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7-29-2004
Dear
Friends,
I
am asking for your help in preventing babies from dying.
I
went to the funeral home last evening for the service of another
baby in Northern
Virginia who
died of SIDS.
This
beautiful little six month old girl was spending the night at her
father's house. Mom and Dad were separated.
The
baby was put to sleep in Dad's bed and died.
In
almost every case of SIDS that we have learned of since January,
nine in Northern
Virginia , two
in Washington
D.C.
and 21
in the Richmond
area-- the
baby has died in an unsafe bed. Adult beds are not safe
places for babies to sleep.
In
response to the growing body of evidence that points to unsafe
sleeping conditions as a leading cause of SIDS and accidental
suffocation infant deaths, SIDS Mid-Atlantic urges parents
and caregivers to make sure babies have a safe place to sleep.
A review of the current scientific literature reinforces the
recommendation that all babies be
placed on their back to sleep on a firm,
flat surface with no pillows, comforters
or other soft objects around them
that may block the flow of fresh
air to the baby or cause accidental
suffocation. The fact is, these same
conditions must apply whether a baby
sleeps alone in a crib or bed shares
with a parent in an adult bed.
In addition to the more obvious hazards
of adult beds for infants
(entrapment, overlaying, suffocation
or a fall from the bed,) the soft and
fluffy bedding materials found in
the adult bed can cause a dangerous
buildup of carbon dioxide around
a sleeping baby. Rebreathing exhaled
carbon dioxide has been identified
as a leading cause of Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome.
As
a result of the “Back To Sleep Campaign”,
which recommends placing babies to
sleep on their back and removing all
soft bedding items from the sleep
area, SIDS rates have dropped by more
than 50%. However SIDS
rates have not decreased among African American or Native American
families.
It is important to note that bed
sharing has not been found to be
protective against SIDS, but studies
do suggest that room sharing (having
the crib or other separate sleep
surface along side the adult bed or sofa)
may be beneficial. Given all we know,
it would seem that this continues to
be the best way to maximize all the
benefits and minimize all the dangers
associated with bed sharing.
The safest place for a baby
to sleep is in a safety approved crib, on a firm mattress, with
no loose or soft bedding around them.
If
a crib is not available, or if you choose to bed share with
your baby, to try to maintain a safe sleep environment:
Always
place your baby to sleep on his or her back, on a firm mattress
covered with only a tight
fitting bottom sheet (no padded mattress tops
or covers);
Remove all loose and fluffy bedding from your baby's sleep
area. This
includes pillows, blankets,
quilts, comforters, bumper pads, sheepskins,
stuffed toys and other
soft products;
Never
place your baby to sleep on a sofa, waterbed, pillow, soft mattress,
or any other soft surface;
Do
not bed share with brothers, sisters or relatives other than the
baby's mother;
When
using a crib, make sure it meets current safety standards, and that
the mattress fits snuggly
in the crib;
When using a portable crib, bassinet or playpen, be sure to use
only the mattress
or pad provided by the
manufacturer;
Be aware of all of the hidden hazards of adult beds for infants.
These
include the potential
for entrapment between the bed, wall, headboard,
bed frame or other object;
accidental suffocation in soft bedding;
overlaying and falls
from the bed.
Until we can understand more about
the mechanisms of death, until we can
identify which babies are at risk,
and/or until we have achieved
widespread saturation of safe sleep
practices across all populations and
socio-economic strata, we must continue
to deliver life-saving messages
Thank
you for helping us prevent babies from dying.
Betty
Connal
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