SIDS & Infant CPR: Something We All Should KnowBy Doreen Stoltz
The worst tragedy for a parent is to lose a child, especially to SIDS. SIDS stands for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It is the unexplained death of an infant under one year of age. The risk for SIDS peaks at the age of 2-4 months then declines from there. SIDS is the cause of 90% of the deaths of infants younger than 6 months. This is devastating to the parents as the doctors can not tell them why their baby has died.
Fortunately, doctors are learning new things about SIDS all the time. They have learned that SIDS is not predictable nor preventable. Some infants experience episodes termed "apparent life threatening events". These are clinical events where infants experience abrupt changes in breathing, color, or muscle tone. Common causes are respitory infection, gastro reflux disease, or seizures. Doctors also know that SIDS is not caused by immunizations nor is it contagious or hereditary. Most importantly, it is not anyones fault.
Doctors have identified several clinical features of SIDS. Death occurs while the infant is sleeping and is silent. The infant appears to be well developed, nourished, and in good health, although, minor respitory or gastro symptoms are not uncommon in the 2 weeks preceding SIDS.
If you are bringing home a new baby or even just take care of children one year and younger, it is beneficial to learn infant CPR, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. CPR is a method to restore breathing and circulation until advanced life support arrives. It combines rescue breathing (mouth to mouth) and doing chest compressions. You can determine if CPR is needed by checking the responsiveness of the baby, if she is breathing by watching the chest for movement and listening for the sound of air in and out of the lungs. Most importantly, call 911 for help. They can also walk you through giving the child CPR over the phone until help arrives.
CPR is easy to learn and costs nothing for a one evening class. You can contact your local Red Cross office for times and dates of CPR classes or you can even ask your doctor about it. Please, take the time to learn to save a life.
Doreen Stoltz
2008