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WoodIAm
My Boys!
Member since 5/05 5498 total posts
Name:
JoAnne
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SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Does anyone know...do they think SIDS is caused by the baby suffocating on his belly or is it just the fact that they are on it?
I've been putting Charlie on his for naps once in awhile and he sleep so much better. But we are both scared to death to let him sleep all night like that. He's 5 months and just started rolling over so I know that he may do it anyway, but do we really want to promote it? I'd be thrilled if I could just get him to sleep even 5 hours!
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Posted 2/24/07 7:57 PM  |
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dandr10199
Grace is growing up too fast!
Member since 10/05 11561 total posts
Name:
Dina
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
I heard it had something to do with serotonin in the baby's brain 
I will google it and post what I find out...(post to be continued)
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| Posted 2/24/07 7:59 PM |
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WoodIAm
My Boys!
Member since 5/05 5498 total posts
Name:
JoAnne
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Posted by dandr10199
I heard it had something to do with serotonin in the baby's brain
I will google it and post what I find out...(post to be continued)
Thanks Dina!
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| Posted 2/24/07 8:06 PM |
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mishy
My Girls
Member since 10/05 2427 total posts
Name:
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
That was the only way my DD would sleep and it made me crazy.. I would put her on her side or back and she would end up on her belly..
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| Posted 2/24/07 8:42 PM |
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sunny
Life is good!
Member since 5/05 8369 total posts
Name:
Stephanie
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
I heard one theory is that with their mouth so close to the mattress they are breathing in too much carbon dioxide instead of oxygen.
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| Posted 2/24/07 8:46 PM |
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Samlove
Member since 5/05 4729 total posts
Name:
Shari
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
THey do say back to sleep but to be honest with you once the babies are able to turn over they are going to sleep which ever way is the most comfortable . In most cases I think its their belly
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| Posted 2/24/07 9:41 PM |
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-Lisa-
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Member since 5/05 6530 total posts
Name:
Lisa
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
I think the idea is that they tend to fall into a deeper sleep on their bellies (which is also why they sleep better). So if they stop breathing, they may not be able to wake themselves up because they are in such a deep sleep.
eta: the likelihood of SIDS decreases dramatically after 4 months.
Message edited 2/24/2007 10:30:39 PM.
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| Posted 2/24/07 9:53 PM |
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beachgirl
LIF Adult
Member since 7/05 7967 total posts
Name:
sara
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
There was a recent study which claimed that SIDS was caused by some malfunction in the brain so it had nothing to do with how you put them to sleep.
I know when my DD was younger she would flip onto her tummy but I always turned her back - too nervous..It sounds like you are not comfortable with your son sleeping on his tummy so I would just gently turn him onto his back if he does flip and pray he doesnt wake up
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| Posted 2/24/07 11:14 PM |
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nrthshgrl
It goes fast. Pay attention.
Member since 7/05 57538 total posts
Name:
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
I read an article that took up the issue of soft mattresses. The baby facing down would breath in to a pocket in the mattress if it wasnt' firm. The carbon dioxide that the baby just breathed out would be taxen in again & again, leaving the baby with such a small amount of oxygen & then SIDS.
I put my son on his belly from 3 months when I realized he would sleep for hours on his belly but only 20 minutes on his back.
There is a good book in physical develoment that discusses mammals & how they ALL sleep belly down. The back to sleep campaign would be deadly in nature because it leaves the animals' insides vulnerable. It went on to say that we were not meant to fall asleep on our backs as it impedes muscle development and brain development.
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| Posted 2/25/07 12:44 AM |
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yankinmanc
Happy Days!
Member since 8/05 18208 total posts
Name:
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
There are also a lot of social studies as to why babies die of SIDS, if you are in a household where someone smokes there is something like an 80% higher chance that your baby could die of SIDS than if you live in a household with no smokers...in the UK there is also a lot of studies that involve class (ie the lower class has a much higher rate of SIDS Deaths but thats not to say that the upper/middle classes do not have this...don't forget the UK is still very much a class system)
I would put the baby to sleep on their side and see if that works. I think there are lots of scare tactics that say IF YOU PUT YOUR BABY ON ITS BELLY ITS GOING TO DIE INSTANTLY...but we all know thats not true.
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| Posted 2/25/07 4:55 AM |
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bellarina
She's my dancing queen!
Member since 5/05 1752 total posts
Name:
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Posted by beachgirl
There was a recent study which claimed that SIDS was caused by some malfunction in the brain so it had nothing to do with how you put them to sleep.
I read the same thing! I really do believe this but would still put my DD to sleep on her back. She rolled over by 4 months and ever since then I could not get her to go back onto her back. My Dr. said to try to get her to sleep on her back and I would go in there every 5 minutes (literally) just to flip her over. After not getting sleep for 2 nights, I just gave in!
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| Posted 2/25/07 6:47 AM |
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jessbaby
My boys!
Member since 1/06 5292 total posts
Name:
Jessica
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
DS has been sleeping on his back since 2 weeks old. I was the opposite too nerveous to put him on his back afraid of him spitting up and choking.
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| Posted 2/25/07 8:41 AM |
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SoinLove
Making big changes
Member since 5/05 16541 total posts
Name:
Kristin
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Posted by kelly4
Posted by beachgirl
There was a recent study which claimed that SIDS was caused by some malfunction in the brain so it had nothing to do with how you put them to sleep.
I read the same thing! I really do believe this but would still put my DD to sleep on her back. She rolled over by 4 months and ever since then I could not get her to go back onto her back. My Dr. said to try to get her to sleep on her back and I would go in there every 5 minutes (literally) just to flip her over. After not getting sleep for 2 nights, I just gave in!
I've read this as well. Both my kids are belly sleepers. I was scared in the beginning, yes, but not any more
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| Posted 2/25/07 9:06 AM |
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ddunne2
LIF Adult
Member since 7/05 4189 total posts
Name:
Doreen
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Both of my kids slept on their bellies from about 3 weeks of age.
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| Posted 2/25/07 9:25 AM |
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2kids2cats
My babies
Member since 6/05 5229 total posts
Name:
f
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
I've been putting DD on her belly to sleep since 3 weeks old. As long as I knew she was able to lift her head, I was okay with it. That was my only concern.
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| Posted 2/25/07 9:44 AM |
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WoodIAm
My Boys!
Member since 5/05 5498 total posts
Name:
JoAnne
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Thanks Ladies!
They say not to put them on their side either, but the nurses had all the babies swaddled and on their sides in the nursery when Charlie was born.
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| Posted 2/25/07 11:20 AM |
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Diane
Hope is Contagious....catch it
Member since 5/05 30683 total posts
Name:
D
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Both my boys sleep better on their bellies
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| Posted 2/26/07 10:01 AM |
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dandr10199
Grace is growing up too fast!
Member since 10/05 11561 total posts
Name:
Dina
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
Posted by WoodIAm
Posted by dandr10199
I heard it had something to do with serotonin in the baby's brain
I will google it and post what I find out...(post to be continued)
Thanks Dina!
Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you, Gracie has been sick. Anyway, here's the article:
SIDS and Serotonin
Once inexplicable, new studies now uncover some of the brain mechanisms that may underlie SIDS, a term used to describe the death of a seemingly healthy infant during sleep. These discoveries, including those that implicate a brain system that involves the chemical serotonin, could help researchers develop methods to identify babies at risk for SIDS and find new ways to prevent death.
Also known as sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS describes the death of a child under the age of one that occurs during a sleep period and that can't be explained by a complete autopsy. A leading cause of infant death, it killed some 2,500 babies in 2000, according to the most recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
The unexpected loss of life has long perplexed parents, physicians, and scientists alike. How? Why? Now, new studies provide some insight into what may underlie these abrupt deaths. One line of work suggests that flaws in a brain system that communicates using the chemical serotonin may make some babies more susceptible to SIDS. These discoveries are leading to:
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A clearer understanding of serotonin's role in brain function and its relation to SIDS.
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New ideas on how to identify babies at risk for SIDS.
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New strategies to prevent SIDS.
In past years scientists identified some outside factors that increase the risk of SIDS. For example, they determined that infants who sleep on their stomachs are more likely to die of SIDS than those who sleep on their backs. Unfortunately, the biological mechanisms behind the condition have been harder to uncover, especially since many likely exist.
Recently, however, researchers made some headway. One set of studies points a finger at a serotonin-based messaging system. Certain brain cells that contain serotonin release it when they become stimulated. The chemical attaches or binds to molecules on nearby brain cells, termed receptors, and triggers message transmission. Researchers examined brain tissue from SIDS victims and found that their serotonin receptor binding was lower than normal in the brain stem, an area that helps control vital functions like breathing.
More recently scientists found that SIDS cases were more likely to have a certain variation of a gene that produces the serotonin transporter. This cell component can pump the serotonin back into the brain cell to mute the messaging process. The researchers suspect that people with the variation harbor more effective transporters than other people. Preliminary examinations of brain stem tissue also suggest that some SIDS victims have an excess of these more effective serotonin transporters.
Together these results could mean that the serotonin communication system in some infants does not work properly, perhaps sending out fewer messages than normal. Possibly the faulty system prevents children from responding to life-threatening events during sleep, such as increased levels of carbon dioxide, a harmful waste product eliminated by the lungs during breathing. Babies can experience excessive levels of the gas when they rebreathe air trapped in bedding, for instance. Normally, the serotonin system may help sense the problem and trigger mechanisms that increase breathing to expel the carbon dioxide.
Animal research supports this idea. For example, scientists discovered that normally an increase in carbon dioxide strongly stimulates cells that contain serotonin in the brain stem. Also early evidence indicates that a drug used for depression, which inhibits the transporter's activities and increases messaging in the serotonin system, enhances the response of rats to carbon dioxide. In ongoing research, scientists also find that they can decrease an animal's response to carbon dioxide by killing cells that contain serotonin in the brain stem. In addition, mice bred to lack most of their serotonin cells have abnormal breathing and some die during infancy.
Researchers plan to further define serotonin's role in SIDS. Ultimately they would like to use the information to devise a test that predicts which children have the greatest risk of dying from SIDS and to find better ways to prevent death.
image
Brain cells that contain serotonin, like the ones highlighted above in green and yellow, may play an important role in sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS. Some researchers suspect that these cells, situated in the brain near large arteries, highlighted in red, are part of a system that normally monitors the blood for high levels of carbon dioxide, which can be harmful. Through a release of serotonin, the brain cells are thought to increase breathing and keep carbon dioxide levels low. This system, however, may not work properly in some babies and could help contribute to SIDS.
Image reprinted with permission from Nature Neuroscience, S. Risso Bradley et al., Vol. 5, 401 (2002).http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainBriefings_sIDSAndSerotonin
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| Posted 2/26/07 10:25 AM |
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luvsun27
Check out my cool glasses
Member since 5/05 8135 total posts
Name:
Kim
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Re: SIDS & Belly Sleeping
I have been putting DD to sleep on her belly since about 8 weeks....when I figured out she slept better that way!
Now...if I put her on her back, she will rub her eyes and cry and won't go to sleep...as soon as I flip her over to her belly...she is out in about 5 seconds.
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| Posted 2/26/07 10:28 AM |
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