Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2014/January 2015 | Page 88

FASHION HEALTH & BEAUTY

Follow good practice with babies

N

ew advice has been issued by
midwives at Isle of Wight NHS
Trust to try to prevent the travis
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
among new born babies.
Parents of new and anyone caring for
a baby is being urged to follow good
practice advice for safe sleep to SIDS, the
sudden and unexpected death of a baby
when no cause is found. While SIDS is
comparatively rare on the Island, it can
still happen and there are steps parents
can take to help reduce the chance of this
tragedy occurring.
Head of Midwifery, Annie Hunter said: “All
women on discharge from the Maternity
Unit are given a leaflet regarding safer
sleep produced by the Lullaby Trust and a
discussion highlighting recommendations
is documented in the hand held Maternity
Notes. We would also expect conversations
around safer sleep advice to be happening
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at every opportunity in the antenatal
and postnatal period. Many health
professionals, midwives, health visitors, and
GPs should be reinforcing this invaluable
advice to parents.”
The advice includes always place your

"We would also expect
conversations around
safer sleep advice
to be happening at
every opportunity
in the antenatal and
postnatal period."

baby on their back to sleep; keep your baby
smoke free during pregnancy and after
birth; breastfeed your baby, if you can;
place you baby to sleep in a separate cot
or Moses basket in the same room as you
for the first six months, and use a firm, flat,
waterproof mattress in good condition.
The main things to avoid are sleeping
on a sofa or in an armchair with your
baby; sleeping in the same bed as your
baby if you smoke, drink, take drugs or
are extremely tired, or if your baby was
born prematurely or was of low birth
weight. Don’t let your baby get too hot,
and don’t cover your baby’s face or head
while sleeping, or use loose bedding.
Further information can be found on
the NHS Choices website (www.nhs.
uk) at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/
pregnancy-and-baby/pages/reducingrisk-cot-death.aspx or the Lullaby Trust
website at www.lullabytrust.org.uk/