Sudden Infant Death Syndrome In Northern Plains Indians

          Placing an infant to sleep on its back has been a universal prevention for SIDS and may be the largest contributing factor for the decline in SIDS cases. In the last two decades, the cases of infants who died from SIDS declined by more than 50 %, with less than seven infants per 10,000 infants that died from SID. (American 1)

For as long as we can remember we are always told to never sleep with your baby that you could suffocate them by rolling over on them or what not. In a study by Davies, he found that prior to the 1700's co-sleeping was a normal thing around the world. It was not until the 1800's when the western society moved away from co-sleeping to an independent sleeping arrangement claiming the child will be too attached and have security problems; you will never get the child to sleep in their own bed; the child will not learn independence; or, the child could suffocate in various ways. Well, I agree

Proceeding to the next step, comes side/stomach position. For this position, you will lay the baby on his/her stomach/side on either in your arms, lap, or your shoulder. Make sure that their arms are to their side. Usually doctors will tell you to lay them on their back to reduce the risk of SIDS, but since your newborn wants to feel like they are in the womb again, it is ok to lay them on their side/stomach. Just make sure that you turn them to their back once they fall asleep.

Infant mortality rate constitutes the death of a baby before their first birthday. Mortality rates around the world differ tremendously with America leading the first world countries at an alarming rate of 6.1 deaths per 1,000 births. Conversely, Finland and Japan secure the last, most desirable position, with deaths totaling 2.3 per 1,000 births, as of 2010. (Ovaska-Few, 2015) In 2014, over 23,000 babies died in the United States. (CDC, 2016) Exploring the mortality rates in America brings light to a dire need for additional interventions and research as to why this developing nation has the highest rate of infant deaths before the age of 1 year old. African Americans face the worst outcomes of infant death compared to whites, Latino, and their Native American peers in North Carolina. (Ovaska-Few, 2015) This paper will explore why African American are the leading race for infant mortality and the steps that health communities need to take to address this devastating occurrence.

“Compared with European Americans, African American infants experience disproportionately high rates of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm delivery and are more than twice as likely to die during their 1st year of life”(Giscombé, C. L., & Lobel, M., 2005). The infant mortality rate for African Americans is 13.7 deaths per 1000 live births, more than twice the rate (5.7) for White Americans in the U.S. (Kung, Hoyert, Xu, & Murphy, 2008). A lot of the racial disparity in infant mortality can be explained by low birthweight and preterm delivery, which are also disproportionately and often experienced by African Americans (Martin et al., 2007).

The black infant mortality rate in 2010, (11.8) was similar to the white infant mortality rate in 1980 (11.7); an unbelievable thirty year difference for a balance measure (Florida Vital Statistics Annual Report, 2012). Currently, in the local community of Orange County, Florida the infant mortality rate exceeds that of the US at 7.5, and the rate is also doubled in African American women at 13.5, wheres it is 5.6 for births by white women (Florida Charts, 2014). Per Florida Charts (2014), disorders related to short gestation (pre-term birth – less than 37 weeks of pregnancy) and low birth weight, followed by sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are the leading causes of infant deaths in African American births in Orange County, which is relative to the rest of the

Researchers have studied the many possible causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and four have been selected for this paper.

The essential focus of this article was to address the infant death rate between African American and White European babies. The data assembled for this study was acquired over a ten year time span from January 1997 through December 2007 in the province of Richmond Virginia. There were a few factors that were considered when this investigation was led and included education, smoking while pregnant, parental ethnic group, method of payment, age of person participating and developmental age.

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

Many causes of neonatal death can be diverted with the right care. It is important for a pregnant woman to attend all her antenatal visits from a skilled health care provider. Your health care provider will then advise on the best course of action. It is also important that a mother deliver with the assistance of a skilled birth attendant who will ensure that the birthing process is free from infection but also administer effective preventive treatment to the new born. Always stick to your post natal visits and do not hesitate to consult with the health care provider if you notice something strange with the baby.

1) Pacifiers may reduce the use of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndromes, as the

This essay will critique and integrate the pathophysiological aspects of birth asphyxia and postnatal acidosis of a newborn under my care in the neonatal care unit (NNCU) at the Alice Springs Hospital. Immediate and subsequent medical and midwifery management and treatment will be compared and contrast with the reviewed literature relevant to these conditions. Recommendations will be outlined based on the findings. All discussed information has been acquired from the neonatal medical record to develop this case study. Confidentiality is maintained in accordance with the code of professional conduct for midwives (2008) and a pseudonym will be used to de-identify the baby’s details.

Infant mortality is the death of a child that is less than one year of age. Infant mortality rates are measured by the number of deaths in infants per number of live births. Infants are usually up to that age of one year. The health outcomes of a pregnancy is mainly influenced by a woman's health. Other risk factors include race, ethnicity, age, and income. Socioeconomic status and geographic location are major influences for infant mortality of a child. Most babies that die before their first year can be because they are born with a serious defect, is a preterm birth (Born too small or too early/37 weeks), infections, affected by maternal complications of pregnancy, victims of injuries and victims of sudden infant death syndrome also known as SIDS. National Vital Statistics Reports studied the infant mortality rates for the top five leading causes of infant death from 2005 to 2009. The top five leading causes were congenital malformations, preterm birth or low birth weight, SIDS, maternal complications, and unintentional injuries. Congenital malformations had the biggest decrease from 2005 to 2009 while the other four causes decreased only a little bit or not at all. National Vital Statistics Reports also studied infant mortality rates, by the race and ethnicity of the mother in the United States from 2005 to 2009. The infant mortality rate for each race and ethnicity of the mothers decreased from 2005 to 2009. The non-Hispanic blacks had the highest infant mortality rate

Gina Shapiro went to check on her 6 month old son just twenty minutes after putting him to bed, and found him cold and lifeless. She immediately called for an ambulance and started to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Once arriving at the hospital doctors and nurses began their work on the infant, but a short while after, the doctor had to tell Gina Shapiro that her son was dead (“Group Helps Grieving Parents” E2). To help prevent SIDS research suggests mothers to not smoke, use pacifiers, not to bed share, and to keep their babies warm, but not too hot.

Education on the topic of an appropriate sleep environment for newborns is imperative for all parents. Most first time parents have many questions on when, how and where their baby should be sleeping (Davidson, London, & Ladewig, 2016). Unsafe sleep environments and techniques can increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the American Academy of Pediatrics defines this as the sudden death of an infant less than 12 months of age, in which after a thorough investigation an autopsy the cause of the death remains unexplained (Mathews & Moore, 2013). Parents who are properly informed and educated on the topic of an appropriate sleeping environment can help to reduce the risk of infant injury and death.