Training Session: Reducing the Risk
in The Circle of Life -SIDS

Fiona Chapman - The Executive Director of the SIDS Foundation,
a national charitable foundation dedicated to funding medical
research into the causes of SIDS. The SIDS Foundation also
provides public education and awareness programs and
support to bereaved families across Canada.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) strikes Aboriginal babies 3-10
times more often than other babies.

SIDS Risk Factors

Sleep positions seem to play a role in SIDS. Babies who sleep
on their tummies or sides have a higher risk of SIDS.
Babies who live in a home where they are exposed to second-hand
smoke or babies born to a mother who smoked during pregnancy have a
higher risk of SIDS – three times higher than babies who do not have these
factors present.
Teen mothers have a higher risk of losing their babies to SIDS.
Pre-term infants have a higher risk of SIDS.
Low birth weight babies are at a higher risk of SIDS. Smoking
during pregnancy can produce a low birth weight baby.
Babies born in multiples such as twins or triplets are more
vulnerable to SIDS.
One third of the babies who die of SIDS have a mild respiratory
infection.
Most babies who die of SIDS die between three and four months old.

Until 1994, it was recommended to place babies on their tummies to
sleep. More recently in has been discovered that babies who sleep on their
tummies have a greater risk of SIDS. It is therefore important to ensure sleeping
position continuity when a baby goes visiting at a relative’s house or at a
daycare. A baby used to sleeping on his/her back who is suddenly placed on
his/her tummy to sleep faces an 18-20 times higher risk of SIDS. Make sure
everyone knows to place the baby on his/her back to sleep.

What is so frightening about SIDS is that most often the babies are normal,
healthy, happy, well nourished and loved. SIDS can strike at any time so it
is important to be aware of the risk factors to avoid any extra risk to the baby.

There is a new video resource on SIDS that CHRs can use to help educate
their communities and reduce the incidence of SIDS. The video is called,
“Reducing the Risk in the Circle of Life."