Index
What is SIDS?
What causes SIDS?
Is SIDS Preventable?
Are there ways to lessen the risk of SIDS?
SIDS Links

What is SIDS?

SIDS is the sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant, whose death remains unexplained after the performance of an adequate postmortem investigation including
1) an autopsy,
2) investigation of the scene and circumstances of the death, and
3) exploration of the medical history of the infant and family.

SIDS is a classification that is used to describe a deceased infant.
It is not a disease, nor can it be a diagnosis for a living baby.

What Causes SIDS
The cause is unknown, but whatever it is, it is no one’s fault. Death occurs suddenly and unexpectedly, thus preventing doctors from making tests beforehand. Some babies have died while in hospital for a simple operation and so were under normal routine supervision of doctors and nurses.

Is SIDS Preventable?

Parents often feel horribly responsible after SIDS, but there is nothing they could have done to prevent it. There are many factors outside of their control.
Recently a 5-month-old baby boy was admitted to Rotunda Hospital in Northern Ireland after he had experienced three near-SIDS events. He underwent a sleep study to try to identify what was causing these events. During the study he had no periods of slow heart rate or inadequate breathing. Nevertheless, he died of SIDS while he was still in the hospital. His heart slowed and stopped, and even expert medical care couldn't prevent it
(Archives of Diseases in Children, May 1998).

Are there ways to lessen the risk of SIDS?

Through much research on SIDS, it seems that it is not preventable, but many sites claim that you can lower the risk of SIDS if you do the following:

Do not let any infant sleep on its belly..
Learn the various dangers with respect to infants, such as drowning and airway obstruction by foreign bodiee aspiration..
Learn the cardiopulmonary resuscitation for infants..
Learn the mouth to nose technique as an rescue breathing for infants..

Here are some links on SIDS to check out:

Organizations and Sites that offer SIDS Support
Private Sites

Organizations and Sites that offer SIDS Information and Support

American SIDS Institute

The SIDS Network's SIDS Information Web Site

American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute

The Arizona SIDS Alliance

National Organizations

The SIDS Alliance

The SIDS Network

Back to Sleep Campaign

State Organizations

The Arizona SIDS Alliance

Georgia SIDS and OID

SIDS Resources of Oregon

World

SIDS Argentina (in Spanish)

SIDS Australia Online

Canadian Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths

GEPS

The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID)

Private Sites

Empty Arms Bulletine Board
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/emptyarms


news:alt.support.grief


http://wwww.webhealing.com/ 

Search the Growth House for links on every topic dealing with loss and grief


Mommy Home Childcare Service - Toward the Prevention of SIDS-

"Back to Sleep" Campaign

SIDS Network

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