From: Patty Pigman
Healthy Communities, Columbus Regional Health
Columbus
Thank you to The Republic for bringing the recent alarming increase in sleep-related infant deaths in Indiana to our community’s attention with the recent article published Aug. 20. IMPACT (Infant Mortality Prevention Action Team) with Healthy Communities at Columbus Regional Health has been working on reducing infant mortality in Bartholomew County since 2019 and has endeavored to bring awareness to the importance of practicing safe infant sleep for every sleep.
Sleep-related infant death (what was commonly referred to as SIDS in previous generations) is the #1 preventable cause of death in our state with over 100 Hoosier babies dying from it every year. The good news is, with better sleep practices, most of these deaths are preventable. We’d like to remind parents, grandparents and caregivers of infants to always follow the ABCs of safe infant sleep:
A) Alone: Babies should sleep in their own separate sleep space, such as a crib or bassinet, and not in bed with parents or siblings. Room-sharing, where the baby sleeps in the same room as the parents but on a separate surface, is recommended.
B) Back: Babies should always be placed on their backs to sleep, both for naps and at bedtime.
C) Crib: Infants should sleep in a crib or bassinet with a firm, flat mattress and no loose bedding, toys, pillows, or bumper pads.
We encourage everyone to visit www.crh.org/SafeSleep Infant Mortality Prevention Team | Healthy Communities to learn more about safe infant sleep. For questions or specific needs related to practicing safe infant sleep, please email ppigman@crh.org.
We can work together to ensure more Bartholomew County babies reach their first birthday and beyond!
