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.