Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a very serious issue that new parents must learn about. SIDS is one of the top 3 leading causes of death in infants and according to the CDC in 2016, 3,600 infant deaths were the result of sudden unexpected infant death.
In comparison to the millions of healthy babies born each year in the U.S. that number may not seem startling, but what is startling is the fact that most of the babies that fall victim to SIDS are Black babies.
I learned about SIDS during my first prenatal appointment 2 years ago. The nurse practitioner gave me a pamphlet about SIDS and the proper sleeping habits of infants. She also offered to answer any questions I may have had. Perhaps it was the words “sudden” and “death” that lead to this, but I began to fear SIDS as an invisible monster that could take my child at any moment for no reason at all.
Unfortunately, some of the infant deaths that occur within the first few months are random and unavoidable, but that’s not always the case. With education and implementing safe parenting practices, you can
