| Sudden Infant Death Syndrome |
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 Awareness: the first step toward prevention |
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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexpected, unexplained death of an apparently healthy baby under one year of age. While the numbers have declined over the past 10 years, SIDS claims the life of approximately 2,000 infants each year and remains the leading cause of death for babies one-month to one-year old.
While the exact causes and ways to prevent SIDS remain mysterious, there are steps to take to reduce the risk of sudden infant death. Risk factors identified include smoking while pregnant and around the baby after he/she is born, inadequate prenatal care, a low birth weight, hard drug use before or during pregnancy, and young maternal age.
However, as is often the case, none of these risk factors applied to Margaret D’Arrigo. She and her husband Steve Martin lost their infant daughter Alexis Claire Martin to SIDS.
Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of SIDS*
Put your baby to sleep on his/her back, not stomach. Give your baby lots of supervised “tummy time” when he/she is awake to strengthen upper body muscles.
Use a safety-approved crib with a firm, tight-fitting
mattress.
Don’t smoke, and don’t let
anyone else smoke around your baby.
Remove all soft, fluffy items or loose bedding from your baby’s sleep area. This includes
blankets, comforters, pillows, soft or pillow-like bumper pads, wedges/positioning pillows, stuffed toys and any other
soft items.
Put your baby in a warm, fitted sleeper instead of using
a loose blanket.
Keep baby’s head and face clear of blankets and other
coverings, and do not use them as sun/weather screens.
Don’t put your baby to sleep on any soft surface (sofas, chairs, waterbeds, sheepskin, etc.).
Share a room, not a bed—
its safer.
Don’t dress your baby too warmly for sleep and keep room temperature between
65 and 71Þ F.
Educate relatives, baby sitters and other caregivers about these important safety steps.
* Source: www.sidsalliance.org |
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Margaret was 40 years old when they brought Alexis Claire home from the hospital. “To our delight, Alexis seemed to thrive,” remembers Margaret. “I took her to the pediatrician for her well-baby check-up and he commented on how great she was doing, how much weight she had gained. It’s still hard to believe that just one week later, she was dead.”
“I’d heard of SIDS, but I really knew nothing about it,” says Margaret. “I thought it was something that happened to other families, not mine. I realized that many expectant and new parents were in the same position. That’s why I think it needs to be talked about, and researched. And it is why I decided to speak about my experience.”
 Margaret spoke about SIDS at her Rotary Club just three weeks after Alexis died. “It was and will continue to be difficult,” says Margaret, “but it would be much more difficult for me to stay silent and do nothing to make other families aware of SIDS.”
Education and awareness have already significantly reduced the incidence of SIDS. For example, as a result of the national Back To Sleep Campaign, launched in 1994 as a joint effort between First Candle/SIDS Alliance, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, SIDS rates have declined by more than 50 percent.
Margaret says she is inspired by the story of Candy Lightner. Lightner founded Mothers Against Drunk Driving in 1980, after her daughter was killed by a drunk driver. Since then, alcohol-related traffic deaths have dropped dramatically. “I lost my daughter to an inexplicable disease,” Margaret says. “But by drawing more attention to SIDS, I hope to contribute to saving the lives of countless other babies.”
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 First Candle/SIDS Alliance
The outgrowth of an organization formed in the 1960s, First Candle/SIDS Alliance is dedicated not only to helping prevent infant deaths, but also to promoting prenatal health, providing bereavement and support services, and raising funds in support of research and education.
Their website, www.firstcandle.org, has sections dedicated to special groups, including Expectant Parents, New Parents/Care Givers and Health and Human Services Providers. Each section offers helpful information as well as links to other resources such as grief counselors, available 24-hours.
For more information, visit www.firstcandle.org or call 1-800-221-7437. |
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