Sunday, December 30, 2012

How common is SIDS and what can you do for prevention?

Q. My baby sleeps in his crib usually on his stomach and I have a baby breathing monitor. The midwife recommended that he sleep on his stomach and he can really get a good sleep that way. What can I do to prevent SIDS? If he sleeps on my top when we are on my bed, is it safe?
I am not asleep when he is on my top so I can't roll over him. He sleeps in his crib for the night.

I told the midwife that SIDS occurs more often in cases kids are put on their stomachs but she said that's just statistics and has nothing to do with SIDS. I don't know...

A. SIDS occurs in roughly 1 in 500 babies(http://www.faqs.org/faqs/misc-kids/sids/), but the rate actually depends on many factors, such as where you live, your lifestyle, your feeding methods, etc.

SIDS can occur up to one year of age, but the most common age for it to occur is between 2 and 4 months. After 4 months, the risk declines. After the 6-7th month, the likelihood of SIDS occurring is very low. It is more common in male babies than female babies.

There is a lot you can do to lower the risk of it occurring.

~don't smoke. AT ALL. Not even outside.

~put your baby to sleep on his back. If he won't sleep that way, you can compromise and put him on his side, using those wedges that keep the baby from rolling over. My first daughter could not sleep on her back due to severe reflux, so we put her on her side.

~don't use pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, or any soft bedding in his crib (or wherever he sleeps)

~don't dress him too warmly

~BREASTFEED. For every 87 babies that die of SIDS, only 3 breastfed babies die of SIDS. Reference: http://www.co.utah.ut.us/dept/healthwic/BreastFeed.asp

Personally, I would not put my baby to sleep on his/her stomach, especially if if they were not past the 4 month mark. If it was needed, I would put them on their side.

As for cosleeping, there is conflicting evidence out there as to whether it lowers or raises the risk of SIDS.

Many parent's beds have blankets and pillows and soft mattress pads, etc, that can raise the risk of SIDS, so cosleeping in that sense would definitely be riskier. However, if you make your bed "baby safe", then I would think that cosleeping would not put your baby at a higher risk and may actually reduce his risk of SIDS, as long as:
~you don't smoke
~your spouse doesn't smoke
~you don't sleep too heavily (as to notice if you roll into your baby's face
~your spouse doesn't sleep too heavily
~neither you nor your spouse are overweight/obese (studies have shown that cosleeping babies with overweight/obese parents are more likely to die of SIDS or be accidentally suffocated by their parents).

As for your son sleeping on top of you, I personally think it's fine, as long as he's on his back and there's no way he can roll off and be injured. If he's on his stomach, but you're awake and watching him the entire time, then that's okay too.

I coslept with both of my daughters, but I slept on my side, and they slept on their sides with their back up against my belly/chest. I would turn them over to nurse and then turn them back when they finished.


How did the cat know what to do?
Q. I saw a documentary on miraculous rescues by pets, and one stands out in my mind. The baby was sleeping upstairs in his room, while the parents were downstairs. They had the baby monitor on. When the baby began having trouble breathing, and the noises were too quiet to be heard on the monitor, the cat actually made strange noises over the baby monitor to get the parents' attention.

How did the cat know to use the baby monitor?

A. The cat may have been distressed because it sensed that the baby was in trouble. The cat could simply have been reacting to its own distress. I doubt that the cat had any idea that it could be heard over the baby monitor.


What is the best baby monitor?
Q. We're welcoming a new edition in a few weeks and we have everything ready to go except the baby monitor. We live in a one story home and I would only need the monitor for when the baby's sleeping. All the bedrooms are on the same side of the house but I always take extra precautions. Thanks so much!

A. We got an Angelcare movement monitor and I swear by it. I'm a very anxious mom and it helped me get some sleep! Knowing that an alarm would go off if he stopped breathing was the only thing that stopped me from checking in on the baby 10 times a night. ;)

edit: The monitor was suggested by my son's neonatal surgeon, as he was premature...


At what age did you stop using the tick alarm on your angel care baby monitor?
Q. I have been using the angel care monitor with the tick alarm. Its a sensor to monitor the baby's breathing. My baby is now 6 months old and is starting to move all around her crib and when she gets in a corner the monitor doesn't pick up her movement and the alarm goes off. I am considering if i want to stop using it but I am scared of SIDS...

A. Most SIDS cases occur before the baby is 4 months old, after 6 months they're "out of the woods", then after 12 months they're okay. It's up to you, 6 months seems like the reasonable time to stop using it, but I can totally understand your concern - you're a mum and you worry like every other one of us.

Whenever you choose to stop using it, you'll wake up every 2 hours and listen to hear them breathing - like me! Lol.





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Title Post: How common is SIDS and what can you do for prevention?
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