Tag Archives: SIDS

The worst fear a parent could face is losing a child.

Editorial Note: I believe it is in the best interest to bring forward this news story, albeit a very difficult one for me to address. I lost my first-born child in 2000 and delivered my youngest son at 24-weeks in 2008. I hope to convey the life-changing grief process amidst powerful statistics centered around this particular story - and the end of one life.

Every day children are born across the world. Those children are the dream of the future for parents and extended family alike. Protecting those children from anything that could harm them is what a parent does, without qualm. But what happens when a powerful addiction stands between your desire to protect your child and the clutch your addiction has upon you?

One New Zeland mom wrote on her Facebook wall May 11 that it was good to be home with her chubby-cheeked child who arrived prematurely. The coroner ruled that her son, known only as "Baby N", died due to sudden unexplainable infant death (SIDS) in June. However, he went on to state that exposure to tobacco smoke, sleeping in the same bed as his parents against medical advice, and his premature birth were likely contributing factors to his death. Continue Reading

The tragedy of SIDS may begin to find a connection with habits like parental smoking

The well-documented dangers of smoking on newborn babies can seem subtle after birth, but may bring big problems baby's way.

Nicotine may have a stronger link to mothers who smoke by effecting their infants before birth, and after by increasing the risk of SIDS.

Research shows that women who smoke during pregnancy have a much higher rate of preterm, low birth weight, or even fetal death. Women who stop smoking before becoming pregnant can help protect a baby's life.