The call came at 3:00 AM: "Doctor, my baby's dead!" Incredulous, I rushed out, only to find the devastated parents holding their lifeless baby. I will never forget their looks of horror and disbelief. It was the winter of 1972, my first year in pediatric practice and the first time I witnessed the grief and shock caused by sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
I had never felt so helpless. "Doctor, why did this happen?" the mother asked me. "My baby had her 3-month check up just a week ago, and she was so healthy. Five hours ago she was nursing contentedly; I went into her bedroom to check on her, and now she's dead. What happened to her? Did we do something wrong?" The parents groped for answers, and I had none. All I could do was muster a faint "I don't know."
Now when expectant and new parents ask me if there's anything they can do to avoid this awful fate, I can answer "Yes." Over the past decade, new research has shed light on the possible causes of SIDS, and ways to reduce its risk. However, the horrifying mystery of the condition is still not completely solved, and nothing can guarantee absolute prevention. As a parent of eight, I am painfully aware that there is nothing more devastating than the death of a child -- and nothing more heart-piercing than the feeling that you could have done something to stop it. What's important to remember is that SIDS is never your fault; parents who do everything "right" may still lose their child. But contrary to what you may hear, SIDS is still a rare occurrence: 99.9 percent of babies go to sleep each night and wake up just fine each morning. And there's lots you can do to reduce your baby's risk even further. Each strategy can lend much-needed peace of mind, allowing you to focus on what really matters -- enjoying your baby. Here are the four steps I recommend to parents to help keep their infants safe:
William Sears, M.D., is a contributing editor of BabyTalk.
