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SIDS RESEARCH
New SIDS Study Suggests Reason Infants Die In Sleep
Experts are hopeful but advise caution when interpreting results
“I found my little grandson lying dead in his crib.”
I’ve listened to many sad and shocking stories over my 23 years running a Red Cross first aid training agency. Emotional accounts of infants lost to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome are the most heartbreaking. Finding a beloved baby lying dead in their crib is a parent or grandparent’s worst nightmare.
A person’s feelings of grief and guilt when an infant dies on their watch are extreme. They wrack their brains to figure out what they could have done or not done to prevent the baby’s death. Attending a first aid course is often on their long list of self-imposed safety precautions to help avoid future tragedies, and this is how I come to hear their stories.
If you have lost a baby to SIDS, please accept my deepest condolences. 💗
According to a UNICEF report, globally, an estimated 2.5 million newborns die each year in the first month of life — approximately 7,000 babies every day. SIDS remains the leading cause of infant mortality in Western countries, contributing to half of all post-neonatal deaths.
