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Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: SIDS, Infants and SIDS Babies Risks Monitors
You've probably heard of it before, but what is SIDS really? Although it has only been diagnosed as a syndrome recently, it is not a new thing. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is pretty much what it sounds like, and it is kind of scary. It falls under the name of SIDS when an infant dies because of an unknown cause. Unknown, in this case, means unable to be determined by any examination done after death and also unable to discover a cause in the infant's medical history.
Facts About the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
There are more cases of SIDS with baby boys than with baby girls. It occurs less often with white babies than those of either Native American or African background, and the babies are not originally healthy. It was previously thought to be a sudden death to a completely healthy infant, but studies have shown otherwise. All victims have had an unidentified defect, meaning that their death is predetermined.
Why You Shouldn't Worry About It
Even though it sounds scary, the chances are actually very low. The average baby has a risk of a little under 2 in a thousand of dying due to SIDS. Worrying about it would only be maladaptive for your relationship with the baby. Some mothers worry so much that they wake their babies up periodically from their naps to see if they are okay. That is probably fine as long as it doesn't become an obsession. Once again, the chances of your baby dying of SIDS are pretty slim. Also you are pretty much safe of it after the first year, and most cases occur before 1 year of age(most frequently from 2 to 4 months). Even though SIDS is said to be death by unknown causes, some commonalities have been observed. You really don't have to worry unless you have a reason to. As random as "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome" sounds, it seems linked to certain things. If your baby isn't at high risk, then there is no need to worry.
When You Should Look into It
How do you know if your baby is at risk? That's a good question, a good question with many answers I might add. Smoking while pregnant or similarly doing drugs while pregnant are things that may cause a death by SIDS, and if the baby has heart or lung problems, they are especially at risk. Also if the mother is younger than 20, then the infant is at a higher risk or if the baby is premature. If the infant has ever lost their breath in the past for longer than 20 seconds because of a traumatizing event, then you might want to ask your doctor about it.
How to Put Your Mind at Ease
To help put your mind at ease, monitors are available that alert you if the baby ever stops breathing. The only trouble with those are that they are expensive, and often times there will be false alarms that sort of defeat the purpose of putting your mind at ease. There are more options including: learning infant CPR, knowing how long your baby normally sleeps, and/or getting your doctor to do heart and lung tests on your baby. A baby who is 2 months old usually naps for 5 hrs. a day and sleeps 9 and 1/2 hrs. at night. At 6 months old, they generally nap about 3 and 1/2 hrs. a day and get 11 hrs. of sleep during the night. As they get older, they tend to get more sleep during the night and less napping time during the day. That's just to give you a general idea of the amount of time your infant should be sleeping. If yours sleeps a little more or a little less, then I'm sure there is nothing to worry about.
That is all you need to know about SIDS. If you want to learn more, ask your baby's doctor about it, and I'm sure you will get all the information you need.
