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L - R Heidi Barras RN, Diane Steiner RN, OB Nurse Manager, Dr. Loreen Karani, Pediatrician , Christine Cornell, Louisiana Office of Public Health, Stephanie Guercio RN, Tina Faulk, Education Coordinator, Denise Noel, RN Chief Nursing Officer

State recognizes Abbeville General as 2013 Safe Sleep Champion Hospital

Abbeville General Hospital was recently recognized as a 2013 Louisiana Safe Sleep Champion Hospital by the State of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.
The Labor and Delivery and Nursery departments of Abbeville General Hospital participated in the Office of Public Health’s initiative aimed at reducing infant mortality across Louisiana, and contributed to a national effort to address one of the leading causes of death among children under age one. These nurses adopted the 2011 Recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment made by the American Academy of Pediatrics to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and other sleep-related infant deaths.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS, describes the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than one year of age. Some people call SIDS “crib death” because many babies who die of SIDS are found in their cribs, but cribs do not cause SIDS.
Healthcare workers do not know exactly what causes SIDS but they DO know:
*Babies sleep safest on their backs. Babies who sleep on their stomachs are much more likely to die of SIDS than babies who sleep on their backs.
*Sleep surfaces matter. Babies who sleep on or under soft bedding are more likely to die of SIDS.
*Every sleep time counts. Babies who usually sleep on their backs but who are then placed on their tummies, like for a nap, are at very high risk for SIDS. It is important for everyone who cares for your baby to use the back sleep position for naps and at night.
*Since the “BACK TO SLEEP” campaign began in 1994, the SIDS rate among African Americans has been reduced by 50 percent.
What can you do to lower your baby’s risk of SIDS?
These are the things that the nurses teach new parents while they are hospitalized after having a new baby. Here are 10 ways that you too, and others who help take care of your baby can reduce the risk of SIDS.
1. Always place your baby on his or her back to sleep, for naps and at night
2. Place your baby on a firm sleep surface, such as on a safety-approved crib mattress, covered by a fitted sheet. Never place your baby on pillows, quilts, sheepskins or other soft surfaces.
3. Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of your baby’s sleep area. Don’t use pillows, blankets, quilts, sheepskins, or pillow-like crib bumper pads in your baby’s sleep area, and keep all items away from your baby’s face.
4. Do not allow smoking around your baby. Don’t smoke before or after the birth of your baby and don’t let others smoke around your baby.
5. Keep your baby’s sleep area close to but separate from where you and others sleep. Your baby should not sleep in a bed or on a couch or armchair with adults or other children. Your baby can sleep in the same room with you. If you bring your baby into bed with you to breastfeed, put
him or her back in a separate sleep area, such as a bassinet, crib, cradle, or a bedside co-sleeper (infant bed that attached to an adult bed) when the feeding is finished.
6. Think about using a clean dry pacifier when placing your infant down to sleep, but don’t force the baby to take it. If you are breastfeeding your baby, wait until your child is one month old or is used to breastfeeding before using a pacifier.
7. Do not let your baby over heat during sleep. Dress your baby in light sleep clothing, and keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult.
8. Avoid products that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS because most have not been tested for effectiveness or safety.
9. Do not use home monitors to reduce the risk of SIDS. If you have questions about using monitors for other conditions talk to your baby’s health care provider.
10. Reduce the chance that flat spots will develop on our baby’s head by providing “Tummy Time” when your baby is awake and someone is watching. Change the direction that your baby lies in the cribs from one week to the next, and avoid too much time in car seats, carriers, and bouncers. This also helps your baby’s head, neck, and shoulder muscles get stronger.

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