Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

The topic that I chose to discuss is very dear to my heart. I chose Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. I chose this topic because I have worked in the early childhood education field for over 12 years and within that time I have worked in the infant room and have learned that I really enjoy working with the infants more so than any other age group. I have never known an infant to die from SIDS and hopefully I never will but as being a teacher and wanting to go back to that age group, I will do everything to try to help with the prevention of this condition.

The definition for SIDS or crib death is  the unexpected, sudden death of a child under age one in which an autopsy does not show an explainable cause of death. Doctors do believe, however, that SIDS can be caused by several different factors including:

• Problems with the baby's ability to wake up (sleep arousal).
• Inability for the baby's body to detect a build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood.

In the United States, the rate of SIDS deaths have dropped dramatically since 1992. Most death occur between 2 and 4 months old. SIDS affects boys more often than girls and most of the deaths occur in the winter months.

Some of the links to SIDS include:

• Sleeping on the stomach
• Being around cigarette smoke while in the womb or after being born
• Sleeping in the same bad as their parents (co-sleeping)
• Soft bedding in the crib
• Multiple birth babies (being a twin, triplet, etc.)
• Premature birth
• Having a brother or sister who had SIDS
• Mothers woh smoke or use illegal drugs
• Being born to a teen mother
• Short time period between pregnancies
• Late or no prenatal care Living in poverty situations

Almost all SIDS related deaths occur without any warning or symptoms when the infant is thought to be sleeping.

To prevent SIDS related deaths, here are some tips.

• Always put a baby to sleep on its back.
• Only put babies to sleep in a crib
• Let babies sleep in the same room (NOT same bed) as parents
• Avoid soft bedding
• Make sure room temperature not too hot
• Offer baby pacifierwhen going to sleep

I also looked at Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Argentina. All the characteristics, causes, and preventions are the same as the United States. The only difference is that in 2001, in Argentina, 301 out of 11,111 deaths of infants younger than one year old were attributed to SIDS.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a condition that I wish didnot exist. Hopefully, with education and prevention the United States and Argentina will see a drastic reduction of SIDS cases.

Childbirth

• Write about a personal birthing experience. It can be your own birth, your child's birth, or one you took part in. What do you remember about the event? Why did you choose this example? What are your thoughts regarding birht and its impact on child development?

The first birthing experience that I remember is the birth of my younger brother, Daniel Clarence Bell, III. It was Saturday, June 30, 1982. My mother and father took me and my sister to my aunt's house while they went to the hospital. About a hour later, my aunt told me and my sister to come on we were going to the hospital. We got there and went to my mother's room. My mom seemed to be drunk. Later on in life I would learn that she had an epidual to help with the pain and that is why she seemed drunk. I remember the doctor telling my mom to push and she gave a great, big push. The next thing I knew was the doctor was holding a little light skinned baby. D.C. came in the world with a crying bang.

Sitting here writing this brings back such wonderful memories. My brother passed away on Saturday, January 3, 2004, at the age of twenty-one. I now know what Sally Field's character, Malynn, ment when she said "I was there when that precious creature drifted in my life and I was there when they drifted out. It was the most precious moment of my life'. Indeed it was.

• Choose a region of the world or a country, other than the U.S,, and find out how births happen there. Write about what you learned and the differences and similarities with your experience (in the personal example you provided). What additional insights, if any, about the impact of the birthing experience on development, did you gain from this comparison?

I chose to write about childbirth in Italy. For years Italian women have been giving birth in pain. For those who wanted the epidural, women had to hire an anesthesiologist privately, paying a cost that many women could not afford. For years women avoided paying the high cost by choosinga cesarean birth which is covered by health insurance.

In the U.S., we can choose whether we want an epidural or not. The epidural is added into the cost of the hospital and doctor bill. Most women only have cesareans if the doctor recommends it. American women can make a decision about childbirth but it seems that most Italian women base childbirth on the price of the epidural.

Words of Inspiration

I know that this post is late but I have not had a good week. A family member passed away and I have been dealing with the loss. These words of inspiration and motivation have been getting me through. Hope that you like them.

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."   Dr. Seuss

"I meant what I said, and I said what I meant.  An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent."  Dr. Seuss

"Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it."  Charles Swindoll

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future."  John F. Kennedy

"Real friendship is shown in times of trouble; prosperity is full of friends."  Author Unknown

"The moment I decided to follow instead of lead, I discovered the joys of becoming part of a small child's world."  Janet Gonzalez-Mena

"Man does not cease to play because he grows old; man grows old because he ceases to play."  George Bernard Shaw

"The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to."  Marian Wright Edelman

"The noblest search is the search for excellence."  Lyndon B. Johnson

"Learn from your dreams what you lack."  Lyndon B. Johnson

Pam's Personal Childhood Web

There are several people in my family that have made me the woman that I am today.  Here are some of those people...

1)Nellie G. Bell-Mother
My mom has always been there for me.  She has shown me tough love when I needed it.  She also taught me to never settle for less than what I deserve.

2)Daniel C. Bell, Jr.-Father
My daddy has shown me unconditional love from day one. He has taught me the true meaning of family and what it means to have them in your life.

3)Stacy N. Bell-Sister
Stacy is my younger sister.  She is 3 1/2 years younger with me.  We have always been close.  She has always looked up to me and I have always felt a special love and bond with her.

4)Daniel C. Bell, III-Brother
DC, as was known, was my younger brother.  He was the level headed one of the three of us.  He was always loving and caring.  I tend to find myself with a lot of his traits and qualities.  DC passed away in January 2004 at the age of 21.

5)Laura Owens-Great Aunt
My Aunt Laura helped raise me.  She took care of me when my parents were at work or school.  She called me her "Sweetie Pie".  Up until the day she died, she was still looking after me and teaching members of the family the right way to do things.  When she passed away, she was 108 years young.

6)Willie Ruth and Linwood Brown-Maternal Grandparents
Mr. and Mrs. Linwood and Willie Ruth Brown always showed affection and love to their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  I learned about cooking from my grandmother and I learned about sports from my grandfather.  They would take all 16 of their grandchildren for the whole summer (something that I probably would never do).  They made sure we had full but also were well grounded.  I truly miss those summers and cherish the time that I spent with them and my extended family.

Mr. Brown can moo, can you?

MR. BROWN CAN MOO, CAN YOU? by Dr. Seuss

This is my favorite childhood book. I have always been a Dr. Seuss fan and this is the book that started it all. My cousin used to read this book to me when I was about 2 years old. She would read and have me to make the sounds. I now love to read this to my preschool kids and have them to make the sounds for me. I get such a kick out of watching them make the sounds come to life. I guess that  I can say that Dr. Seuss and Mr. Brown have inspiried me to be the teacher that I am.

Childhood quote

"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind!'  -Dr. Seuss

This quote really sums up my life.  To me it is saying that you should always be you.  Don't change to make other people happy because the people who love and care for you want you to be you and be happy.  Everyone else really don't matter so as my friend, Tish, would say, "DO YOU BOO!"

Ok, I have never blogged or even thought about blogging. I hope everything works out and that my blog looks good.