"Safe Sleep Baby Shower"

Learn how to reduce your baby’s risk~~FREE!
Come and have fun and meet other moms while you learn about safe sleep for your precious new baby.
All attendees will receive a free Halo Sleep Sack.
A voucher for a free Pack and Play (portable) crib will be available for those who meet income requirements. Call for details -446-6060
August 3, 2010
1-3pm
Norfolk Workforce Development Center
201 East Little Creek Rd, Norfolk, VA 23505

Brought to you by the Eastern Virginia Perinatal Council

Two Additional Infant Deaths Prompt Re-announcement of Simplicity "Close-Sleeper/Bedside Sleeper" Bassinets

CPSC is once again urging all parents and caregivers to immediately stop using convertible "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned of two additional infant deaths since the August 2008 safety alert and recall announcements. To date, CPSC is aware of four infants who have died in the close-sleeper bassinets.
We are very concerned that not enough families know about this critically important recall. We want consumers to stop using the bassinet and take it back to the place of purchase for a refund or store credit.
To see pictures of the Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets and for more information please visit our web site at www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml09/09319.html
Due to the life-threatening hazard these bassinets pose to infants, CPSC urges all consumers to share this safety warning with friends, family, day care centers, and consignment stores to ensure that no child is placed to sleep in a Simplicity convertible bassinet cove

Resource Center

The National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Resource Center has a new multi-media page. http://www.sidscenter.org/multimedia.html

They have selected and created materials on SIDS, SUID, safe sleep, and related topics that can be accessed directly online. The latest posting is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): Reducing the Risk -- Online Training for Nurses featuring Hanan Kallash, speaking at the Seattle Children's Hospital and Program Support Center.

The SleepTight Campaign

A five year study done by the Chesapeake Health Department indicates that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the leading causes for infant mortality in the area. A large number of these deaths are due to positional asphyxia- a type of suffocation caused by body positions that restrict airflow and a fatal condition often caused by unsafe sleeping environments.
The sleep tight campaign will allow any low-income Chesapeake parent access to a safe-sleeping educational program and a Pack n play crib AT NO COST. This is presented by CHIP/Healthy Families of Chesapeake. For more information or to request a speaker for your organization, please call (757) 543-9100 or stop by our office at 1302 Jefferson Street in Chesapeake.

October is SIDS awareness month

Using a fan to circulate air seemed to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in a study of nearly 500 babies, researchers reported Monday. Placing babies on their backs to sleep is the best advice for preventing SIDS, a still mysterious cause of death.
Experts also recommend a firm mattress, removing toys and pillows from cribs, and keeping infants from getting too warm.

A new study found that using a fan to circulate air while a baby sleeps can help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. "This seems to suggest that by improving room ventilation we can further reduce risk," said the study's author. "The baby's sleeping environment really matters," said study senior author Dr. De-Kun Li of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif. "This seems to suggest that by improving room ventilation we can further reduce risk."

SIDS Training

SIDS Mid-Atlantic offers the following trainings for your staff, provided by Betty Connal, RN, MS, a nurse with over 35 years experience in perinatal education. Trainings can be done at your location, at your convenience.
Keys to a Healthy Baby; Sudden Infant Death for Emergency Department Personnel; Sudden Infant Death for Child care Providers; Sudden Infant Death for Health Care Providers; Sudden Infant for Nursery and Post-Partum Nurses; Grief and Loss in Pregnancy and the First Year of Life; Perinatal Depression; Prematurity: It’s a Bigger Problem Than You Think; Five A’s Smoking Cessation Program; Perinatal Substance Abuse; Infant Development in the First Year of Life; Shaken Baby Syndrome. For more information: bconnal@aol.com

SIDS Risk Reduction Continuing Education Program Emphasizes Important Role of Nurses in Health Care

The National Institutes of Health has created a continuing education program designed to help nurses communicate the risk factors for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) to parents and child caregivers. Nurses are a key information resource for new parents and often spend the most time with families in the hospital following the birth of a child.

The Continuing Education Program on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Risk Reduction was developed by the NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) in collaboration with national nursing and health organizations. The program reviews the most current research findings and theories about SIDS and provides nurses with practical approaches to communication about SIDS in a multi-cultural environment.

"Nurses who care for infants and families in the hospital are in a unique position to educate parents and influence health and safety practices," said Duane Alexander, M.D., director of the NICHD, the NIH institute distributing the program materials.

Nurses can order a hard copy or download an electronic version of the continuing education booklet through the NICHD’s Web site, at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/sidsnursesce/, or by calling 1-800-370-2943. For more information, visit the Institute’s Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Cribs for Kids Program - Training Opportunity

Upcoming FREE training scheduled for June 8, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Virginia Beach Department of Health, 4452 Corporation Lane, Virginia Beach 23462. Any agency/program that wants to participate in the Cribs for Kids Program through the Virginia SIDS Alliance must complete this training in order to obtain cribs from them. Some topics that will be covered include: Perinatal Substance Abuse Use, Five A's tobacco/substance intervention, Prematurity: It's a bigger problem than you think, and Sudden Infant Death...please call 757-518-2701 to sign up.