Sudden Infant Death

States in 1991, in an effort to inform parents that they should place their infant on their back when sleeping. Many parents, mainly among minority families, are still unaware of this prevention step. Other preventive measures include: breast feeding, not smoking during and after pregnancies, and parents should not to sleep with their infants.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the unexplained death of an infant less than one year of age after having done a complete postmortem examination and investigation of the scene of death. There are no causes that have been found that make it clear as to why SIDS is so common. The rate of SIDS decreased dramatically when the Back to Sleep campaign was started to encourage parents and caregivers that infants were placed on their back while sleeping (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2015, p. 473). The most common ways that these deaths have occurred are the infant’s sleeping environments and their positioning. Research shows that infants that sleep in the prone position are most at risk

According to the Iowa SIDS Foundation, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the unforeseen death of an infant between the ages of one to twelve months old, without a known cause. Even after a thorough examination and autopsy, there is no recognizable cause of the death of the baby. Mayo Clinic states that scientists believe it could be linked to the portion of the brain that contains breathing but there is no proof that supports that statement. Scientists have been searching for

The most effective form of primary prevention is that the infants younger than 1 year old should be placed on their backs to sleep, never face-down on their stomachs.

I chose SIDS for my respiratory disease because I had heard about it before, but I never knew that there was a possibility that it had to do with your respiratory system. SIDS is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. SIDS is common with infants younger than 3 months. It has no explanation yet, but it most commonly occurs to infants when they are sleeping. This is such an awful disease/condition because prior to SIDS the babies are usually healthy and well. Although there is no cause, researchers found that it might be caused by an abnormality in your brain that controls your breathing.

One of the most controversial behaviours parents can do is adjust the babies sleeping environment. There have been multiple arguments on this topic; however, research has shown that a babies sleeping environment can impact their sleeping safety tremendously. Some safety precautions all care givers can do is: placing the baby on their back to sleep, keeping the crib clean and clear of any toys or pillows, don’t overheat the baby with clothes or blankets instead try a sleeping sack, and lastly allow the baby to sleep in the caregivers room for the first six months or until the infant is capable of rolling over on their own. Another way to help prevent SIDS is by using a pacifier. Strangely enough, pacifiers can reduce the risk of SIDS due to the fact that they help prevent a baby from going into a deep sleep. Though, caregivers need to take precaution when doing this if an infant is breast feeding as they should not be introduced to pacifiers until they are nursing well. Consequently, one of the easiest ways to prevent SIDS is to not ignore sicknesses, especially respiratory related issues. In the first year of an infant’s life something as simple as a cough or old can impact them greatly. By taking an infant to a clinic, doctor, or even the emergency room as soon as any signs of sickness strike could save their life. Ultimately, there is no guaranteed that these precautions will work and unfortunately SIDS does happen. Despite that, there are multiple ways for caregivers to cope with this

In the triple-risk model it suggests that three different factors or events can lead to SIDS: The first element of the model is the critical development period, where the baby is growing and developing rapidly. A rapid growth can make a baby’s system unstable. This defect possibly will be located in the brainstem, which is to blame for heart rate, respiratory controls and overall body regulatory mechanisms (Firstcandle, 2010). “The second element, the vulnerable infant, represents an infant with this underlying abnormality in an area of their brain stem that controls respiration, heart rate, temperature, arousal from sleep and other major bodily functions during early life (Firstcandle, 2010)”. The third and last element involves outside or environmental challenges, which a normal baby can easily overcome, but a baby already vulnerable might not. “Challenges such as tobacco exposure, tummy sleeping, soft bedding, bed sharing or an upper respiratory infection alone do not cause death for healthy infants, but could trigger a sudden, unexpected death in a vulnerable infant (Firstcandle, 2010).” “According to the triple-risk model, an infant will die of SIDS only if he or she possesses all three factors described above (Firstcandle, 2010)”.

states SIDS as being "the sudden death of any infant or young child which is

Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexplained death of a baby while sleeping. It is sometimes called crib death, since SIDS babies usually die in their cribs. No one understands what causes the condition, although research suggests it could be associated with brain abnormalities in the areas that control awakening from sleep and breathing. It appears that boys are more prone to SIDS than girls, as are those from the black, Alaska Native, and American Indian races. The condition most often strikes in the first few months of an infant’s life.

The accurate reasons for SIDS are still hazy and examination is continuous. “African American Infants are a few times more probable than Caucasian children to pass from SIDS, and Native American newborn children are three times more probable than Caucasians to succumb to SIDS” (http://sleepfoundation.org/). There are a few elements which make babies more defenseless against SIDS. Some danger elements are preventable, yet others are definitely not. Confirmation has demonstrated that a few children who pass on from SIDS have the accompanying; Brain abnormalities, low birth weight, and respiratory infection, which can make babies more vulnerable to sudden death during infancy. “Exposure to cigarette smoke, age under 20, low weight gain, anemia and illegal drug use can also all be causes of SIDS” (textbook pg.424)

Out of the ten Health Concepts Statement, I planned to go over the Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) which is the leading cause of death among infants between 1 week and 1 year of age. I have never heard of this health issue until now. As I did a bit of some research in the textbook and other cites, in the textbook, it mentions what can occur to an infant between one week and one year of age to die. According to the textbook of Understanding Your Health, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), occurs when some mothers who smoked during pregnancy. Later, the textbook states that the statistic also shows that infants are most likely to develop chronic respiratory problems, have more frequent colic, be hospitalized, and have poorer overall health

“Bedtime Basics for Babies,” a campaign started in 1994, wanted to learn about the effects on SIDS rates after distributing cribs and infant sleeping education to families in Washington, Indiana, and Washington, DC. Bedtime Basics for Babies measured the family’s education about infant sleeping before and after the information was given. After the information and crib was given, the parent’s knowledge in each subject improved and only 16% of parents allowed bed sharing. Since this program has been implemented SIDS rates have dropped by 50%. One limitation of this study could be they only tested it in 3 states instead of all 50.

Variations in breathing patterns are common in all infants. Your baby frequently “miss a breath” which is normal. However, a simple cold, a virus, or an allergy can cause a baby’s temperature to rise, affecting his/her ease and rate of breathing. You have to monitor these situations since they require prompt medical intervention or else they can quickly worsen. Note that SIDS comes without warning and happens quickly. Babysense Hisense 5s infant monitor is all you need to get the rest you need knowing that your baby is

The studies showed that there are still cases of parents who received education on infant safe sleep practices but still indulge in bed sharing with their infants. They have argued that such practices promote breast feeding with their infants. Parents who experience difficulty with latching their infants successfully onto the breast want to try with every available moment even if it means sharing their beds with the infant.

Another point that you need to know in managing your baby in terms of using pacifier is to give it during bedtime or naptime. Before you are going to do this for your baby, see to it that you need to comfort him or her first by singing, cuddling, rocking the crib, etc.