Week 2 Assignment

Sudden Infant Death

The topic I would like to learn more about was Sudden infant death syndrome (also known as SIDS). SID is defined as the abrupt or an unexpected death of an infant younger than 1 year of age. I wanted to know what causes it and how we as parents can prevent it.  I cannot imagine how parents feel to lose a child to unexplainable death.   A sudden death of an infant can be hard on a parent along with any adults who is assuming responsibility of the infant.  Most SIDS death occurs in a normal healthy infant, mostly younger than 6 months of age, in which the infant has died following a period of long sleeping. Teen moms are more likely than moms over 20 to have a child die of SIDS. One article I read stated that the baby feeding routine is usually normal prior to them going to sleep.  The cause of SIDS death still as of today remains a mystery despite a careful review of the medical history, scene investigation, and autopsy.   In most studies SIDS is uncommonly find during the first month of the infant life.   Infants who are at risk are among the ages 2-4 months and then it declines. Studies have reported that 90% of SIDS deaths occur in infants younger than 6 months of age.   Even though there has been a tremendously decrease in the occurrence of SIDS in the United States and worldwide in recent years.  Studies have shown that SIDS still is the number one leading causes of death during infancy past the first 30 days after their birth. It has been said that SIDS can be results of multiple interacting factors.  One factor is Infant development in which is defined as when hypothesis occurs leading to SIDS may reflect a delay or abnormality in the development of nerve cells within the brain that are critical to normal heart and lung function. Another factor that may cause SIDS is Rebreathing stresses: this occurs when a baby is place facedown, in which may cause air movement around the mouth to be weaken. This can cause the baby to re-breathe carbon dioxide that the baby has just exhaled.   Hyperthermia (increased temperature):  may also be the cause of  SIDS in infants, this is when we as parents/caregivers are  overdressing, using to much coverings, or rising the air temperature may lead to an increased metabolic rate in these infants and eventual loss of breathing control. As we are aware apnea can be define as when a person’s breathing stops impulsively when they are asleep.  Studies have suggested that infants who suffer with apnea can be controlled, by using a technique called electronic monitors prescribed by doctors that track heart rate and respiratory activity. Apnea monitors will not prevent SIDS.   It has been proven by research that over 2,600 babies alone in the United States die of SIDS each year. Another country that lead in SIDS death epidemic is New Zealand.  New Zealand ranked number one with the highest rate of recorded SIDS in the world!  The article stated that babies live in New Zealand are nearly twice as likely to die from SIDS as they are in America.   Another article I researched stated,  that babies born in Cuba, Malaysia, Portugal, and the United Kingdom have a better chance of surviving SIDS death during the first month compared to those born in the United States (Dellorto, 2011).  While, some studies suggest that prenatal care could be a leading problem among SIDS death in the Unites states because prenatal care is not all created equal. There are areas of the United States where access to prenatal and preventive care is a real problem.  Finally, I really learn a lot of helpful information on SIDS and even though there is no cause specific of SIDS death in infants.   I have learned a lot of different strategies I can use to prevent the chances of my little ones from dying of this tragic death.

References

 www.mumanu.wordpress.com/some-shockingfacts-about-cot-death-sudden.  

www.thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/31.u.s.ranks-low-for-newborn-survival