Question about sudden infant death syndrome?

Question

i have a 4 month old son, and after losing two babies before him i am a really paranoid, nervous mom. im always worried something bad will happen to my son. i was just wondering what are the statistics in the united states of sids and is there anything you can do to prevent it??

Answer 1

At this time there is no known way to prevent SIDS in all cases, but there are steps parents and caregivers can take to reduce the risk of sudden infant death. Modifiable risk factors for SIDS include:

Stomach and side sleep positions

Soft or loose bedding

Inappropriate sleep environments

Bed sharing

Overheating

Secondhand smoke

Maternal alcohol and illegal drug use

Non-modifiable risk factors include:

Male gender

Age distribution: 2 to 6 months

Low birth weight

Prematurity

Maternal smoking during pregnancy

Young maternal age especially mothers less than 18 years old

Late or no prenatal care

Fall/winter season

Higher parity

Answer 2

The statistics are 1 in 500.  

Things you can do to reduce the risk even further:

~First and foremost, breastfeed.  Out of every 90 infants that die of SIDS, only 3 of them are breastfed, the other 87 are formula fed (from Florida Healthy Start Coalition)

~Put your baby to sleep on his back, even for naps

~Don't dress him too warmly

~Don't put blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, etc in his crib

~Don't smoke, and don't let anyone who is a smoker in your house or near your baby

Relax, his risk at this age begins to decline even further.  At about 7 months, the risk of SIDS is exceedingly low.

Answer 3

There is nothing you can do to prevent it, but there are things you can do to reduce the risk, such as not smoking around the baby or in the baby's home, not giving pillows and blankets in the crib, removing all bumper pads and other things the baby may suffocate on from the crib, breastfeeding and much more. Do a google search for "Reducing SIDS" and it should come up with some more suggestions.

Although the risk of SIDS is present until 1 year (when Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, or SUDC, a rare condition, can take over), the risk is greatly reduced after the 6th month of life. Most commonly, babies will die between 1 month and 6 months, and very rarely before or after.

Answer 4

I'm really sorry for your loss. I have also experienced loss and understand your anxiety. There are a lot of things you can do to prevent SIDS. Some of those things are:

- Always sleep your baby on his back

- Never ever smoke around your baby as 95% of SIDS deaths are from parents who smoke or a baby who lives in a home with smokers

- Never overheat your baby so ensure he isn't too hot

- Always make sure covers can't go over his head

- Never place anything unnecessary in his bed (cot bumpers, toys etc are a risk)

- Use a movement detection baby monitor (these monitors detect the tiniest movement of the babies breathing and alarm if no movement is detected within 20 seconds).

The risk of SIDS decreases once the baby reaches 6 months but this doesn't mean you shouldn't be vigilant at all times in ensuring you follow the basic SIDS rules.

Try not to worry and have some faith that your baby will be fine if you follow the rules. Best of luck and try to enjoy your wonderful little boy.  

Answer 5

Attached is the Australian site.  There are Australian stats on there and the safe sleeping stuff, much of which has been mentioned...

Answer 6

I am so sorry to hear about your tragic loss.  I am a first time mom and i use a sensor mat under the babies mattress which connects to the baby monitor.  They are worth the money and give you peace of mind when baby is sleeping.

Please get one

Answer 7

I went to a training seminar run by the SIDS foundation and they recommended the following:

Always put him down to sleep on his back.

Remove all pillows, bumpers, lambskins, fluffy toys and quilts from his cot.

Position him so his feet are at the end of the cot.

Ensure the room isn't too hot and your baby isn't over-dressed.

Never allow anyone to smoke near your baby and if you or your partner smoke, quit immediately. (Having a parent who smokes dramatically increases the risk of SIDS, even if they never smoke in front of the baby.)

Never fall asleep in a chair or sofa while holding your baby.

Never allow your baby to fall asleep on a soft surface such as a pillow or beanbag - even for a minute!

The biggest single risk factor for SIDS is tummy or side sleeping and I think the second biggest is having a parent who is a smoker.

I know the fear of SIDS. Every time I put my daughter in her cot for a sleep, I pray for her protection and I thank God every time she wakes safely.

Answer 8

you can only do things like sleep him on his back, preferrably swaddled securely. No bumpers, pillows, toys, quilts etc..in the cot. No loose blankets. Sleep him with his feet at the end of the cot and the blankets tucked in securly with any excess tucked under the mattress (so it can't get pulled over his head). No smoking around him and some people say using a dummy/pacifer reduces the risks as it keeps them in constant movement.

And then just leave the rest to god and know that whatever happens you did all you could.

I have a 6 wk old baby and even though he is my 3rd I am still paranoid about sids. They do say that once your baby is rolling over (front to back and back to front) that the risks are heavily reduced as they are better able to get themselves into a better position should they find themselves on their stomach in the night

Just try to relax and I'm sure all will be fine.

Answer 9

YOu can buy alarms for their mattreses...they go off if the baby stops breathing...can be very anxiety making though as babies DO sometimes stop breathing for a few seconds but if it gave you peace of mind then worth while...I dont know what they are called but google  "Mattress alarm baby"

Answer 10

i have my own theory on sids.i personally think its sleep apnoia because it makes u stop breathing in ur sleep for long periods of time.i doubt it would show up in an autopsy so they would have no way of knowing.my brother died of sids when he was 4 months old and when my daughter was 1 she was diagnosed with sleep apnoia,i dunno really but all i know is sids can run in the family and i have a friend who had the same history as me.