United States: Babies who die mysteriously, by way of cot death, may well have been exposed to many dangers that could have contributed to their deaths, a new researcher report.
Hazardous Sleep Practices
Among the three-quarters (76%) of Sudden Infant Death (SUD), there are multiple risky practices today that have been reported in a study published in the Pediatrics journal, as reported by The Associated Press.
Findings indicate that sleeping with any other person, using soft material that can erode a child’s respiration, sleeping on the belly or side, and sleeping outside the crib are among these.
“A large number of hazardous sleep practices for both infants who were sharing a sleep surface and sleeping alone at the time of death is alarming,” senior researcher Dr. Fern Hauck, a safe-sleep expert at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in a news release.
Alarming Trends
This study examined over 7,600 SUID cases that had happened in America between the years of 2011 through 2020.
They say that approximately two-thirds of SUID cases involved an infant bed-sharing, which resulted in the death of the infant.
This habit is very much condemned due to the fact that a child or even the parents can roll on top of an infant and suffocate them. Scientists have raised this concern.
Of babies who died while involving a sleep surface, 76% were sharing a bed with an adult, 68% of them slept with soft bedding surrounding them, and 47% of them were asleep on their stomachs or sides.
“These are known risk factors for SUID and tell us that we need to do a better job of working with families to increase acceptance of the recommendations to create safer sleep spaces for their infants,” Hauck said.
Sleep specialists tell babies that they ought to sleep on their backs in a crib with only a fitted sheet on its cover.
Call for Safer Sleep Environments
Any pillows, wedges, bumpers, or blankets can clog babies’ airways, and babies who sleep on their backs are much safer, as demonstrated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.
SIDS is a phenomenon that causes the death of infants without any possible explanation. SUID comprises, for instance, SIDS babies as well as infants explained by reasons such as strangulation or suffocation in bed.
Statistics demonstrate that babies who expired while sleeping by themselves were on their bellies or sides almost two-thirds of the time (62%), and soft bedding was present in nearly three-quarters of cases (74%). It has been shown that about 52% were in cribs and 22% in adult beds.
Empowering Parents
The study demonstrates that extra efforts are required to educate new parents about better and safer sleeping practices. Their understanding of safe sleep practices needs to be explained before they leave the hospital. In addition, they must be regularly followed up to reinforce their learning, as reported by The Associated Press.
“SUID deaths in the U.S. are still higher than in most other countries, and this is unacceptable,” Hauck said. “Clinicians and others caring for infants need to have thoughtful conversations with families at risk to understand the barriers to following safe-sleep guidelines and find ways to work together to overcome them.”
The researchers noted that the hospitals could not only direct at-risk families to resources that help them buy a crib or a bassinet for their baby but also give the families some financial support to buy such items.