Safe Sleep For Your Baby

Safe Sleep Tips to Reduce the Risk of SIDs

• "Room sharing" has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS by 50%.
  • It is recommended that infants sleep in the parents' room, close to the parents' bed, but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for the first year of life, but at least for the first 6 months.  Infants who are brought into the bed for feeding or comforting should be returned to their own crib or bassinet when the parent is ready to return to sleep.
  • [Leach, C., Blair, P.S., Fleming, P.J., Smith, I.J. Platt, M. W., Berry, P. J. (1999) Epidemiology of SIDS and Explained Sudden Infant Deaths Pediatrics, 104 (4)]. 
• Consider offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime. 
  • Studies have reported a protective effect of pacifiers on the incidence of SIDS, even if the pacifier falls out of the infant's mouth. 
  • For breastfed infants, pacifier introduction should be delayed until breastfeeding is firmly established. 
  • The pacifier should be used when placing the infant for sleep. It does not need to be reinserted once the infant falls asleep. If the infant refuses the pacifier, he or she should not be forced to take it. In those cases, parents and caregivers can try to offer the pacifier again when the infant is a little older.  
  • Because of the risk of strangulation, pacifiers should not be hung around the infant's neck or attached to infant clothing when used with sleeping infants. 
  • Pacifiers should be cleaned often and replaced regularly.
• Breastfeeding until 12 months when possible can further reduce the risk of SIDS by 50%.
  • [Vennemann, M. M., Bajanowski, T., Brinkmann, B., Jorch, G., Yücesan, K., Sauerland, C., Mitchell, E. A. (2009) Does Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome? Pediatrics, 123 (3)]
• Have regular supervised "tummy time" when baby is awake
• Provide skin-to-skin contact for newborns
• Set “smoke-free” rules around you and your baby before and after birth to keep tobacco smoke away from you and your baby’s environment to prevent risks of tobacco use.  
  • Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are at 2-3 times higher risk for SIDS. A baby exposed to second hand smoke after birth is also at increased risk for SIDS and other respiratory illness.  If you are pregnant, may become pregnant or have a baby, quitting smoking and not allowing your baby to be near cigarette smoke are the best gifts you can give yourself and your child. Eliminate cigarette smoke from your baby’s life today.  
  • Free help to quit smoking is available in Oklahoma! Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669)
• Avoid alcohol and illicit drug use during pregnancy and after birth.
  

• "Bed sharing" practices that substantially increase the risk of SIDS or unintentional injury or death:
  • Bed-sharing with an infant younger than 4 months
  • Bed-sharing with a current smoker (even if he or she does not smoke in bed)
  • Bed-sharing with someone who is impaired in alertness because of fatigue, sedating medications or alcohol
  • Bed-sharing with anyone who is not the infant's parent, including non-parental caregivers and other children (even twins or higher-order multiples)
  • Bed-sharing on a soft surface, such as a waterbed, old mattress, sofa, couch, or armchair
  • Bed-sharing with a soft mattress, bedding accessories, such as pillows and blankets  (Reference: AAP)
• Infants should also NOT sleep with other babies, children, or pets

For more information, go to Safe to Sleep for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development website of interactive resources, brochures, and other educational materials.

Perinatal loss is most often defined as, "A relatively common occurrence which refers to the death of an infant due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death."

Below are resources for grief support in Oklahoma:

Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area

• Agape Doula Postpartum Service
  • (405) 819-4904
  • Contact: Danielle Lungrand, PCD(DONA), CLC(OKC)
• Balance Women's Health (Moore, OK) 
  • (405) 378-2727
• Calm Waters, 3525 NW 56th Street, Oklahoma City
  • (405) 841-4800
  • A support center for children whose lives have been changed by death or divorce.
• Deaconess Hospital (OKC)
  • (405) 604-4444
    
  • Contact: Joyce Long
• INTEGRIS Hospice
  • (405) 848-8884
• Kids Joining Eternity
  • (405) 802-5739
  • Contact: Melanie Edwards
• Oklahoma City-County Health Department Social Workers
  • Phone: (405) 419-4036 or (405) 419-4142
• Oklahoma Family Network
  • (405) 271-5072
    
  • Contact Joni Bruce
  • Offers one-on-one mentoring for families who’ve experienced the loss of an infant or child with special needs.
• Sunbeam Family Services (OKC)
  • Phone: (405) 609-6652

Tulsa Metropolitan Area

• Family and Children Services, Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Claremore
  • (918) 587-9471
  • Grief and Loss Counseling (also provided in Spanish).  Meets throughout the year, every second Thursday of each month.
• Floral Haven Funeral Home, 6500 South 129th East Avenue, Broken Arrow
  • (918) 495-1597
• Oklahoma State Department of Health/Child Guidance, 315 S. Utica, Tulsa
  • (918) 594-4739
  • Offers one-on one services to children who have lost a parent or sibling.  Fees are based on a sliding scale.  No one is refused services for inability to pay.
• Saint Francis Health System, 6600 South Yale, Suite 350, Tulsa 74136
  • (918) 494-6465
  • Offers grief support groups, grief mailings that come 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 & 13 months, group counseling, grief companions, and memorial services twice a year. 
  • All services are free of charge even if they did not have a loved one affiliated with Saint Francis in any way.
• The Tristesse Center, 1709 South Baltimore Ave, Tulsa
  • (918) 587-1200
  • Offers a variety of individual and group programs to help those of any age that are grieving.  There is a 6-week Grief Support Group for the loss of an infant or toddler on Thursday evening.  Coping with the loss of a Child Monday Evenings 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. Sessions are $10.00.

• Britton Christian Church, 922 NW 91st St, OKC
  • (405) 848-2046
• Capitol Hill Assembly of God, 2400 SW 74th Street, Oklahoma City, 73159
  • (405) 682-4685
• Church of the Servant, 14343 N. MacArthur, OKC
  • (405) 721-4141
• Edmond Church of Christ, 801 South Bryant, Edmond, 73034 
  • (405) 341-3353
• GriefShare is a special support group for people who are grieving the death of someone close to them. Several churches throughout the Oklahoma City Metro area offer a GriefShare group. Contact the church for group days and times.
• Kids’ Place, P.O. Box 258, Edmond, Oklahoma 73083
  • (405) 844-5437 or (405) 341-3353
  • kidsplace@edmondchurchofchrist.com
  • Provides a safe and supportive environment for children as they mourn the death of a family member or friend. 
• New Covenant Christian Church, 12000 Rockwell Ave, OKC, Oklahoma, 73162 
  • (405) 722-7445
• Northwest Baptist Church, 3030 NW 23rd St., OKC
  • (405) 942-5557
• Oklahoma City First Nazarene, 4400 NW Expressway, Oklahoma City
  • (405) 843-9588
• Quail Springs Baptist Church, 14613 N. May Ave, Oklahoma City, 73134 
  • (405) 755-9240 or (405) 751-1621
• Surrey Hills Baptist Church, 12421 N. Mustang Rd, Yukon
  • (405) 373-2139

Compassionate Friends-Online Support

Norman Area

• Compassionate Friends
  Norman Chapter #1044 
  Corner of 12th and East Main Street
  Community Services Building
  North conference room
  (405) 360-4287
  normanchaptertcf@hotmail.com
  The Compassionate Friends exists to provide friendship, understanding, and hope to those going through the natural grieving process. Meets the 3rd Tuesday each month.
• Heartland Hospice
  Contact Shae Keene at (405) 579-8565
• Norman Healthplex
  Phone: (405) 613-6642
  Contact: Marcie Roberson
• Oklahoma Family Network
  Contact Joni Bruce at (405) 271-5072 or toll free at (877) 871-5072Offering one-on-one mentoring for families who’ve experienced the loss of an infant or child.
  
• P.R.I.D.E. (Parents Responding to the Infant Death Experience)
  Norman Regional Healthplex
  Offering support to those who have lost a child during pregnancy or in the first year of life.
  Call (405) 613-6642, or email nrhspride@nrh-ok.com
• GriefShare is a special support group for people who are grieving the death of someone close to them. Several churches throughout the Norman area offer a GriefShare group. Contact the church for group days and times. 
• Crosspoint Church
  SE 24th and Hwy 9
  Contact Mike Garner at (405) 307-1038
  Contact the Church at (405) 329-0823
• Journey Church
  I-35 and Tecumseh Road
  Contact Allen Sample at (405) 217-8700
• First Baptist Church
  301 Ne 27th, Norman
  Contact Linda Miller at (405) 793-2600
• Alameda Church of Christ
  801 East Alameda
  Norman, 73071
  Randy Hendrix, Counselor
  (405) 321-0788
  Meets Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.
  There are many Internet resources available to people who are experiencing the pain and sorrow of grief in their lives. Here are a few; you may find others by searching online.
• The Compassionate Friends
  Crisis, Grief, & Healing

Grief Share Recovery Support Groups

• Healing Hearts for Bereaved Parents
• Journey of Hearts
• M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death)
• M.I.S.S. Foundation
• Open to Hope
• Share: Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Inc.
• Star Legacy Foundation
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Other Infant Death Information

Oklahoma City Area

• Compassionate Friends-Online Support
  

Norman Area

• Compassionate Friends
  Norman Chapter #1044 
  Corner of 12th and East Main Street
  Community Services Building
  North conference room
  (405) 360-4287
  normanchaptertcf@hotmail.com
  The Compassionate Friends exists to provide friendship, understanding, and hope to those going through the natural grieving process. Meets the 3rd Tuesday each month.
• Heartland Hospice
  Contact Shae Keene at (405) 579-8565
  
  Norman Healthplex
  Phone: (405) 613-6642
  Contact: Marcie Roberson

Oklahoma Family Network
Contact Joni Bruce at (405) 271-5072 or toll free at (877) 871-5072
Offering one-on-one mentoring for families who’ve experienced the loss of an infant or child. 

P.R.I.D.E.
(Parents Responding to the Infant Death Experience)
Norman Regional Healthplex
Offering support to those who have lost a child during pregnancy or in the first year of life.
Call (405) 613-6642, or email nrhspride@nrh-ok.com

GriefShare is a special support group for people who are grieving the death of someone close to them. Several churches throughout the Norman area offer a GriefShare group. Contact the church for group days and times. 

Crosspoint Church
SE 24th and Hwy 9
Contact Mike Garner at (405) 307-1038
Contact the Church at (405) 329-0823

Journey Church
I-35 and Tecumseh Road
Contact Allen Sample at (405) 217-8700

First Baptist Church
301 Ne 27th, Norman
Contact Linda Miller at (405) 793-2600

Alameda Church of Christ
801 East Alameda
Norman, 73071 
Randy Hendrix, Counselor
(405) 321-0788
Meets Wednesdays at 6:30 PM.

There are many Internet resources available to people who are experiencing the pain and sorrow of grief in their lives. Here are a few; you may find others by searching online.

• Amanda the Panda 
• Care for the Family
• Children Are A Gift Foundation
• The Compassionate Friends
• Crisis, Grief, & Healing
• Grief Share Recovery Support Groups
• Healing Hearts for Bereaved Parents
• Healthy Place: America's Mental Health Channel
• Hospice
• Hygeia Foundation, Inc. and Institute for Perinatal Loss and Bereavement
• Journey of Hearts
• M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death)
• M.I.S.S. Foundation
• National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children, Inc.
• Open to Hope
• Share: Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support, Inc.
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Other Infant Death Information

Free help to quit smoking is available in Oklahoma! 
Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669).

If you smoke cigarettes, you are not alone. One in four women in Oklahoma smoke cigarettes.

Babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are 2-3 times at higher risk for SIDS, despite the birth weight of the baby. The risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. 

Studies show a baby exposed to secondhand smoke after birth is also at increased risk for SIDS and other respiratory illness. This risk increases with either the number of cigarettes smoked by the parents near the baby or the number of hours the infant spends in the presence of smokers.

If you are pregnant, may become pregnant or have a baby, quitting smoking and not allowing your baby to be near cigarette smoke are the best gifts you can give yourself and your child. Eliminate cigarette smoke from your baby’s life today.

Source: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Supervised "Tummy Time" with babies while they are awake allows babies to strengthen their muscles and develop normally. 

Because of recommendations for babies not to sleep on their tummies, infants are losing approximately 12 hours of "tummy time"  during the day. Many infants also spend long hours in swings, car and infant seats when awake. These practices result in some infants developing motor delays. 

"Tummy Time" helps infants:

• Stretch and strengthen the head, neck, shoulder and back muscles they will need to learn important motor skills (for instance, how to push up, roll over, sit up, crawl, and pull to a stand).
• Develop their sensory-perceptual, social emotional, problem solving, balance, visual, and hearing abilities.
• Develop normally shaped heads (infants who spend most of their time on their backs when asleep and in infant seats when awake are at risk for developing flat spots on the backs of their heads).

Sources:

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Tummy Time
• Majnemer A and Barr RG. (2006) Association between sleep position and early motor development. Journal of Pediatrics 149,623-9 
• American Physical Therapy Association (2008), Lack of time on tummy shown to hinder achievement of developmental milestones, say physical therapists.

• Kick off Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month this October!
• The American Academy of Pediatrics updated their recommendations for a Safe Infant Sleeping Environment
• National Safe to Sleep Campaign Materials
• Video Offers Ways to Reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• Sleep Like a Baby-Infant safe sleep video-English
• Sleep Like a Baby-Infant safe sleep video-Spanish
• The National Institutes for Health, Safe to Sleep Campaign
  This website describes the NIH Back to Sleep Campaign and provides a link to ordering high-quality, free materials in English and Spanish.
• CJFirst Candle: Saving Babies, Supporting Families
• Healthy Childcare America Safe Sleep Campaign
  This project aims to promote the health and safety of infants in child care settings by providing education and outreach to child care providers regarding safe sleep recommendations.
• The Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs
  Promoting leadership in bereavement services and maternal and child health since 1987
• Project Impact: Infant Mortality Policy and Communication Tools
  The National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Project IMPACT supports state and local infant and child death programs through sharing information, promoting policy and legislative changes, building upon resources, and fostering partnerships and communication.
  
  Safe sleep videos online:
• SafeSleepForBabies
  March 23, 2009
  This video is provided by Tomorrow's Child, sponsored by the CJ Foundation. It is an instructional DVD informing parents, grandparents, and caregivers of the best ways to ensure babies sleep safely. This is the best way to reduce baby's risk of sudden unexpected infant death or SIDS. 
• Click here for other videos