieved only with a commitment from those who value babies and with a considerably expanded research effort. However, there are things that can be done to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Parents-To-Be

1. Get medical care early in pregnancy, preferably within the first three months, followed by regular checkups at the doctor's office or health clinic. Make every effort to assure good nutrition. These measures can reduce the risk of premature birth, a major risk factor for SIDS.

2. Do not smoke, use cocaine, or use heroin. Tobacco, cocaine, or heroin use during pregnancy increases the infant's risk for SIDS.

3. Don’t get pregnant during the teenage years. If you are a teen and already have one infant, take extreme caution not to become pregnant again. The SIDS rate decreases for babies born to older mothers. It is highest for babies born to teenage mothers. The more babies a teen mother has, the greater at risk they are.

4. Wait at least one year between the birth of a child and the next pregnancy.The shorter the interval between pregnancies, the higher the SIDS rate.

Parents
1. Place infants to sleep on their backs, even though they may sleep more soundly on their stomachs. Infants who sleep on their stomachs and sides have a much higher rate of SIDS than infants who sleep on their backs.
2. Place infants to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress. There should be nothing in the bed but the baby - no covers, no pillows, no bumper pads, no positioning devices and no toys. Soft mattresses and heavy covering are associated with the risk for SIDS.
3. Keep your baby’s crib in the parents’ room until the infant is at least 6 months of age. Studies clearly show that infants are safest when their beds are close to their mothers.
4. Do not place your baby to sleep in an adult bed. Typical adult beds are not safe for babies. Do not fall asleep with your baby on a couch or in a chair.
5. Do not over-clothe the infant while she sleeps. Just use enough clothes to keep the baby warm without having to use cover. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for you. Overheating an infant may increase the risk for SIDS.
6. Avoid exposing the infant to tobacco smoke. Don't have your infant in the same house or car with someone who is smoking. The greater the exposure to tobacco smoke, the greater the risk of SIDS.
7. Breast-feed babies whenever possible. Breast milk decreases the occurrence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Studies show that breast-fed babies have a lower SIDS rate than formula-fed babies do.
8. Avoid exposing the infant to people with respiratory infections. Avoid crowds. Carefully clean anything that comes in contact with the baby. Have people wash their hands before holding or playing with your baby. SIDS often occurs in association with relatively minor respiratory (mild cold) and gastrointestinal infections (vomiting and diarrhea).
9. Offer your baby a pacifier. Some studies have shown a lower rate of SIDS among babies who use pacifiers.
10. If your baby has periods of not breathing, going limp or turning blue, tell your pediatrician at once.
11. If your baby stops breathing or gags excessively after spitting up, discuss this with your pediatrician immediately.
12. Thoroughly discuss each of the above points with all caregivers. If you take your baby to daycare or leave him with a sitter, provide a copy of this list to them. Make sure they follow all recommendations.

But my baby doesn't like sleeping on his back. Can't I let him sleep on his tummy? response by Betty McEntire, PhD, Executive Director, American SIDS Institute

Answer:

It's hard to know for sure what babies like since they can't tell us. However, babies do tend to cry more when placed on their backs. In fact, for many "hard to soothe" infants, placing them on their stomachs does seem to calm them and help them fall to sleep. Also, babies wake less when on their stomachs and it takes more stimulation to wake them than when they are on their backs. Another thing we know is that tummy-sleeping infants retain more heat than when on their backs.

But should parents give in and place their little ones on their tummies? They should certainly not! Infants are more likely to have apnea (pauses in breathing) when on their stomachs. They are also more likely to re-breathe the air they have just exhaled, which can raise their levels of carbon dioxide. The increased retention of body heat can also be dangerous for some infants. But more convincing than any other fact is that belly-sleep has up to 12.9 times the risk of death as back-sleep.

Remember BACK IS BEST!!

Maddie

Yesterday it kind of snuck up one me.. grief...

I was having a great weekend just hanging out with James and BAM out of no where it hits me!! I started crying and could not stop. This was the first of many to come ''grief attacks''.

I miss Maddie so much. Everything reminds me of her.

I try HARD very VERY hard not to think about that horrible day I got "the call" or the day of her funeral. Why do I want to remember those days? I want to remember my sweet happy Maddie. Well those days have started to sneak up on me. I will be doing something and BAM a image of that day will flash in my head. WHY? I don't want to remember that. I am sure this is normal, but I'd like to skip this phase.

I do feel better about calling the medical examiner. James and I both now know we did everything right. We didn't "miss'' anything medically wrong with her. She was healthy and happy. Unfortunately SIDS is something that will happen, it can not be totally prevented. There are many things that you can do to reduce the risk (see below), but it cant be totally prevent. I feel like we did everything right to the "T" during pregnancy and after until the day she was taken from us. SIDS is not discriminate.

I feel like I need to post these again.....

How to reduce the risk of SIDS

We don’t know what causes SIDS, so we cannot say how to “avoid” it, but we can provide you with the most up-to-minute guidelines for reducing the risk of SIDS and other sudden unexplained infant deaths (SUID). First and foremost, educate yourself and everyone who cares for your baby on how to reduce the risks by following these guidelines:

1. Always lay your baby to sleep face up.

Side and tummy positions are not safe; check with your doctor if your baby has breathing problems.

2. Don’t smoke while pregnant and never smoke near your infant.

While pregnant or considering pregnancy do not smoke. Never let others smoke near your baby. Smoking is a major risk factor for SIDS.

3. Don’t let your baby get too hot.

Overheating is a leading risk factor for SIDS. Dress your baby in as much or as little as you would wear. If your baby is sweating, has damp hair, or a heat rash, he or she may be too hot. Room fans have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS. Consider using a wearable blanket or other type of sleeper instead of a blanket.

4. Lay your baby to sleep in an approved crib, on a firm mattress.

Do not let the baby sleep on soft things, like a couch, pillow, sheepskin, foam pad, or waterbed. Remove all loose bedding, stuffed animals, and pillows from crib. Crib bumpers are not recommended and can be hazardous.

5. Create a healthy lifestyle for you and your baby.

When pregnant, see your doctor often and do not use drugs or alcohol. Talk with your doctor about changes in your baby and how your baby acts.

6. If possible, breast feed your baby.

Breast feeding has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS.

7. Offer your baby a pacifier at all sleep times.

Pacifiers have been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS.

8. Put your baby on his or her tummy to play when your baby is awake and supervised.

Make sure someone is always watching. “Tummy Time” is good for your baby because it makes neck and shoulder muscles stronger.

9. Don’t share sleep surfaces.

Adult beds, couches, and chairs are not safe for infant sleep and increase the risk of SIDS, suffocation and accidental infant death. After breast feeding put your baby back in his or her crib.

10. Share these tips with everyone who cares for your baby.

Education is the key to keeping your baby safe

SIDS

Today I did something I have been putting off for a few weeks. I needed to call the medical examiner's office to see if they got the toxicology results back from Maddie's autopsy. I want to know the results but then again I didnt want to know them. They should call me right? Wrong.

This week at my support group meeting the ladies in my group told me the importance of calling and getting the ruling in order for me to heal. So I told my self I was going to have to do it. It was going to hurt but then I will never have to do it again and hopefully I can get some closure.

I had no intentions on calling today. But something told me to, so I picked up the phone and started dialing. I thought for a second.."ok you can hang up now".. But I didn't..... I let it ring. I told them my case number and the lady put me on hold to get my results. Yes, she put me the terrified mom on hold to get my results. I was shaking! She came back and said, " For Madison correct?". "Yes..." I said. "Well.." she said... " Case of death: Natural Causes/SIDS". I said thanks hung up and started bawling.

Did I really just call the medical examiners office and they tell me my healthy 4 month old baby girl died from natural causes? What is natural about a healthy baby dying? UGGG.. I could not stop bawling. It hurts. Now its final. SIDS took our baby girl.