Not enough parents trust SIDS advice, experts say

Taya Flores , tflores@jconline.com Published 6:32 p.m. ET May 13, 2014 | Updated 1:30 p.m. ET May 14,2014

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(Photo: PHOTOS BY John Terhune/Journal & Courier)

Story Highlights

• Each year, about 4,000 infants die suddenly, without any obvious cause prior to investigation, according to the CDC.
• The three most common causes are SIDS — where the cause is unknown, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, according to the CDC.
• SIDS is still the leading cause of death for babies younger than a year old, according to the CDC.
• Other sudden unexpected infant deaths include accidental suffocation and strangulation.

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Although it's only natural for a mother to worry about the health of her newborn, swaddling Archer puts Jenna Demerly's mind at ease.
"He's more comfortable and feels like he's back in the womb," Demerly, 29, of Wolcott, said. "It's easy for him to stay calm and not get startled. It's easier for us to check on his breathing, too, if he's face up."
Demerly will put Archer, who was born last Thursday, to bed the same way she put her two older children — 4 and 2 — to sleep when they were infants.
"Our kids have all slept in a bassinet right next to me, at the side of our bed," she said. "We always make sure they are wrapped up tight and on their back. We don't use any loose blankets or bumpers when they sleep."
Jenna learned these tactics from training given in childbirth education classes and St. Elizabeth East, where she gave birth to her two youngest children. These are some of the ways mothers can prevent sudden infant death syndrome or other sleep-related deaths.
Despite local efforts and a joint national campaign that launched in 1994 and is touted to have cut SIDS rates by half, the unexplained syndrome is still the leading cause of death for babies younger than a year old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"I think parents haven't incorporated the beliefs," said Marcia Cherry, director of the neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric centers for Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health.. "They may listen to their mother or grandmother … and may think that SIDS may never happen to them."
Clinicians worry about other sudden unexpected infant deaths, too.
Each year, about 4,000 infants die suddenly, without any obvious cause prior to investigation. The three most common causes are SIDS — where the cause is unknown, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed, according to the CDC.
Local clinicians say the numbers remain steady due to the rise in co-sleeping or mothers sharing the bed with the infant.
USA TODAY recently reported that nearly one in five mothers still shares a bed with a baby — tripling an infant's risk of dying from SIDS, according to research presented last week at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting.
"No parent wants to wake up and realize their infant has suffocated and they may be the cause of that," Cherry said.
This is why it's important to educate parents "to let them know that co-sleeping is not the safest way to sleep," said Joyce VanHoosier, division director of the labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum services at Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health.
There are other non-safe ways parents can put their babies to sleep.
As many as 80 percent to 90 percent of sudden unexpected infant deaths are caused by unsafe sleep practices, according to First Candle, an infant health advocacy group that started in the 1960s as the National SIDS Foundation.
Jane Thelen, a registered nurse with Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health, gives this safe sleeping advice:
• A bed should be empty of toys, pillows and loose blankets.These items can cover the baby's face and interfere with breathing.
• Avoid bumper pads. They are pretty but not safe. A baby can be strangled or trapped.
• A baby should always be put on her back to sleep. If a baby spits up formula or breast milk while on her back, she can cough it out or swallow it. However, if a baby spits up while lying on her stomach, the infant is more likely to aspirate the formula.
• A baby should not be placed on an adult bed, not even to take a nap. Chairs, sofas and water beds should also be off-limits. They are too soft; air can get trapped around the infant's face. Infants need firm mattresses.
• Car seats and swings are not considered safe sleep environments for infants. Babies should be in cribs, where they can lay flat and stretch out.
• Instead of loose blankets, use a wearable blanket, such as a Halo SleepSack, to keep the baby warm. If a loose blanket is all you have, tuck it in tightly around the three sides of the crib up to the infant's chest to prevent the blanket from becoming loose and getting around the baby's face.
• Placing the baby on his tummy is good for improving the baby's neck and shoulder muscles.However, this activity needs to occur when the baby is awake and under adult supervision.
• Don't sleep with the infant in your bed. You can accidentally roll over and suffocate the infant. The baby can also roll off the bed.
• It's OK to breast-feed the infant in your bed, but be sure to place the infant in a crib after the feeding.