Study shows what increases SIDS risk

c8lin2may

Here is the article:

https://fox4kc.com/2014/07/14/study-identifies-what-increases-sids-risk/

Any thoughts?

MrsSarahRenee

Is it called SIDS if they suffocate? I don't get it... That isn't much of an eye opening study...

atraveller

Just reading that story makes me queasy. I'd like to say I have thoughts but SIDS scares the hell out of me and I'll probably be worried about it until my child is well out of the age range to possibly fall victim to it. Sorry to be so hormonal about it - guess its one of my hot buttons or something.

Justabean3

Nothing really looks new

I think with "bed sharing" the issue is fluffy bed and bedding kind of thing or parent getting too close to baby and baby doesn't move away to breath.

All the calls we have taken here for the most part have been, child sick and left unattended too long, left in bed with no adult and got suffocated per say by the mattress or between mattress and bed

Actual no cause really usually means undefined to me. I don't think in the 10 years I have been here there has been a SIDS case of absolute no cause

aboodtobe

This is slightly off topic, but when my grandma was buying a crib for us the sales guy recommended this $400 crib mattress. He mentioned SIDS at least 5 or 6 times and made is sound like if we went with a "lower quality" mattress then we'd be jeopardizing our child's health. Needless to say, we went straight to a manager to let them know about this person's sales techniques. The manager was amazing and totally took care of us and made sure we had all the facts about all our options.

Anyway, my point is, there are very real concerns about a baby's health when it comes to sleeping. But before I make a decision about my child's well being, you better bet I'm going to consult a variety of sources and look at all the options. Using scare tactics or limited information to "educate" pregnant women is so not cool. Just my rant, but every time I hear SIDS I cannot help but think of that salesman!

c8lin2may

I would like to add thst I'm not trying to educate anyone. I just wanted to hear some thoughts about the article. I really do appreciate the thoughts so far.

Justabean3

There are some things too that actually help prevent SIDS that people don't think about either like paci's

While a lot of bf moms say no paci they can actually benefit a baby causing them to wake momentarily to suck before falling back asleep,
It is kind of like a gentle reminder of another body function to do

I have nothing against the no paci moms but don't feel guilty if they take one, they can be an advantage also

And just so you don't think I'm crazy
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sudden-infant-death-syndrome/basics/prevention/con-20020269

aboodtobe

c8lin2may I totally didn't mean you posting this article. Sorry, I was more just ranting about the person I dealt with. I actually really appreciate it when people share information on TB as many of these article I have never come across. Thank you!

c8lin2may

@aboodtobe‌
I know this can be a really touchy subject so I just wanted to clarify anyway. Thank you very much though.

trisharenee0316

Besides pacifiers, keeping a fan running in the room has been shown to decrease risk of SIDS, as has keeping your baby's room at a rather cool temperature--between 68 to 72 degrees.  No BS, my husband and I slept in shifts for probably the first 2 months of our daughter's life because we were both so afraid of SIDS and it's no way to live.  Knowing some of the above helped us regain some of our sleep and sanity.

Jansheski

This article kind of hit a nerve with me.  I don't think they used the correct terminology or gave enough information.  It seemed like they were saying if you follow all of these rules SIDS can be prevented.  My 5 month old died of SIDS last September.  For those of you who do not know much about SIDS there is no known cause for it.  There have been studies that are linking problems with the babies brain stem to possibly have something to do with it.  So please before you judge a situation please do not assume if a baby dies of SIDS it was because they were left in a unsafe sleep environment.  SIDS is actually a small category of a larger one called SUID (Sudden Unexpected Infant Death) which many coroners are using now to classify even SIDS cases.  SUID can include infant deaths where the baby has been accidentally suffocated.  I have met many mothers along this journey who have also done everything they possibly could to keep their baby safe and for some unknown reason their baby just stopped breathing.  It is very frustrating situation for parents like myself to not be able to understand why their baby didn't wake up from a nap.  It just doesn't make sense.  Yes there are things you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS but ultimately it cannot be prevented.  It is very hard to determine whether or not some of these infant deaths where the baby was left in an unsafe sleep environment was a true SIDS case or was caused more from suffocation or other means.  I would also like to add I have always been a huge advocate for safe sleeping and I highly recommend you as mothers take your child's sleep area seriously.  I never thought anything like this could happen to me.  But then again I guess there are some things you just cannot prevent from happening.  

Jansheski

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131111091733.htm
Not sure if I posted this link correctly but here is one article

AppleGrapeMSTK

@Jansheski Thank you for sharing.  I cannot even imagine the pain.  ((hugs))

lrobi13

@Jansheski‌ . Thanks for sharing. My step brother's four month old daughter died of SIDS a few years ago. It wasn't anything that could have been prevented. Again I am so sorry for your loss but you sharing your story is an eye opener for us all.

Aarg

@Jansheski so sorry for the loss of your little boy... That must have been devastating... 

I agree that the article doesn't use the best terminology (and I mean... the story was run by FOX NEWS...)
I work in a daycare and DCFS requires us to do SIDS training every year to make sure that we have any and all accurate information. When I first took the training, I couldnt believe how much information I thought I knew about SIDS was completely inaccurate.

Yes there are ways to help in preventing it, but there is no way to ultimately keep it from ever happening.
Hot Topic for me...

Ravenbaby

Wow thank you for sharing. I have no words to express how sorry I am to hear about your loss! About the article Ehhh... Well not great to hear considering we co slept with our son as a breastfeeding mother I found it extremely practical and of course loved it. I've been rethinking if I should get a co sleeper bed this time. I certainly don't want to risk anything I've read multiple sides of these studies. It's frustrating they contradict eachother

Emerald27

@Jansheski‌ I am very sorry for your loss.

I'm a bedsharing mother. Bedshared with DS until age two and plan to do the same with this baby if he's for it. We took the recommended precautions to make sure that we were bedsharing safely.

Here are some resources I found helpful:

https://cosleeping.nd.edu/controversies/

https://cosleeping.nd.edu/assets/31969/mckenna_et_al_2007.pdf

https://cosleeping.nd.edu/assets/33678/mckenna_gettlerangxp.pdf

https://cosleeping.nd.edu/assets/84194/nighttime_parenting_strategies.pdf

jcsumm0

I haven't read it, but here is the actual study. 
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/07/09/peds.2014-0401.full.pdf+html

It is my understanding that suffocation=/= SIDS and the article OP posted seemed to be inferring they were the same.  I've got to go to bed but I intend on reading the rest of the comments and the Pediatics article tomorrow.

Saragoeswest

So sorry for your loss @Jansheski‌ and thank you for sharing your story and frustrations. Thank you @theresat858‌ for pointing out what a crappy article this was. It confused me until you reminded me there is a distinction between suffocation and SIDS. So scary but you can only do so much to create a safe environment. There is so much out of our control.

jcsumm0

@Jansheski I am so very sorry for your loss.  Thank you for sharing your story with us and sharing that article.

I read the full study from Pediatrics and I have 2 issues with it.  One is that the study clearly states that SIDS and suffocation are not the same thing, but they combine the data from both for the study, so there is no telling which deaths were caused by suffocation and which by true SIDS. 

The other problem is they define bed-sharing as "sleeping on the same surface as a person or animal" and sleeping in an "adult bed" as adult bed, bunk bed, sofa bed, water bed or air mattress.   So the study doesn't make any distinction between bedsharing with the mother in a safe bed with no other objects in at, and sleeping with a 200 lb dog on a water bed (for example).  It's frustrating that the AAP just continuously wants to warn people to have babies sleep separate from adults, simply because it doesn't trust people to learn and follow the rules for sleeping together.  Then people get desperate because many babies don't sleep well away from adults, they end up sleeping with the baby somewhere unsafe, etc, etc.

Emerald27

@jcsumm0‌ VERY well said. =D>

The AAP would be far better served making guidelines for safe bedsharing available and accessible. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the times a mother has told me that baby will only sleep when touching her, so she's been sleeping on a sofa or in a recliner with baby...and why? Because she's been told that it's so unsafe to sleep with baby in a bed. We seriously need more good info out there ASAP - it would make for better sleep situations for many families and would save lots of lives.

MrMrsandBaby

So where can we find safe bedsharing guidelines?  I know it has come up but I want to show DH something about it and I don't think he will take message boards as a reliable source

Emerald27

MrMrsandBaby said:

So where can we find safe bedsharing guidelines?  I know it has come up but I want to show DH something about it and I don't think he will take message boards as a reliable source

A great reliable source is Dr. James McKenna of the Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory at Notre Dame:

https://cosleeping.nd.edu/safe-co-sleeping-guidelines/

There are some great articles and other information at Dr. Mckenna's website too.


Another good source for safe bedsharing guidelines is Dr. Sears:

https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/sleep-problems/sleep-safety/safe-co-sleeping-habits

Maggie6424

That's totally not new info. It seems like common sense to me. . . Once a baby gets a little older, parents may get complacent and assume baby will be fine with a blanket or a stuffed animal. Or a bumper. But are more likely to fall asleep with a newborn on their chest or in the bed and accidentally suffocate them.

Bed sharing scares the crap out of me, and personally I'd never do it. Even if we had one of those rigid basinet things that goes in the bed with the parents. I'd still be terrified that we'd accidentally push the pillow or something over baby's face.

nightowl1989

Equating SIDS to suffocation = BIG pet peeve of mine.

Not hating on ya, OP...it's just that the article doesn't define the difference and it really should. I have a cousin who lost her daughter to SUDC, which is basically the same thing, but in a child that is older than 12 months. It was not suffocation--the girl was fine when she was put to bed and 5-10 minutes later, she was gone. The worst part about this kind of thing is NOT knowing what causes it.

 

TheOtherJacobsons

I am purposefully not reading this thread. I came in here to say, holy shit @c8lin2may where have you been!

ETA: Also, congrats on your baby boy!

c8lin2may

Thank you everyone for telling me your thoughts. It seemed a bit fishy when I read it so I knew that you guys would give some good insight about it.

@TheOtherJacobsons‌ haha yeeaahh I took a break from thebump for a while. That makes me happy that you noticed. Thank you!

TheOtherJacobsons

Glad you're back.

krysngreg

I swear I watched my first one sleep for at least three months, then I slacked to letting her fall a sleep on my chest, then in the bed so feeding was easy and I could sleep more. This has reall opened my eyes, its scary to think I out my little girl at risk. She is now turning seven and I'm 26 weeks. I will be investing in a bassinet. Thank you for making my morning I love u so much sorry I was so sleepy last night, I'm sure once I can't smoke in just a couple days it won't be that way Thanks for sharing lady's.

krysngreg

Somehow a text from my husband got pasted in the middle of that comment .... How weird !!! Lol no I don't smoke

mcclan03

krysgreg said:

Somehow a text from my husband got pasted in the middle of that comment .... How weird !!! Lol no I don't smoke

LOL. I was like, say what now?

c8lin2may

Haha that's funny!!