Children born in some third-world countries have a better chance of reaching their first birthday than some children born in America. This disturbing fact is one reason health and medical professionals gathered in Nashville September 20, 2012 for “Tennesseans Teaming up for Change: Statewide Infant Mortality Summit.”
One initiative to protect a baby’s health after delivery is the TDH Safe Sleep campaign. It encourages parents to understand the “A-B-Cs of Safe Sleep” to prevent deaths while babies are sleeping. A is for Alone; always let the baby sleep alone, never in a bed with an adult or sibling where the baby could be smothered. B is for on the baby’s back; an infant should never be allowed to sleep on his or her side or stomach. C is for crib; always put your child in a crib that is empty, since blankets, toys and crib bumpers could smother a baby.
“In one Tennessee county alone, 36 babies died in 2009 from preventable sleep-related deaths. In 2009, 655 babies born in Tennessee died before their first birthdays
131 babies died in Tennessee in 2010 from sleep-related deaths.
Tennessee Children Dying To Early In Life
