CARSON CITY - The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) recognizes the month of October as Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID), Pregnancy, and Infant Loss Awareness Month, and Oct. 15 as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.
The DPBH is working to reduce pregnancy loss and infant mortality rates through collaboration and participation in both the Learning Network on Improving Birth Outcomes and Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality (CoIIN), as well as funding a pilot Fetal Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) in Washoe County.
The number one cause of infant death between the ages of one month and one year is accidental suffocation, and can be due to an unsafe sleep environment. Efforts to educate and prevent unsafe sleep related deaths include the recent purchase of Safe Sleep board books for statewide distribution by the DPBH. Safe sleep materials are routinely distributed by the DPBH and many community partners such as Cribs for Kids of Safe Kids Washoe County, Baby Safe Sleep of the Southern Nevada Health District, and Baby's Bounty of Southern Nevada. Many direct service providers also provide Safe Sleep messages to parents and care givers every day.
Infant death due to unsafe sleep is preventable, everyone who cares for an infant, including care givers, need to be educated about Safe Sleep. Safe sleeping practices include placing a baby to sleep alone, on their back, and in a crib - at all times, no exceptions.
Alone: Do not sleep with a baby ever. Do not share sleeping spaces - even with siblings.
On back: Placing a baby to sleep on their back greatly reduces infant deaths.
In a crib: Use a firm crib mattress covered by a fitted sheet. Do not put a baby to sleep on a bed or a couch. Keep pillows, stuffed animals, bumper padding and other soft items out of the baby's sleeping area, and keep all items away from the baby's face. Also, refrain from using car seats, swings or strollers for routine sleep. Keep the crib in your room, close by, in a smoke-free environment, breastfeed, use a pacifier, and do not overheat a baby during sleep.
For more information, please contact Vickie Ives at vives@health.nv.gov or (775) 684-4134.
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