September is Infant Mortality Awareness Month -- a time to raise awareness and educate parents and caregivers on practices that help all children reach their first birthday. It's not always possible to prevent or correct the reasons why some babies die in their first year, but there are many proven ways you can reduce your risks.
Key Tips for Preventing Infant Deaths
Birth Defects
Start: taking daily folic acid
Stop: drinking, smoking, using drugs
Consider: prescription medication use -- find out which are safe during pregnancy
Watch: your risk of infections and exposure to dangerous environmental toxins
Learn more, get support: obesity is associated with an increased risk of birth defects; find a size-friendly provider to learn how to have a healthy pregnancy at any size
Preterm Labor and Premature Birth
Learn: the signs of preterm labor, and how to seek care
Know: your personal and/or genetic risk factors for premature birth
Stop: smoking, drinking, using drugs
Reduce: stress
Consider: your weight -- over or under can increase your risk
Watch: your risk of infections and exposure to dangerous environmental toxins
Treat: chronic health conditions
Prenatal Care
Start: before pregnancy with good, healthy pre-pregnancy/preconception care and habits
Don't: skip appointments
Learn: about prenatal care options for everyone, whether you have health insurance, Medicaid, or are uninsured
Do: bring a loved one to your appointments for support and company
Ask: your OB or midwife about reducing your personal risk of infant death
Safe Infant Sleep
Do: place baby on his/her back to sleep, every time
Don't: place any soft objects in baby's sleep area/crib, including fluffy or any loose bedding/blankets, pillows, soft toys or stuffed animals, and crib bumpers
Learn: as much as you can about safe infant sleep
Consider: breastfeeding to reduce your baby's risk of SIDS, and provide other health benefits
Use: a firm, flat sleep surface for baby
Stop: smoking during pregnancy, and smoking/allowing smoking around baby
Share: your room with baby, keeping baby close by but on a separate surface for sleep
Avoid: sleep positioners or products that claim to reduce SIDS
Visit: your child's pediatrician for regular, routine visits during the first year
Newborn Screening
Learn: late in your third trimester, talk to your OB or midwife about newborn screening after birth
Do: follow up with your care providers about the results from your child's newborn screening
Seek: any treatment/care recommended to address your child's diagnosis
Infant mortality is a scary and real danger for families around the world. The more you can learn about prevention and healthy care, the more you can increase the likelihood of a healthy and safe infant and baby throughout the first year!
Published: September 23, 2018
Tags
BirthParentingSIDSBirth DefectsSafe sleepInfant DeathInfant SafetyNewborn ScreeningPreterm LaborInfant MortalityPrenatal CareInfant Mortality Awareness Month