SIDS increase

[Heaven]

Did anyone see in the news today about how SIDS deaths have increased in the last year? Any ideas why this is? It's pretty scary. They were thinking it was because parents were worried about their babies getting flat head syndrome or something from lying on their backs all the time. I don't know about that, how common is it?
Just wondering about people's thoughts, do you always sleep your baby on their back??

[Lucy]

SaraJane,

I heard it on the radio news this morning too. Here is a transcript from the ABC if anyone wants to read it:

Cot death cases on the rise
New statistics have revealed an increase in the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

SIDS with Kids says the figures show the number of cases nationally has jumped from 59 in 2004 to 87 in 2005.

SIDS spokeswoman Angela Doyle says the rise can be partly blamed on complacency among parents.

She says the trend is leaving experts worried.

"We had started to hear stories of parents thinking well, I don't need to worry about SIDS any more so look, I'll just sleep them on their tummy," she said.

"They're worried about plagiocephaly or flat head so they say SIDS isn't around any more.

"Unfortunately what we thought might have happened is probably happening, we can't prove that but we suspect that is the cause of the increase."

Ms Doyle says although the total number of cases has fallen dramatically since the late 1980s, the recent rise is a cause for concern.

"Unfortunately the risk of SIDS is still as big as it ever was and it's only because people have been following our safe sleeping recommendations that the numbers have decreased," she said.

From my personal perspective, I have always been paranoid about keeping my babies on their back. (I was a smoker and DH still is, so I am hence probably even more paranoid IYKWIM?)

My babies have all slept in a baby hammock as this keeps them firmly on their backs regardless of if they at an age when they could roll over........this helps my peace of mind and gives them blissful uninterrupted sleeps....

[Janet]

We know from a great deal of research that formula feeding, cot sleeping and early vaccination are risk factors for SIDS so it's hardly surprising that our rates of SIDS would rise as those practices rise as well. In countries where breastfeeding, cosleeping and not vaccinating before 2 years are the norm such as Japan, SIDS is almost unknown. I'm not surprised by this news although greatly saddened by it. We really fail to nurture mothers and babies in our society.

[little sprocket]

Geez it sounds like anything u do is going to cause something to happen to someone these days.

[*EmJa*]

Ive always slept Emelia on her back.

why is FF bubs at more risk of sids????

[Evie76]

I always sleep DS on his back. So many of my friends worry about there babies having flat heads - I have dubbed their incessant need for a baby wih a round head "Project Round Head". They will do anything so their babies don't have flat heads at the back - even ignore the warnings!!

I'll be blatant here - I'd rather a flat head than a dead baby. Flat heads go away.

[Pandora]

Why is cot sleeping a sids risk? DS slept in a cot (flat sheet, grobag no blankets/pillows etc) or a hammock since birth.

[Evie76]

Yeah, rayray, good question. DS also sleeps in a cot - always has.

[BellyBelly]

My two both co-slept and had beautiful heads. I used to sling it during the day as they just did not like the cot. More Marisa than Elijah though.

[Liz]

Tallon had a lopsided head for a while. But it goes away once they're mobile.

[christy]

Well our friend's baby died at 18 months and he co-slept and breastfed for 12 months.

[christy]

Caro it was officially SIDS. He was in a big bed at the time too. It was awful, his mum woke up with a funny feeling... I still go and check on Matilda when I have even the slightest twinge of that feeling. With Jovie she's in the cot next to our bed for half the night & in our bed for the rest of it. I'm not ready to move her out of our room yet.

[~shazz~]

Christy ~ thats so sad i still worry constantly about ryan and really haven't had a good nights sleep since he was born i tend to intently listen to the monitor and wake a the slightest change in breathe sounds/ coughs etc

[BellyBelly]

Yeah there have been a fair few stories in the media about co-sleeping and if you do some delving, many of them have been practising unsafe co-sleeping. For example sleeping on the couch, heavily overweight, on medications etc. There have been some big hullabaloos in the media but when I found out more I was angry because that's what they don't tell you. Pinky also has safe sleeping guidelines on her website, http://www.pinky-mychild.com

Also look up research by James McKenna who runs the only baby sleep lab and has done much research into safe co-sleeping and promotes the benefits which are found over the years of the labs work.

[Lucy]

We know from a great deal of research that formula feeding, cot sleeping and early vaccination are risk factors for SIDS so it's hardly surprising that our rates of SIDS would rise

Janet, can I trouble you to send me links to this research? As I mentioned, I am a tad paranoid about SIDS (as most Mums are, probably!) so I'd be keen to see some evidence?

My email is lucy.mulvany@bellybelly.com.au

Thanks

[Aranah]

The hospital where I just gave birth said the guidelines were no co-sleeping for the first 4 months to lessen the SIDS risk. I co-slept with my other two babies and finding it hard not co-sleeping this time, but I do remember waking up with my other baby's head squashed into my bbs and almost smothering them which really scared me. I am too scared to risk it this time, I guess I can't see how it couldn't be a bigger risk IYKWIM? Like there is much more chance of blankets over the head, them pressing agaisnt a person or pillow or being smothered or squashed by a heavy adult sleeper, particularly the other half. That's just me though and not saying anyone else is right or wrong, in my circumstances I can imagine DP rolling onto a baby and not realizing it.
Has anyone tried those foam thingy's that can go in your bed for co sleeping?

[Berry]

Most babies in NICU were placed on their tummy to sleep (and would have less oxygen desaturations in this position compared to on their backs) - with constant bedside nurses they were monitored all the time and so I guess it was ok that they slept this way. Once Emily came home, she still liked sleeping on her tummy having always slept like that during her 3 months in hossy. We found the Angelcare baby monitor gave us great reassurance by having an alert alarm which sounded if she ever stopped breathing (which thankfully didn't happen).

[Inanna]

I too have read that in countries where vaccination is delayed, breastfeeding occurs for at least the first 12 months and cosleeping is "usual" that the sids rate is less (some Scandanavian countries and Asian countries). I am not sure it's a study as such but rather a comparison... I am not sure where that info can be accessed though...

Someone asked why the breastfeeding link. Well I can't answer that definitively but I do know that we don't really know all there is in that wonderful breastmilk. There are enzymes and qualities we don't even have names for. There is also the hormonal response between infant and Mama that occurs when we breastfeed. Also, breastfed babies have a heightened "mother response". Meaning that if you let down in the night your baby will wake smelling the milk (if she is in the same room of course) - this is thought to somehow protect against SIDS...

All of these things are thoughts, ideas I am not certain if they have been proven but rather an explaination why babies in certain situations are less likely to be claimed by Sids... Now, of course babies still die of SIDS in the most optimal of conditions... Is it a gene that is defective? Is it environmental? Is it an allergy? Who knows...

What we do know is that it's an absolute tragedy that nobody is to blame for...

One way of reducing the flat head is to ensure babies have tummy time whilst they are awake. This is really really important for their development - cognitive and physical and of course decreases that flat head thing as they spend less time on their backs. I wear my babies also so I guess this decreases the flat head thingy too. I have never had flat head issues but I do know babies that did...

Two of my babies wouldnt' settle unless they were on their tummies - I used to settle them on their tummies and then turn them onto their backs... When they were old enough to roll they would roll onto their bellies all the time... They still sleep on their bellies!