Nov. 12--A local program sought to combat SIDS in October by passing out baby pajamas and spreading knowledge.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, according to Linda Tantawai, executive director of the CJ Foundation for SIDS.
"Despite many years of research, we have no definitive cause of SIDS, just risk factors," Tantawai said. "The best chance we have to ensure the safety of our infants is to encourage parents and caregivers to learn as much as possible about SIDS and the importance of creating a safe sleep environment for their babies.
In October, 50 hospitals across the state, including Lenoir Memorial Hospital and Pitt Memorial Hospital, gave every newborn a pajama onesie -- a baby's one-piece outfit -- with the message "Stomach to Play, Back to Sleep, For Baby's Safe Sleep." The onesies were also available in Spanish.
"Stomach to Play, Back to Sleep has been a very successful program for several years and has had some positive impact in reducing the occurrence of SIDS," Lenoir County Health Director Joey Huff said. "When your baby is awake and it is time to play, you can put your baby on its stomach, but when it is time to sleep the baby should be laying on its back."
SIDS is the leading cause of death in infants from one month to one year of age. Education is key to decreasing the number of deaths caused by SIDS, according to N.C. Healthy Start Foundation Infant Safe Sleep Campaign Coordinator Marta Pirzadeh.
"It is critical that we continue to reinforce the message about infant safe sleep practices," Pirzadeh said. "By reaching out to nurses, clinical health providers and other members of the hospital staff, we can prepare them to better educate new parents about ways to reduce the risk of SIDS.
According to the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics, the number of infant deaths related to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome decreased in North Carolina from 136 deaths in children less than one year of age in 2008 to 98 in 2009.
The pajama program was coordinated by the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation to promote safe sleep practices for newborns and help reduce infant deaths, Pirzadeh said.
Joel Gerber can be reached at 252-559-1076 or jgerber@freedomenc.com.
Breakout Box:
Tips to prevent SIDS
n Place infants to sleep on their backs
n Place infants to sleep in a baby bed with a firm mattress. There should be nothing in the bed but the baby
n Keep your baby's crib in the parents' room until the infant is at least 6 months of age
n Do not place your baby to sleep in an adult bed
n Do not over-clothe the infant while she sleeps
n Avoid exposing the infant to tobacco smoke
n Breast-feed babies whenever possible
n Avoid exposing the infant to people with respiratory infections
n If your baby has periods of not breathing, going limp or turning blue, tell your pediatrician at once
n If your baby stops breathing or gags excessively after spitting up, discuss this with your pediatrician immediately
Source: The American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute
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