What You Should Know About SIDS and SUDC

We as new parents, or parents to a newborn baby, have much to worry over. Our children cry and we do not know why, we go through a ritual of trial and error every time our new little ones need or want something, looking forward to that moment they would stop crying. Our concern is, of course, for our child, but for our own sanity as well. A sleeping child is a peaceful child, which in turn makes for a relaxed and peaceful parent. Unfortunately it is while our babies are sleeping peacefully that our most fearful affliction strikes.

SIDS is a new parents biggest fear amidst so many fears. And after our child turns safely six months old we take a small sigh of relief, they are almost there, almost out of infancy and into toddler hood, where SIDS does not live. Or so we thought.

SUDC, or sudden unexplained/unexpected death in childhood, is a lesser known but just as fearful disorder that afflicts children from twelve months to eleven years of age. This invisible adverserary sneaks up on seemingly healthy children in their peacefull slumber just as SIDS does Babies twelve months and younger. So why is it parents are tragically caught unaware by this affliction?

The leading cause of death in children from one month to one year of age is SIDS(sudden infant death syndrome). While SIDS affects a significantly high number of infants every year, currently 2,500 deaths in America, and countless more in outside countries, that's 56 of every 100,000 live births in America alone. SUDC takes 1.3 children's lives out of 100,000 live births annualy(statistics from www.cjsids.com). That is not to imply that SUDC is insignificant, indeed, to every family who experiences a child's death to SUDC it is very significant. But, it is due to these low numbers of deaths every year that SUDC is commonly unknown to parents even though SIDS and SUDC are so alike.

SUDC is a death in a child from 1 year to 11 years of age, where all known causes have been excluded and SIDS is the death in a infant from 1 to12 months of age where all known causes have been excluded. What make these syndromes so frightening is parents have no defense against SIDS and SUDC.

So, what should we know and understand about SUDC? Unfortunately, SUDC is a very mysterious evil and, although, research is being done, like SIDS, not much is know. However, unlike SIDS, no preventative measures or guidelines exist in order to protect our children from SUDC. While researchers work diligently towards the cause and possible cure of SUDC and SIDS, we can have little comfort in ritual. Here are some facts we all need to know related to SIDS. Seemingly healthy babies succumb to SIDS with no symptoms or signs. There are no signs of suffocation or choking in the diagnosis of SIDS. Child abuse does not cause SIDS. SIDS occurs in all Ethnicities. Parents cannot prevent SIDS no matter how well you care for your child.

While SIDS has been studied extensively , SUDC is still a mystery, the one fact is that it claims the lives of children from 1 to 11 years old, and the cause of death is the exclusion of all known causes. Facts are always important to know, but don't always bring peace of mind to a worrisome parent. We must focus on the things we can do to keep our precious babies safe, and this is where ritual comes in to play in our daily lives. Dr's recommend preventative measures for SIDS. Baby should sleep on his/her back. Do not smoke near your child, or allow others to do so. Control the temperature in your babies sleeping environment. Not to hot or cold. Do not use loose blankets or fluffy materials, the mattress your baby sleeps on should be firm. Make sure your baby goes to all well baby check ups. Give baby lots of tummy time to strengthen his/her neck muscles. Breastfeeding baby is the best option if you are able.

But sadly not enough research has been done to give parents the same guidelines for SUDC. It is recommended that all well child Dr. visits are kept, vaccinations current, and always get medical attention when needed for your child.

Although We are not out of the woods just yet, we must take comfort in numbers, maintain our children's health and safe nap/bedtime routines that are possible at this age. Most of all, research, research, research! New research is being done every day, discoveries that could potentially end all SIDS and SUDC deaths the world over. It is smart and responsible to do your own research and gain as much knowledge as possible for yourself. Question your child's physician about SIDS and SUDC. Keep yourself and your loved ones informed.

Although this article is mostly written with personal and common parental knowledge, statistics where derived from the following website.

www.cjsids.com