Definition:
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) = A situation in which a seemingly healthy infant, at least 2 months of age, suddenly stops breathing and dies unexpectedly while asleep (Berger 2009).
Why is it Meaningful to me and how it has impacted my future work:
SIDS is important to me because just a year ago, one of my employees lost her infant to SIDS. It was such a devastating time for the parents and the staff. Each of my employees are now required to have annual SIDS training so that are using developmentally appropriate practices at home and at work to ensure the safety of the children are enforced and maintained at all times. Our goal is to empower our staff with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the needs of individual children and their families by providing a safe and nurturing environment.
Research:
Infant mortality has dropped worldwide over the past few years. Studies show the United States as having the least amount of infant fatalities compared to other countries such as Chile, India, Mexico and Poland. I believe this is due to identified causes and early intervention. Infants are diagnosed with SIDS when an autopsy and careful investigation cannot identify the cause of death.
In 1990, there were about 5000 reported cases of SIDS in the United States averaging 1 in every 800 infants. Similar rates were reported in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and bout European and South American nations. Surprisingly, research identified ethnic differences: Asian babies were less likely to become victims of SIDS compared to European or African descents. Even before the worldwide campaign to reduce risk of SIDS, only 1 baby in 3,000 in Hong Kong died of SIDS, compared with 1 baby in 200 in New Zealand ( Berger 2009) and (Byard, 2004). Some researches believed that low socioeconomic status (SES) increases the rate of SIDS, but further research found this to be an untrue hypothesis. Researchers began focusing on infant care practices and found that placing infants on their backs to sleep decreased SIDS.
While SIDS can occur outside of cribs, it's also known as crib death because it happens most often during sleep, usually between the hours of 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. It occurs most frequently during cold-weather months. About 20 percent of SIDS deaths happen in childcare settings, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics in 2000
Some experts believe that SIDS happens when a baby with an underlying abnormality sleeps tummy-down or in an area with soft or loose bedding, or is faced with an environmental challenge such as secondhand smoke during a critical period of growth. 
References
American SIDS Institute (1983 - 2009). Welcome to the american sids institute. Retrieved from http://sids.org/
Berger. K. S. (2009). The developing person: Through childhood. New York. NY: Worth Publishers
Kidshealth (2005-2010). Sudden infant dealth syndrom. Nemours. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/
Brenda,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post.According to new studies ,SIDS rates have dropped because mothers are been advised to let their babies sleep on their backs instead of stomach.I learned something interesting when i was reading article on SIDS. I read that pacifiers during nap-time and bedtime can help reduce the risk of SIDS because Doctors think that a pacifier might allow the airway to open more and prevent the baby from falling into a deep sleep.
Olufemi.
Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI found your post to be very informative and very well written. I learned so much more about SIDS. I did not realize that it occurrs most often during cold winter months. Thank you for sharing this information.
Wow, I didn't know that about 20% of SIDS happens in childcare. It is a good thing that ways to prevent SIDS has become a more informed public health measure. SIDS is devastating, I know someone who lost their baby to SIDS also.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
ReplyDeleteSIDS is a very devastating and painful sitution that occurs around the world. I couldn't imagine how your coworker felt. When I first had my child I was very scared of what would happen to her. Your post was very helpful and well written. Good job.
Brenda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for talking about SIDS. This information should be shared with not only parents but caregivers, babysitters, etc. The smallest mistake could be deadly when putting a child down to sleep. My son was at a higher risk for SIDS because there had been previous SIDS' death in the family. My mother-in-law infuriates me because she has put my son on his stomach to sleep since he was a month old. She also crowds his crib with stuffed animals, blankets and pillows against my will. I am constantly removing items from his crib and placing him on his back after he has been in her care. Needless to say the older generations do not seem to know this information and I look forward to living in my own home where my wishes are respected! Great post!!