Three weeks later, Baby B was no longer with us. His sitter had gone to check on him in his crib and he was not breathing. My friends had lost their first child, and there was nothing they could have done differently. B passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden death of an infant less than 1 year of age that cannot be explained after a thorough investigation is conducted, including a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history" (CDC). Each year SIDS claims the life of 2,500 children each year (kidshealth.org). Like Baby B, SIDS strikes out of the blue and usually with children who can be described as typically developing. While some issues such as poor prenatal care, low birth weight, tobacco use during pregnancy, and inappropriate sleeping arrangements can increase the likelihood of SIDS, there is no direct cause and there is no cure (kidshealth.org).
My friends did everything they could to prepare themselves for parenthood. They read the books, they took prenatal vitamins, they had their house safety inspected, didn't smoke or drink during pregnancy, and still they fell victim to an experience that no parent should ever have to deal with. SIDS effects children from all races, countries, and socioeconomic statuses (kids health.org). Information for families has become available to help reduce the risk of SIDS, but as there is no specific cause, there is no way to completely eradicate it from our world.
In my experience in working at early childhood centers, SIDS is something that we always train our infant room teachers about. They all receive First Aid and CPR training and are given very specific instructions on how to handle a situation like this in their classroom. Through my research today for this blog, I think that it's important that teachers continue to receive yearly training. Many parents trust teachers with their infants for sometimes 10 hours a day, we have to be prepared to do what we can to make sure that in an instant we are able to try and save a child.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Sudden unexpected infant death (SUIDS). Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/sids/
Kids Health. (2011). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Retrieved from: http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sleep/sids.html#
Machaela-
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear that SIDS has affected you and those close to you. Last year a family that I work with lost a baby to what, at first appeared to be SIDS, but later was found to be a brain aneurism,and I had my first experience of working with a family through the loss of their child. It was devastating for all of us. I kept replaying all of the times that moms had come to me and admitted that they had put their babies to bed on their stomachs, just for naps(!), because it was the only way they would sleep. I had always reminded them of the risks, but always felt it was their choice. After this experience, I shifted my approach in moments like that a lot. While the baby turned out to have died from a known cause, the experience of suddenly, inexplicably losing an infant feels the same, and I don't wish that upon anyone.
I've done a fair amount of research about SIDS as a sleep consultant, and wondered if you have read the study about SIDS and using fans at night? http://www.cdc.gov/sids/ interesting and shows that the use of a fan in the bedrooms of babies that are at high risk for SIDS dramatically reduces the risk of SIDS. The fact that air flow makes such a huge difference makes me really wonder about how much of a difference the fire retardancy chemicals make in causing SIDS. I read somewhere (I couldn't find it again tonight, but it stuck with me) that the huge rise in SIDS coincided with the laws that were passed to make fire retardant chemicals on mattresses mandatory. It seems to me that if sleeping on the back (read with the face farther from the mattress) and air circulation make a big difference, that those chemicals could play a part. I've heard it's being studied, but the study is just beginning. I would be really interested to find out more about that.
Thanks for sharing! Your piece was insightful and well-written! Thanks!
-Lauren
Hi Machaela, thank you for sharing such a personal side of SIDS and the impact it had on you personally and emotionally. I could not imagine what your friends experienced as they were blessed with such a healthy baby at birth and for some unknown reason their precious baby is taken away. I am so sorry to hear what they experienced. SIDS has not been something that I have had to experience on a personal or professional level. I could not imagine if I did have to experience it.
ReplyDeleteI am not that knowledgeable on the topic of SIDS, but as you said there are some links such as poor prenatal care, low birth weight, or smoke from cigarettes that can increase the cause of SIDS, but for the most, it goes unknown. I remember the nurse in my prenatal class talking about SIDS and ensuring that we put our babies on their backs to sleep. I have typically associated SIDS with night time sleeping at home, however I have never really thought about nap time in an early learning environment. You pointed out that each year SIDS claims the life of 2,500 children each year, I wonder how many of those SIDS related deaths occur in early learning environments?
It is great to hear how you well you prepare the educators in your program for situations such as this. When I go out this week to do my observations in an infant program, I am going to ask the director questions regarding how she prepares the educators in her program.
Thank you again for sharing what you know on a topic that still remains such a mystery.
Take care,
Stephanie
Hi Machaela -
ReplyDeleteWhat a sad story. I do not know much about SIDS and I know that is sad especially with the job I have. I have always wondered about SIDS though. My husband's brother (the first born of the family) died of what they would now call SIDS, but at the time didn't know what caused his death.
It was amazing to read that 2, 500 children died of SIDS in a year. That seems like an awful lot of children. I too am like Stephanie and wonder how many of those were in a child care setting. I guess as I read more about it, maybe I'll look up that answer for all of us.
Prayers for your friends...
Sincerely-
Gena