Preventing SIDS

The reporter interviewed parents who had an 8 month old who died from SIDS. I feel naive, but I thought I was in the clear with my 5 month old. He is so mobile now. This story made me nervous about SIDS again. How am I supposed to know whether he has low serotonin levels?

FROM NBC:What could be a key piece of information on the mystery of sudden infant death syndrome. A campaign to encourage putting infants to sleep on their backs has lowered the number of SIDS cases: but new research may answer some bigger questions on what really causes the syndrome.

Howard and Pam Teibel are among two thousand families a year who lose a child to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - commonly known as SIDS. Howard: "I can't imagine what your, what you go through, and I think that, I know that what I go through is very also private." Their baby Andrew seemed healthy but his death at 8 months brought grief, anger and many unanswered questions.

Pam: "With the death of a child comes complications of unbelievable guilt and responsibility. This happened on my watch." The known risk factors for SIDS include prematurity, being male, over-bundling, maternal smoking and exposure to second hand smoke.

But new research from Boston's Children's Hospital and others suggest that something else is going on in SIDS babies, a deficiency of serotonin, which in infants, helps regulate breathing, sleep, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Dr. Kinney: "if there's too little serotonin, that circuit doesn't function well, that alarm system doesn't work, and the baby, when stressed, goes on to die." Sleep position is still an independent risk factor for SIDS and that's why all babies should be put to sleep on their backs.

Dr. Kinney: "A normal baby will wake up, and stir and turn its head and get itself out of that dangerous situation. Facedown baby may be re-breathing carbon dioxide and this builds up." There is currently no screening test for serotonin levels in the brain, but Kinney and colleagues hope that one day there will be.

Dr. Nancy: "What are you hearing from parents?" Dr. Kinney: "What we hear is hope. I don't know how else to say it." Hope that fewer babies die and more families like the Teibel's are spared this terrible grief.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Fans prevent SIDS

Yes, I am talking about a fan you plug into the wall that blows air into a room. That small step could prevent your baby from dying from SIDS. It won't prevent all SIDS cases, but it's an easy step you can take that might help. One of my colleagues, Anchor Teresa Snow from Jefferson City, Missouri, sent me this story she wrote:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is not an illness, but a a medical diagnosis made only when a child under a year old dies and there is no other medical explanation to explain why. There are no warning signs, which makes the death of 25-hundred infants in the U-S every year even more tragic.

Alan and Kim Atnip of Linn, MO lost their 9 week old son Garrett to SIDS almost four years ago. "I miss my son everyday," says Alan, noting Garrett would have turned four later this month. As they did with Garrett, the Atnip's follow a strict routine when putting their 15 week old infant Michael to sleep. "I always put him to sleep on his back," says Kim. "I don't have the room too warm."

Experts say those moves are critical. They also advise parents to keep stuffed animals and extra blankets out of the crib, to give an infant a pacifier, not to smoke while pregnant nor around a baby. And a recent report makes another recommendation.

Doctors at Kaiser Permanente say using a fan to keep a room well ventilated is one more way to prevent rebreathing. That's when a baby breathes the carbon dioxide it exhaled -- which is believed to be the main cause of sudden infant death syndrome. "We found that if a fan was used in an infants sleeping room, the infant's SIDS risk was reduced by 72 percent," says Dr. De-Kun Li of Kaiser Permanente.

While the Atnips and their sons Michael, Justin and Nolan remember Garrett's life, they believe ultimately their family's future is in God's hands. The Atnip's say the group SIDS Resources offered much needed support to their family during their grieving process. -NewsAnchorMom Teresa

Has anyone heard of this whole fan idea?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Finally, a cause for SIDS

If you are a parent you surely remember those nights where you laid in bed looking at your newborn just to make sure he/she was still breathing. We hear a lot about babies dying in those first few months from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. It's a scary thought because most of the time doctors don't know why it happened. This new research could hold some clues, but it doesn't tell us what we can do to prevent it besides put the baby to sleep on his back and don't smoke.

From ABC:

Could a common bacterial infection be the cause of some unexplained sudden infant deaths? New research from Australia finds that perhaps 1 in 10 cases of SIDS - otherwise known as "crib death" - is actually due to harmful bacteria in the baby's system.

Around 2,500 infants in the U.S. die without warning each year and their deaths remain largely unexplained - classified as sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Doctors in Australia compared autopsy results from babies who died of SIDS and those who died of other causes. Not surprisingly, they discovered that many infants who died of infection had evidence of bacteria in their systems - but they also found that 1 in 10 SIDS babies tested positive for bacteria.

Researchers theorize that infants may be particularly vulnerable to bacterial infection between 8 and 10 weeks -- a peak risk period for SIDS -- because of their immature immune systems. Experts say widespread antibiotic treatment for babies is not the answer - More research is needed to find the best way to prevent these infections.

Parents should focus on proven ways to reduce SIDS - always put babies to sleep on their backs, in a crib with no loose pillows or blankets, and keep the home smoke free.

Do any of you remember checking on your baby constantly to make sure your little one was still breathing?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Methodist Medical Center's new online healthcare program, MyMethodist eHealth, is a proud sponsor of this blog post. MyMethodist eHealth is the secure link to your doctor's office that lets you request appointments, order prescription refills, update your personal health record, and more. Sign up for MyMethodist eHealth here.