Following the controversy which sparked among netizens on Sunday, after lady shared how her friend’s child died mysteriously at a crèche where she dropped the baby before going work, some Nigerian doctor has taken upon him self to explain what might have happened.

 

Apparently it is a thing, and it is called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or COT Death, in layman’s terms, according to Dr. Harvey, it is a situation where a healthy baby dies and their is no logical explanation to it.

 

Similar to what aproko doctor explained earlier, there hasn’t been any solid reasons which can lead to SIDS, but there are things a parent of an adult can do to prevent the infant from literally killing themselves while sleeping. These were contained in a twitter thread shared by Dr. Harvey which reads;

Have you heard of:
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)? Also called COT Death?

 

It is the “sudden unexplained death of a baby less than 1yr old.” It does NOT mean bad crèche. It does NOT mean mom/dad is a bad parent.

 

So how can you prevent SIDS? Pls RT. Help save a baby’s life.

 

To prevent sudden unexplained death of your baby before 1yr (SIDS):

ALWAYS lie baby on their back to sleep,
ALWAYS lie baby in the cot with the feet touching the foot end of the cot;
ALWAYS leave the baby’s head uncovered. Blankets and shawls must never be higher than shoulders.

ALWAYS sleep in same room as your baby for first 6months. The baby’s cot must be in your room the first 6months.

ALWAYS use a baby mattress that is firm (not soft), flat, waterproof and in good condition.

ALWAYS breastfeed your baby if you can. Except you have reasons not to.

 

 

NEVER smoke during pregnancy
NEVER smoke after childbirth.
NEVER allow anyone else (including the dad) smoke around the baby for the first 1yr at least.

NEVER sleep on a bed/sofa/armchair with your baby. You must sleep in a bed. Baby must sleep in a cot lying on its back always.

NEVER let your baby get too hot or too cold. Aim for room temperature of 18-25degrees Celsius.

NEVER use thick beddings/bed sheets for baby cot

NEVER leave baby in room with no ventilation that is too hot, too cold and too damp.

This is HOW to prevent SIDS.

 

 

So why these rules?

When a baby sleeps on their chest/face, it makes them prone to suffocation and death. This is why babies must sleep on their back always.

If you cover a baby’s head with shawl/blanket, the baby can have difficulty breathing, suffocate and die before you know it.

If you leave a baby to sleep alone in another room apart from you especially in first 6months of life, you will not know quickly if the baby is dying or suffocating to quickly intervene or rush the baby to the hospital.

 

 

 

This is why babies must sleep in parents room for six months.

If you smoke/allow smoking around the baby; the smoke can damage the baby’s lungs and make the child develop chest infections which can lead to sudden death in the baby.

Breastfeeding helps a baby develop immunity to fight infections. This is why it is encouraged if the mom can.

 

 

 

What causes SIDS?
As I said earlier, we don’t know for sure.

SIDS refers to sudden UNEXPLAINED death of a baby in the first year of life without any apparent cause.

As I also stated,
The death of a baby in the first year of life does NOT automatically equate to bad parenting.

 

 

How common is SIDS?
Thankfully SIDS is rare though it is very scary when it happens.

Despite this, as developed as UK is,
About 200 babies die every year from SIDS and there’s NO medical explanation for the baby’s death even when a comprehensive autopsy has been done.

It’s sad.

 

 

So which babies are at highest risk of SIDS?

Babies born prematurely;
Baby boys;
Babies under 6months old;
Babies with birthweight under 2.5kg;
Babies whose parents smoke;
Babies left without monitoring or close supervision especially during sleep in the first 6months of life.

 

 

Anyway I won’t bore you guys with too many medical technicalities on SIDS.

I just thought to use this opportunity to bring spotlight on something that kills babies but many parents/people are unfortunately unaware.

I hope you learnt something.
Pls share everywhere.

Thank you!

 

 

And as a clarification:
This is NOT me saying there are no bad parents or terrible crèches. Obviously there are.

What I am saying however is that there are those cases where a child has died (especially a child under 1year) and it has absolutely NOTHING to do with bad parenting.

 

 

Parents obviously need to keep a close eye on their children. And should be held accountable IF there is clear evidence of neglect or deliberate abandonment of a child to harm.

However pls let’s be kind.
Let’s not always be quick to judge.

Because there are cases where babies

Because there are cases where babies have died and parents did nothing wrong.

Until you face certain misfortunes in life, you will always think you know it all and you can do it best.

Losing a child is an incredibly traumatizing event for any parent.
Let’s be kind.

Thank you.