Suddeninfant death ssyndrome or SIDS is the sudden death of a healthy infant under the age of 1 year that occurs unexpectedly or without any signs or symptoms. To protect your baby from this condition, you need to know what causes it and how to prevent it.
SIDS usually occurs when the baby is sleeping due to not getting enough oxygen. This can be triggered by various factors, ranging from the baby's sleeping position to the baby's physical condition who has not reached a certain stage of development or is weak due to an inherited condition.
SIDS Trigger Factors
Here are a number of factors that can increase the risk of SIDS in your baby:
1. Sleeping with baby in the same bed or sofa
Sleeping with your baby in the same bed or couch can increase the risk of SIDS. Because while sleeping, you can shift, turn around, and hit your baby without realizing it. Because the baby's body is tiny, even the slightest pressure can interfere with his ability to breathe.
2. Babysleep in prone position
The pressure on the respiratory tract when the prone position makes it difficult for the baby to breathe normally, resulting in reduced oxygen supply to the brain. In this condition, the risk of SIDS will be much greater if the baby does not yet have the ability to return to his back from the prone position.
3. Conditions during pregnancy and birth
Babies born prematurely or who have low birth weight are also at risk for SIDS. In both of these conditions, the baby's nervous system is not fully mature at birth. As a result, the brain's ability to control the process of breathing automatically is not yet perfect.
In addition, infants born to mothers younger than 20 years of age or who did not carry out pregnancy control and have a family history of dying from SIDS are also at higher risk of developing SIDS.
4. Exposure to harmful substances
Babies exposed to cigarette smoke, alcohol, and illegal drugs during and after birth are also much more at risk of developing SIDS.
This is because the substances from these three ingredients can affect the baby's brain development, so that after birth the baby's response to breathing and moving is weaker than it should be.
In addition to the factors above, babies who are under 4 months old, have respiratory infections, or experience overheating during sleep are also at higher risk for SIDS.
How to Prevent SIDS
To prevent SIDS in babies, there are several things you can do. Here are some of them:
- Avoid sleeping with your baby, either in the same cot, sofa or chair.
- Put your baby to sleep in a comfortable cot or crib. Place the bed near your bed.
- Make sure the bedding is not too soft and not too hard.
- Avoid placing relatively large and heavy dolls, pillows or bolsters around your baby.
- Set the room temperature so that the room is not too hot or too cold.
- Make sure the blanket is no higher than his shoulders.
- Make sure your baby always sleeps on his back, at least until he is 1 year old.
- Protect your baby from exposure to secondhand smoke.
SIDS or sudden infant death is terrible. Therefore, anticipate and prevent this condition as much as possible. If necessary, ask the doctor about the best way to prevent SIDS, according to your baby's condition.
