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Smoking While Pregnant Increases Risk Of SIDS

(KDKA) SIDS -- or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome -- can be a fear for a lot of new parents.

This is the sudden and unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby. Most SIDS deaths occur in children who are between 2 months and 4 months old. Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk, and Pittsburgh, it turns out, may have a higher risk than other cities.

Seventeen-month-old Noah Carlins' father had a baby sister die from SIDS.

"My husband, I believe he was three, and he found her," says Noah's mother, Jennifer. "Even to this day, that worries me."

These parents from Pleasant Hills have been extra careful. "When we registered for stuff, not the crib bumper pads, we went with the breathable pads," she says.  "Of course, we laid him on his back, but he always turns to his side, which is okay, but you still worry.

"Now that he's gotten a little bit older, it's a little bit easier, but you still worry," Jennifer continues.

Things you can do to reduce the risk, include putting the baby on his back to sleep and not smoking while you're pregnant.

Pittsburgh may have more to worry about with its high rate of smoking during pregnancy -- one in four pregnant moms, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The habit worries pediatrician Dr. Jonathan Pletcher of Children's Hospital. "The babies of women who smoke are smaller, and they're more likely to be premature."

A small study looked at 22 babies born prematurely at 28 to 32 weeks. About half the mothers smoked more than five cigarettes a day, the other half did not smoke.

In both groups, the babies had the same breathing and heart rates, interruptions in breathing, and oxygen levels in their bloodstreams. The babies born to smoking mothers showed more stress during periods where their oxygen levels dropped.

"The babies, their breathing control center, which is very underdeveloped, and even less developed in a premature baby, the right safety mechanisms don't kick in, should the baby stop breathing," says Dr. Pletcher.

The findings may help doctors and parents better identify those babies at higher risk of sids, so they can be watched more closely at home.

To reduce your risk of SIDS:
* Put your baby on his or her back to sleep
* Place your baby on a firm mattress
* Remove all fluffy and loose bedding from the sleep area
* Make sure your baby's face and head stay uncovered during sleep
* Don't smoke before or after the birth of your baby

For more information, contact SIDS of Pennsylvania at (412) 322-5680 or visit  SIDS-PA.org.

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