Every new parent fears the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), either we openly admit it or we push it back into our minds and it just haunts us. Some of us even admit that the first weeks while baby was home we never slept as we sat there and marveled at our little one sleeping…or was it watching to make sure her chest was still rising and falling.
In a recent study published on the Pediatrics website, it shows that breastfeeding reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
CONCLUSIONS. This study shows that breastfeeding reduced the risk of sudden infant death syndrome by 50% at all ages throughout infancy. We recommend including the advice to breastfeed through 6 months of age in sudden infant death syndrome risk-reduction messages. ~ PEDIATRICS Vol. 123 No. 3 March 2009
When you were talking with your doctor, did the topic of SIDS and prevention ever come up? How many of you were told that another wonderful benefit of breastfeeding was prevention?
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this!
Judy, sadly most OBs and Peds don;t even touch such taboo subjects it falls to the nurses and even then rarely if ever does anyone mention SIDS.
IMO, there needs to be WIDESPREAD reeducation about the risks of SIDS, not just in realtionship to Breast feeding but across the board. i have more to say but my child is calling me.
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Yeah I knew about this. That is why I tried so hard to breastfeed. I made it to about 4 months. It was a fight all the way. I recently heard that SIDS has been linked to a bacteria in the lungs. I hope they find a cure soon!
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a week from today in DC there will be a symposium on SIDS/SUID and Stillbirth after the parents will head over to the capitol hill to lobby for more research into SIDS/SUID and Stillbirth more info here:
http://www.firstcandle.org/2009-symposium
back to my point. no one ever wants to talk about infant death, especially not Drs. Obstetrics is the “happy” end of the medical world, babies are born that is happy. Everyone wants to believe that babies don’t die without reason or causation. but they do. i know from experience. My daughter didn’t die of SIDS, she was stillborn and IMO her stillbirth was intrauterine SIDS or something very much like it. Until there is more funding behind the researchers there will never be enough education prior to loss and until the US us can face that sometimes babies die and it is an ugly truth their will always be a silence around silent killers like SIDS, SUID and Stillbirth.
Christine’s last blog post..our Babies: Always Loved, Always Remembered. A Memorial Albu
Thank you so much for sharing your story Christine! I am so sorry for your loss. I think it is great that you are helping to educate others. — Judy
Isn’t it sort a duh that breastfeeding would help prevent SIDS? Don’t other societies, where everyone breastfeeds and co-sleeps, wonder why we have even SIDS?
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Read about SIDS quite a lot on the web and in magazines, but didn’t know breastfeeding could reduce its risk. Thanks for the info.
Love you website and the calendar!
Being that neither of my kids would actually latch on, it wasn’t mentioned to me.
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While I was apprised of the benefits, my OB never related any of the SIDS benefits to me. Thank you for doing your part to spread the word.
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I wasn’t told about this! But I’ve been breastfeeding my daughter for ten months now… I’m glad!
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My doctor never once mentioned SIDS but it’s not as if I hadn’t heard about it. I’d read books etc and when I became a Mom for the first time I did what I could to prevent anything like that happening. I know I breathed a sigh of relief when 4 months passed and I knew I was out of the MAJOR danger zone.
With my second I didn’t even really think about it. Maybe once of twice the possibility crossed my mind but it was never a huge worry.
The fact that breastfeeding helps prevent it doens’t surprise me. There is a reason our bodies are designed the way they are to do the things they do. It makes sense that nature would build in some protective measures with our breastmilk. Otherwise the species would never have survived
We have a 4 month old son. He is our 3rd child. None of our DR’s ever told us that breastfeeding can help to prevent SIDS, no. I have nursed all three kids (still nursing my son) so it’s good to know! I always worry about SIDS. Every nap he takes & every night when I put him to bed (even though he is always on his back)…it’s in the back of my mind. Thanks for this information.
forgot to mention: there was never a second where I didn’t plan on breastfeeding my kids. Even though I didn’t know it was good to prevent SIDS as far as I am concerned it is THE best thing for your baby. Once again, Nature doesn’t just provide us with the means to nourish our young for nothing.
I wish more Moms felt confident to breastfeed and did it for at least a year if not longer. I let my first self-wean at 20 months and I’ll do the same with my second.
Yep I was TERRIFIED! I breastfed. I never let me babies out of my sight. I never walked away while they were sleeping EVER. My oldest was perfectly fine. My second daughter stopped breathing at about 2 or 3 weeks old. It was about 3am and I had gotten up with and breastfed her and she had fallen asleep on the boppy. She was on my lap and I was knitting and suddenly something felt wrong and I put my hand on her back and NOTHING. I picked her up NOTHING. I ended up giving her mouth to mouth to get her breathing again. I have NEVER felt so helpless in all my life. I spent the next 6 hours time her breathing before becoming exhausted and waking up her Dad who continued timing her breathing for another 4 hours. It never happened again. She’s 4 now her brother is 6 and we still cosleep. I know they will start sleeping on their own soon but I’ll probably always worry.
Hi Amy, How scary that must have been for you. Thank you so much for sharing your story. — Judy
My OB never mentioned this but thankfully I have an awesome pediatrician who let me know about this study. She was wonderfully supportive of breastfeeding. Unfortunately, I was one of those rare women who couldn’t produce milk. I tried everything from herbs and teas to pumping and lactation consultants to beer, to oatmeal to prescription Reglan. I rented hospital grade scales and pumps and still could not produce milk (about a 1/2 an ounce per feeding is all). I spent well over a $1000.00 trying to make something “natural” happen. I did continue to breast feed for several months, knowing that the 1/2 ounce of breast milk that I gave my babies was better than nothing.
I was terrified of SIDS and with each of my boys, spent countless night time hours watching them breath. I’m happy to say that they’re all happy and healthy boys.
Your article is a great resource for mom’s who don’t don’t have the wonderful professionals around them that don’t spread the word of the benefits of breastfeeding.
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Thanks for your comment Nancy. It is wonderful that you had such strong support and that you were able to give your babies breastmilk despite how difficult it was for you. You should feel very proud! How lucky your children are! Thank you so much for sharing your story. — Judy