What the *#%! is SIDS anyway?

What is SIDS?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant under 1 year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history (Willinger et al., 1991). SIDS is … the major cause of death in infants from 1 month to 1 year of age, with most deaths occurring between 2 and 4 months sudden and silent—the infant was seemingly healthy a death often associated with sleep and with no signs of suffering a recognized medical disorder determined only after an autopsy, an examination of the death scene, and a review of the infant’s and family’s clinical histories a diagnosis of exclusion an infant death that leaves unanswered questions, causing intense grief SIDS is not … preventable, but the risk can be reduced by placing the baby on his or her back to sleep on a firm surface, by making sure the baby has a smoke-free environment, and by keeping the baby from being overheated suffocation caused by vomiting and choking or by minor illnesses such as colds or infection caused by the diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT) vaccines or other immunizations contagious child abuse or neglect the cause of every unexpected infant death

** SIDS remains the leading cause of death in the United States among infants between 1 month and 1 year of age and the third leading cause of death overall among infants less than 1 year of age.


** Many medical examiners are refusing to call an infant death SIDS.  Instead, they have begun using the term Sudden Unexplained Infant Death (SUID)... which is what our medical examiner used for Declan. Although, his death certificate says "unexplained". 


I find it maddening that we live in one of the greatest countries in the WORLD, where people come from all over to have medical procedures done, yet we don't know what SIDS is or how to STOP it!  Babies shouldn't die for NO REASON!!!