by Theresa Anderson
The San Antonio/Bexar County Fetal Infant
Mortality Review (FIMR) Team is a multidisciplinary
group of individuals representing more
than 20 community organizations that want to
decrease the rate of infant mortality. It recently
launched a public education campaign designed to
decrease the number of infants who die each year due
to Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SUID). Between
2003 and 2006 there were 110 infants who died from
SUID in Bexar County. Forty-one were classified as
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS); 51 had been
bed-sharing with at least one adult or sibling; and 18
were associated with an unsafe sleeping environment,
e.g., a sofa, nearby pillows, or other unsafe bedding.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
that infants should be placed on their backs to sleep.
Many of these deaths could have been prevented if
parents or caregivers had been taught this by appropriate
modeling and accurate information on safe sleep.
Parents tend to follow behavior they witness in the
nursery with their own newborns. Many nurses place
newborns in the nursery on their sides to sleep,
despite knowing this recommendation. The majority
of nurses cite “experience” or “fear of aspiration” as
the reasons.
New moms will watch these behaviors intensely.
When babies in a nursery are placed in a sleeping
position that contradicts the Back to Sleep message,
those parents are less likely to place their infants on
their backs when they go home.
To rectify this situation, the FIMR team applied
for and received funding from the Baptist Heath
Foundation to offer education to the nursery staffs at
10 major San Antonio hospitals. The nursing staffs
will be trained on why aspiration is least likely when
infants are placed on their backs, how to model
appropriate positioning, and how, in turn, to educate
families on safe sleep.
Each family will receive a SUID risk reduction pamphlet
and a photo frame magnet with safe sleep tips on
it. These education programs will stress the extreme danger
of infants sleeping on or around pillows. In more
than half of the 30 deaths in 2006, a pillow was
involved in some way. Babies do not need to have a pillow
near them, regardless of how small it may be.
Another eye-opening trend that will be stressed is
the danger that sofas pose to infants. In 2006, four
infants died on sofas. Babies can get trapped between
the seat and back of a sofa and suffocate.
When it comes to protecting children, we all must
do our part from the beginning. The first step is early
prenatal care. Then, after a baby is born, remembering
and teaching the slogan “Back to Sleep”— on the back, in a crib, is the safest place for infants to sleep.
If you are interested in having an in-service brought to you
or your staff, please call Metro Health at 299-5035 and
ask for Theresa Anderson.
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