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Healthy infants have been known to die quietly in their sleep, just like that. There are no warning signs; no sickness, no crying and moaning that can warn the parents of this shocking happening. Also known as Crib Death, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) offers no explanations for the death of this apparently healthy infant, usually while they are asleep, looking so calm and angel-like. It is one of the most common causes of death in newborns and accounts for about 10 percent of deaths occurring during the first year of life of babies. The most common occurrences of SIDS strike a baby that are two to six months old between midnight to eight in the morning, when parents are most likely to sleep soundly and hardly ever happens in babies that are younger than two weeks or older than eight months.
Though, no definite causes of SIDS have been identified, yet, infection in the respiratory tract may be one as researches show that many babies who died of SIDS had been treated recently for a cold or other respiratory illnesses. The season when SIDS deaths occur the most are - winter and early spring - when chances of respiratory infections are at their peaks. Some of the causes that are believed to increase the risk of SIDS for a baby are:
- Baby sleeping on tummies or on their sides.
- Family history of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
- Low income families where the babies and their moms receive less care and where there is lack of proper nutrition.
- Moms are under 20 at the time of pregnancy.
- Moms received little or no prenatal care (care of mom before the birth of the baby).
- Moms that smoke or take drugs during pregnancy.
- Premature birth or low weight of the baby at the time of the birth.
- Second hand smoking (when someone smokes while they are around the baby).