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.

Where is the safest place for a baby to sleep?

Does cosleeping have benefits? Definitely. It is a good idea? The American Academy of Pediatrics says no. After several comments last week from parents who support cosleeping, I thought it would be a good idea to find out why cosleeping is not recommended. Is it based on good research?

Dr. John Kattwinkel from the AAP SIDS Task Force said,"There certainly is a contingent that feels that bedsharing can be done safely, but the AAP SIDS Task Force that I chair felt that there was insufficient evidence of that to endorse it."

Here's why:

Bed sharing between an infant and adult(s) is a highly controversial topic. Although electrophysiologic and behavioral studies offer a strong case for its effect in facilitating breastfeeding and the enhancement of maternal-infant bonding,epidemiologic studies of bed sharing have shown that it can be hazardous under certain conditions.

Several case series of accidental suffocation or death from undetermined cause suggest that bed sharing is hazardous. Some of these studies have found the correlation between death and bedsharing to reach statistical significance only among mothers who smoked. However, the European Concerted Action on SIDS study, which was a large multisite study, found that bed sharing with mothers who did not smoke was a significant risk factor among infants up to 8 weeks of age.

Similarly, a more recent study conducted in Scotland found that the risk of bed sharing was greatest for infants younger than 11 weeks, and this association remained among infants with nonsmoking mothers. The risk of SIDS seems to be particularly high when there are multiple bed sharers and also may be increased when the bed sharer has consumed alcohol or is overtired.

There is growing evidence that room sharing (infant sleeping in the parent’s room) without bed sharing is associated with a re-duced risk of SIDS. Data from the European Concerted Action on SIDS study led to the recommendation by its authors that the most protective sleep setting for an infant is in a crib in the parents’room. On the basis of their study results, investigators in Scotland endorsed the United Kingdom Department of Health’s advice that the safest place for an infant to sleep is in a crib in the parents’ room for the first 6 months of life.

Jen: Attachment Parenting International says there is no good research that shows cosleeping is dangerous. It says the research that had been done on this topic was done by the companies who make cribs. Do you know if there is any truth to this and can you respond?

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The studies cited in our report were done by very reputable epidemiologists that as far as I know were not supported by manufacturers. Certainly no one on our task force receives any such support.

Jen: Some moms believe cosleeping deaths occur when parents are drunk or on drugs. One mom said, "Very often when a co-sleeping death happens, it is related to drugs, alcohol, or obesity. But those things rarely make the news stories - either because of a fear of making the parents feel guilty or because it wouldn't make for the same kind of headline."Can you please respond.

Dr. Kattwinkel:"It is true that all of the factors you mention increase the risk of SIDS and of bed-sharing significantly. However, controlling for these variables in several of the studies still show the adjusted risk to be increased. The most controversial variable is smoking, where a few found that removal of smoking eliminated the risk of bedsharing, but several others did not, particularly during the first 6 weeks after birth."

Jen: Can you respond to this statement from a local mom, "Some studies have shown the risk of SIDS greatly decreases when babies sleep next to their mothers - not only are mothers more in tune and likely to notice breathing disruptions in their baby, but babies' little bodies tend to mimic the breathing pattern of their mother next to them."

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The physiological observations cited by this mother are correct and the investigator has SPECULATED that this may protect from SIDS. However, he has published or presented no evidence that it actually does so."

Jen: Another comment from a local mom, "I still struggle to understand why co-sleeping is considered dangerous when about 50 babies a year die in bed with their parents, but cribs are considered safe and 3,000 babies die in cribs alone every year. "

Dr. Kattwinkel: "The numbers quoted by this mother are not quite correct, or the facts are unknown. However, it is essential to define the denominator. The same argument can be made about sleep position. 997 of each 1000 babies who sleep on their stomachs will NOT die of SIDS. However, when you consider the number of births in the U.S., prevention of those 2-to-3/1000 deaths by babies sleeping on their backs has resulted in over 15,000 fewer deaths since introduction of the "Back to Sleep" recommendation."

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Back to Sleep Campaign

I am mentioning a sad story today in hopes of helping other parents. A 7 week old baby in Pekin, Illinois died this week and the coroner attributes the death to the baby being placed on his stomach to sleep. This is so sad. I know my oldest son loved to sleep on his stomach when he was first born, but I only let him do so if I was lying down and he was on my stomach. The coroner ruled the baby's death accidental.

The Back to Sleep campaign started 13 years ago and according to the AAP, the rate of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has dropped by 50%. The SIDS Network describes The syndrome as a the sudden death of an infant which remains unexplained after all known and possible causes have been carefully ruled out through autopsy, death scene investigation, and review of the medical history. We don't know whether the baby mentioned above died from SIDS, but this is a good reason for all of us to brush up on the facts.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:

• About one in five sudden infant death syndrome(SIDS) deaths occur while an infant is in the care of someone other than a parent. Many of these deaths occur when babies who are used to sleeping on their backs at home are then put to sleep on their tummies by another caregiver.


• Babies who are used to sleeping on their backs and are put to sleep on their tummies are 6-9 times more likely to die from SIDS.


• Side sleeping is not as safe as back sleeping and is not advised.


• SIDS is most common among infants that are 2-4 months old


• SIDS is more common in male babies


• SIDS is more common during the winter months


• The leading cause of death for infants between
  1 month and 12 months of age is SIDS

The AAP recommends putting a child on his/her back to sleep until age one. I know my baby started rolling over on his stomach when he was about 5 months old. My pediatrician said that is okay if they do it on their own, but make sure there are no blankets, animals or other things that could suffocate the child.

The Central Illinois area had several babies die a few years ago in a short period of time after parents put the baby to sleep in their bed and the baby suffocated. This is certainly a scary situation.

Kids Health. org looks at whether Cosleeping is Safe?

Despite the possible pros like being close to your baby and making breastfeeding easier, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warns parents not to place their infants to sleep in adult beds, stating that the practice puts babies at risk of suffocation and strangulation. And the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is in agreement with the CPSC.

We used the pack n' play with a bassinet feature. I put it right next to the bed. I picked up and fed him in bed, then put him back in the pack n' play to sleep.

What did you do with your kids? I know things have changed a lot since I was a baby.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen