Breastfeeding Halves Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Risk

Babies who are breastfed for at atomic six months are decidedly beneath acceptable to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than those who are blueprint fed, according to a abstraction conducted by advisers from the German Abstraction of Abrupt Baby Afterlife Abstraction Group and the University of Munster, Germany, and appear in the account Pediatrics.

The abstraction adds "to the anatomy of affirmation assuming that breastfeeding reduces the accident of SIDS, and that this aegis continues as connected as the baby is breastfed," the advisers wrote.

The advisers compared breastfeeding ante amid 333 breed who died of SIDS and 998 accouchement of agnate age who did not die. They begin that while 83 percent of actual breed were actuality breastfed at two weeks of age, alone 50 percent of those who died of SIDS were. The amount of breastfeeding at one ages was 72 percent amid actual accouchement and alone 40 percent amid those who died of SIDS. This corresponded to a 50 percent lower accident of SIDS amid accouchement who were alone breastfed at the age of one month.

"In the aftermost 20 years, the blockage campaigns to abate the accident of abrupt baby afterlife affection were actual successful," the advisers wrote. "In some countries the admonition to breastfeed is included in the campaigns' messages, but in added countries it is not."

Women should be encouraged to breastfeed alone until their accouchement are at atomic six months old, the advisers said.

"In our study, 73 percent of the breed died afore six months of age," they wrote. "The association of our allegation is that breastfeeding should be connected until the baby is six months of age and the accident of SIDS is low. Because breastfeeding ante are low in the socially beggared sections of our population, there should be appropriate programs to animate mothers of low socioeconomic cachet to breastfeed their breed not alone for the accustomed allowances of breastfeeding for the mother and baby but additionally to abate the accident of SIDS in their infants."

There’s no way to predict whether a baby is at risk for SIDS, although the occurrence of SIDS deaths has decreased in the last 10 years. Creating a safe sleep environment for the baby is one way to help prevent SIDS.

For the first year of life, babies should be put to sleep on their backs. If put to sleep on their sides, they should be positioned with one arm forward to keep them from rolling over on their stomachs. Soft foam wedges can be purchased for just this purpose.

Avoid loose, fluffy bedding and make sure your baby’s face isn’t obstructed. Be careful not to overheat your baby by over-wrapping him or dressing him in too many layers.
Don’t smoke and don’t allow anyone else to smoke around the baby. Make sure he has a firm mattress in a safety-approved crib.