[ad_1]
NEW YORK (CNN) – Amanda Saucedo did everything the natural parenting blogs she read told her to do before bringing her newborn son Ben to his bed to sleep together in October 2014.
“I was a single mother of two, so I slept in every way I could,” said Saucedo, who was 27 at the time. “I was like, ‘These people say it’s safe if I take these precautions’, so that’s what I did – one pillow, one blanket and only mum in bed, with a baby. who is exclusively breastfed. “
Saucedo had successfully slept with Ben’s older brother Trae, 3, and thought she was even more careful with Ben.
But the morning Ben was 30 days old, Saucedo woke up to find him dead – a victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.
“There was nothing on him when I woke up,” Saucedo said. “We slept on my bed, so of course the mattress won’t be as firm as a crib mattress. So it could have compromised his airways, or maybe I was exhaling into his face and he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. I’m not really sure.
“Immediately I blamed myself, of course,” she says. “Even on the 911 call I told them, ‘I know you’re not supposed to sleep with babies, but that was the only way he could sleep.’ “
SIDS numbers do not decrease
Despite decades of public health messages designed to prevent Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome, or SUID, some 3,500 babies die from it each year in the United States, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This makes SUID the leading cause of death in infants aged 1 month to 1 year.
(SIDS is a subset of SUID. Upon investigation, death from SUID may be due to suffocation due to airway blockage or entanglement in bedding and blankets, infection, suffocation, injury or cardiac or metabolic dysfunction. When the death could not be explained, the baby would have died from SIDS.)
“These deaths still happen – and they happen to well-meaning parents,” said Dr. Rachel Moon, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics task force on SIDS and wrote the AAP policy statement on safe sleep for infants.
“We have stayed at the same rate of sleep-related deaths since about 1998,” she added. “And the rate in the United States is much higher than that of most developed countries – and even some less developed countries.”
These deaths still happen – and they happen to well-meaning parents.
–Dr. Rachel Moon, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics SIDS Working Group
First recognized in 1969, in the early 1990s, researchers found that having a baby sleeping on their back on a firm crib surface was associated with the lowest risk. In 1994, a massive public awareness effort called the “Back to Sleep” campaign began to convince parents to only put babies to sleep on their backs, not their stomachs.
Other key campaign features were to avoid fluffy bedding or blankets in the cribs, as well as bumpers, decorative pillows, toys, or anything else.
Now, a new study of nearly 5,000 babies who died suddenly between 2011 and 2017 found that almost 70% slept in an unsafe environment according to AAP’s safe sleep guidelines, such as sleeping on soft surfaces or at risk for sleep. choking like blankets, pillows and crib decorations added by caregivers.
“When it comes to soft bedding, it’s usually blankets, pillows, and protective pads,” said Moon, chief of the division of general pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She did not participate in the study.
“Bed sharing rarely happens without pillows and blankets,” Moon said, adding that beds, sofas and chairs can be extremely dangerous, largely because “they’re so soft and soft. soft”.
Many parents focus on the sleeping position (which is very important) but don’t think removing soft bedding is so important.
–Dr. Rachel Moon, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics SIDS Working Group
But there are many dangerous sleep situations that parents ignore, she said.
“A lot of parents focus on the sleeping position (which is very important) but don’t think removing soft bedding is that important,” Moon said.
However, the new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found that 75% of infant deaths from airway obstruction were due to soft bedding. In fact, only 1% to 2% of unexplained deaths did not have dangerous sleep factors.
“We always want a baby to be on his back, in a cradle, cradle or other flat, firm and separate surface that is both close to the parents’ bed and has nothing in or on top of it except a sheet. slim and snug and baby, ”says Moon.
“I know it’s hard to sleep safely for every sleep, but keep doing it!” She added. “Remember, the safest baby is the one on their back, in a cradle or cradle, or other firm, flat surface with nothing in it.”
‘Absolute nightmare’
It’s a message Saucedo will never forget. In the six years since Ben’s death, she turned her grief into a crusade to make sure no other mother made her mistake.
She volunteers with First Candle, one of the oldest SIDS nonprofits committed to educating parents about SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths, while providing support to grieving families who have suffered a loss.
Saucedo is also taking her message to other mothers on Facebook with Benny Bears, a non-profit foundation she and her family created to spread the word about AAP-recommended safe sleep practices:
- Babies should sleep on their backs for all naps and at night until they are 1 year old.
- This even applies to babies who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. “Some parents worry that babies will suffocate when they are on their backs, but the anatomy of the baby’s airways and the gag reflex will prevent this from happening,” says the AAP.
- If a baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, baby carrier, or sling, place your child on a firm sleeping surface on their back as soon as possible.
- Make sure the surface of the cradle, cradle, or playground is firm – so firm that there is no indentation when baby is lying on it. Look for one that meets Consumer Product Safety Commission safety standards and only use a fitted sheet designed for that specific product.
- Nothing else should be in the crib except for the baby. No decorative bumpers, no cute toys, no pillows, just the baby. “If you are worried about your baby getting cold, you can use baby sleep clothes, such as a portable blanket. In general, your baby should be dressed in one more diaper than what you are wearing, ”says the AAP.
- Only bring your baby to your bed to feed or comfort him. Bed sharing is not recommended for infants.
- Never place your baby on a couch, couch, or armchair, and don’t let the baby fall asleep on nursing pillows or pillow-shaped floor mattresses.
Despite his grief, Saucedo never shies away from telling his story if it can save a life.
“No matter how well, practice safe sleep – every time – because you never think it’s going to be you until you’re the one to wake up and find every parent’s absolute nightmare.
The-CNN-Wire ™ and © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
Related stories
Other stories that might interest you
[ad_2]
Source link