Essay on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

There are typically no witnesses and in 50 – 75 percent of all cases, no prior signs of child abuse. Unfortunately, there is no dependable method for collecting statistics and the true number of incidences is unknown. More importantly, it can be difficult to detect especially for mild cases. This syndrome is the most common reason of death and long-term disability in infants and young children. The disorder primarily takes place in children two years old and younger with the average age between three to eight months

          SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a leading cause of death in infants under the age of one, has left medical experts unable to clearly define sudden infant death syndrome. After thirty years of research, the medical field has not discovered definite causes for SIDS. Medical experts have suggested many theories that have been studied and debated.

It is every parents’ worst fear to wake up one morning to find that their child has passed away without warning. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the common name used today is also referred to as Crib Death, which is an unexplained death occurring during sleep of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old (mayo clinic). Even though there are some ways to prevent SIDS, there is no guarantee that a child is a hundred percent safe. Some ways to prevent SIDS can be done with parental knowledge of how SIDS occurs. Even though the baby has nothing medically wrong, it could be that the parents did something unintentionally by accident or are simply uniformed.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a condition that many people still are trying to figure out why it happens to these babies. This syndrome is described as an unexplained death of an infant younger than one year of age. SIDS is frightening because it can strike without warning and affect a good, healthy infant. Most SIDS deaths occur at night and without warning. SIDS victims may have been down for sleep for as little as ten minutes, they show signs of struggle or suffering. Although SIDS is commonly associated with an infants sleep time, and often occurs in the crib. This event is not limited to the crib and may occur anywhere the infant is sleeping, deaths have occurred in

SIDS is actually what the medical term is for deaths of infants that cannot be explained. When an infant dies and there is no explanatory behind why the child has died it is ruled out SIDS. SIDS stands for sudden infant death syndrome. While many people believe that SIDS has a true cause, they are partially right, because with SIDS being stated as the cause of death when the true cause is unknown, there are possible reasons why the baby died that were not found through the autopsy on the infant. The autopsy should be conducted after the infant is considered brain dead. Brain dead is when a person is considered completely dead because there is no more function going on inside

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

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome remains the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality (under the age of one) in developed countries. The causes of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have been puzzling and research is being conducted to solve this catastrophic problem. Having a child under the age of one makes me very concerned, along with any other parent(s), that the possibility of SIDS could affect any infant at anytime, SIDS does not discriminate. I am seeking to find the possible causes to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome so in the future deaths could be avoided.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of an infant aged one or younger that continues to remain a mystery even after a thorough investigation is done, which includes an examination of the scene along with an autopsy. SIDS was first recognized in the United States in the 1960s, with over 7,000 infants dying suddenly and unexpectedly each year. Researchers discovered that placing babies to sleep on their back decreased this risk, as babies that were put to sleep on their side tended to roll onto their stomach, causing them to smother. The Back to Sleep Campaign was launched in 1994; it played a significant role in decreasing the SIDS rates amongst all populations. However, certain populations continue to experience

In spite of a major decline in the incidences of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome since the American Academy of Pediatrics published its recommendation in 1992 that infants should be placed on their back for sleeping this decline has stopped and left us at a plateau. Even though this was released many families are still butting babies on their bellies to sleep. Because of that, it has become increasingly important to address the risk that puts infants at greater risk for SIDS. In this paper of the changeable and non-changeable risk factors of SIDS will be addressed. The recommendations described in this paper include placing infants on a back position to sleep, use of a firm sleep surface and the need for routinely scheduled immunization.

42). The cause of SIDS is still unknown but autopsies have been reliable in showing consistent findings pathologically that reveal whether a child has pulmonary edema or intrathoracic hemorrhages that could possibly confirm a diagnosis. Autopsies should be done in every infant and the results should be shared with the parents as soon as they are completed (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2016, p. 476).

As I stated in the abstract, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the unexpected death of a healthy infant in its sleep usually under the age of one. It is also known as “crib death” because the death usually occurs in the crib. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome claims the lives of approximately 2,500 infants each year. The majority of SIDS deaths occur between 2 and 4 month year olds. The cause of SIDS is usually known and there are a number of causes. Causes of SIDS include: smoking or drinking during pregnancy, inadequate prenatal responsibility, prematurity, inexperienced mothers, smoking near or around the baby, enormous amounts of heating from blankets or pajamas, and placing a baby on its stomach (Floyd R. Livingston Jr., MD. Sudden Infant Death

SIDS is something that scares every new parent, but what terrifies parents even more is that no one knows what causes sudden infant death syndrome. There are ways that people could reduce the risk of SIDS but it won’t guarantee that it won’t happen. Babies are to be placed on their back while sleeping and never to be facing down towards the blankets or on their sides. Another thing that is told to decrease the chances of SIDS is to take out any extra blankets or stuffed animals that many get in the babies face. As a first time parent I was very paranoid about SIDS because no can explain why this is happening to healthy babies, so for the first year I made sure that I did everything right. Than one day when my son was eight months old he stopped

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

11 minutes. A baby dies. The culprit? A disease that attacks the central nervous system of the baby; causing it develop lockjaw and convulse when exposed to any harsh stimuli. Imagine, you are a mother cradling your newborn baby on what seems like the happiest day of your life; only to find that days later you’re unable to come close to your child or you run the risk of triggering a fatal reaction.

Infants born from mothers that smoked are three times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a condition in which babies who appears healthy die suddenly while sleeping, as are babies whose mothers do not smoke during pregnancy. This is also a point of contention between researchers as well. "Children born to mothers who smoked while pregnant, and possibly children whose grandmothers smoked while pregnant, have a higher risk of developing childhood asthma (Child)." Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to be born with birth defects such as cleft lip or palate and to have low birth weight.