would you consider writing an peice on nose washes to prevent the viral particle from invading the nasal lining? this would avoid colds.
i have referecnes to support this notion. please consider this important subject.
Hana R Solomon, MD

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Tonight the news really hit home for my family. I would like to share a story with you about my daughter. When I was pregnant I bought a baby monitor that was mentioned to me by a friend. This monitor saved my daughter from dying of SIDS. The monitor is called the Angel Care Monitor by BeBe Sounds. This monitor makes a clicking sound when your child moves or breathes, but after 12 seconds has passed and your child has not taken a breathe then a warning beep sounds. If the child does not move or breath in the next 5 seconds the machine sounds an alarm. This happened to us about 6 weeks ago. When I got to my duaghters crib she was blue. I got there in time to save her life because of the baby monitor. My child would have died that day, it was an afternoon nap, and she had been sleeping for an hour. There would have been no reason for me to be checking in on her at that time. We have now done a series of Medical test. We have discovered that she has sleep apnea and we are testing for other problems. Mind you my daughter is 7 months old. She is very healthy, she has not even had a cold. The angel care monitor saved her life. It gave us the extra chance we needed to learn about the problem before it was too late. I am sharing this story, in the chance that this comment saves just one family from loosing their baby to SIDS it was worth sending this email.

Thank you for your time.
Jeanette Venable
Pediatric Nurse

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Thank you for bringing SIDS to the attention of the public, espcially since October is SIDS Awareness Month. It is unfortunate that the word "prevent" was used in the banner because, as you indicate in the article, there is NO PREVENTION FOR SIDS. I am sure that Ms. Venable in the previous comment means well, but her child did NOT almost die from SIDS and she did NOT save her child from SIDS. I am not saying that she didn't save her child - quite obviously she did and I rejoice with her. However, apnea and SIDS are NOT the same thing. SIDS is defined as the death of an infant from no discernable cause even after a thorough autopsy, home interviews and a study of the baby's environment. The reason I know so much about SIDS at this point in my life is because two years ago this coming November 4, our son and his wife had their second daughter, an incredible baby girl with bright eyes and obvious robust health. By the time she was two months old, she weighed 10 pounds and the pediatrician could not have been more pleased at her checkup. On January 14, 2005, seventy-two days after she was born, our granddaughter was stolen by SIDS. It is ten times more devastating than you can imagine. Since that time, I have spent some time every single day educating myself about SIDS and working to educate others and to raise SIDS awareness. Scientists cannot tell which babies will die until they are dead. The first symptom of SIDS is death.There have been a number of studies which have demonstrated that the use of a monitor of ANY brand does not lower the incidence of SIDS. Please support SIDS research and awareness.

Thank you,
Kathryn Houseman Lobert

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Hi, this story really got me. I have three kids and one of them Passed away from SIDS in 2005. He was helathy and we did all teh things we were told. Back sleeping no smoking and he died with a pacifier in his mouth. It makes me angry to see you telling people that you can prevent SIDS. If you could prevent SIDS my son would be here. I think that is an ignorant statement to make and for someone who is suposedly educating people on SIDS it down right makes me sick. So in ways you are saying that babies die form SIDS but they could of lived that their parents are to blame. I did all the things i was told to do bringing a baby home from the hospital. I have two older kids that are healthy and happy and i take pride in my parenting abilites. There is no prevention for SIDS. Yes there are things you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS but even that is guesses since no one really knows what SIDS is. As a parent of an Angel to SIDS i think this is a terrile way to tell people about SIDS. what if you are educationg someone and they think they can prevent it and it happens to them and they feel guilty when they shouldn't.

Thank you fawn Woodfin

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As always it is great to see SIDS being brought to public attention and as Kathryn mentioned especially with this being SIDS Awareness Month. However, I have some concerns about some of the information presented. First of all SIDS is not something that can be prevented nor predicted ~ at this time at least ~ it is not known WHAT causes SIDS. In spite of the 'so called risk reducers', babies continue to die while sleeping on their back, while being breast fed, safe from second hand smoke, in clutter free cribs etc. etc. In other words parents who have followed all the 'rules' have still lost their baby. My concern with presenting this information without qualifying the statement about 'risk reducers' is that it gives parents a false sense of security, they believe that by following all the rules their baby will be safe. This is just not true.
And, to address the comments from Ms. Venable, if you check through all the information regarding SIDS you will see that SIDS and apnea are 2 separate and distinct events. I'm very happy that you were able to get to your baby in time, but, it was not from 'near SIDS' that you rescued your baby. There is no such thing as 'coming back' from SIDS, that's what makes it so mysterious and frustrating along with such a loss being extremely painful for the family who has to go through SIDS.
It must also be noted that there HAS been some progress made ~ expanded newborn screening IS saving lives, there has been a definite connection made between Long qt's (heart arrhythmia) and I am certain that the research presently being done with brain stem research will yield still more answers. But at this time, there are still many, many SIDS deaths for which there is NO known reason for the death of an apparently healthy baby. Parents need information but they need ALL the information. We need to be asking for further research and looking for ALL the CAUSES. Our babies are worth that ~ my son doesn't have a voice, I am his voice, I speak for him and all the other babies lost to SIDS. I hope that anyone reading this will agree that this is something that needs to be pushed to the max ~ our most vulnerable citizens need our help. Sincerely, Judy Chisholm McGee
Mommy to Christopher born Nov. 04, 1972, died Dec. 01, 1972

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I have to agree with all the other SIDS mothers comments, SIDS is not preventable. I guess the above comments say it all. I am as well a SIDS mom, I did all the things they say to do to reduce the risk but it stilll happened to me. A monitor may advise you of when your baby stops breathing for a period of time, which may be sleep apnea but how can you save a baby from "SUDDEN INFANT DEATH Syndrome"??? Key word in there being death?? Giving parents false hope of this monitor is wrong and you should rewrite your article and comments.

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I am so sorry to hear of anyone's loss of a baby, especially to something as mysterious as SIDS. However, I think it's wrong to assume the reporter is suggesting that EVERYONE can prevent SIDS by just taking a few precautions. Obviously this happens to the most cautious of parents just as it can happen to anyone else. What she IS saying is that based on theories by skilled researchers and doctors, there are a few things parents can do to REDUCE the risk of a child dying suddenly. Since there are no warning signs, it's important for parents to be educated about what researchers believe may be the causes of the syndrome. Whether or not the reporter is a mother of a child who died from SIDS does not mean she cannot relay the facts given to her from someone educated on the issue (Toni Vetter). Mothers everywhere should take this advice to heart because there's no such thing as being TOO cautious.

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I have to agree this story is very misleading. SIDS is UNPREVENTABLE at this time. Our duaghter had her well check 2 days before she died, her DR. couldn't have been happier with her progress. @ days later my daughter was dead, thanks to SIDS. I have 2 other biological childer, and know I am a great Mom. All of us SIDS parents know there are cases of children dying while awake of SIDS ( read your SIDS and Infant Death Survival Guide). Your daughter did not almost die of SIDS, she almost died of sleep apnea, they are neither one nor the same. I thank God you were able to save your baby, But don't make us SIDS Mom's feel guilty for something we have no control over. Believe me, and you better praise God you don't know anything about it, there is enough guilt in the grieving process. You have your daughter, we don't have our Sommer, through NO fault of our own.

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This article is quick to point out the danger of loose bedding and pillows and then subtledy states "an abnormality" in the infant. The focus SHOULD REMAIN right there. Lets test these babies for metabolic disorders, Long/ Short QT, underdevelopment of the Arcuate nucleus too.
My son was on his back, used a pacifier all the time and NOONE smoked during or after pregancy....these reducers DO NOT PREVENT SIDS.
As a "pediatric nurse" Ms. Venable should be smart enough to know that her daughter most likely survived an ALTE (A Life Threatening Event) or an apneatic episode. For her to suggest that the monitor helped her to reverse the effects of SIDS is preposterous.
Parents (including EMT, and doctors) have immediately performed CPR on their children as the breathing stopped. SIDS is NOT reversible once it begins. Once again we have people misinforming the public and misleading them to the horror that SIDS truly is.
Please dont present SIDS as preventable, or sunshine and rainbows...it is ugly and the public needs to demand more awareness and research to stop this nightmare families experience 8-9x's every day in this country......thank you.

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I want to thank the reporter for having the courage and conviction to bring this issue to light. There is not enough publication about this horrendous tragedy. I lost my son, John Daniel Fry, to SIDS on June 14, 1998. According to everyone we got to my son within a minute or two of when he stopped breathing and immediately began CPR and yet we were unable to revive him. This is what SIDS is, not what happened to the pediatric nurse. I feel for any parent that finds their child not breathing, however, when you present yourself as having saved your child from dying from SIDS you are once again muddying the public's opinion of what SIDS is. As a professional that deals with children all the time I would expect you to know better!

As for the reporter of this article, you have no control over the comments people leave in response to your article, however you do have control over what goes in your article. The placement of the word "preventing" in your article may have been unintentional, and perhaps you didn't realize how much this could hurt SIDS parents, but I urge you to be aware of it in the future. For the most part I believe your article was well worded, and I appreciate what you are trying to do. Please try to more aware of the impact every word can have.

Thank-you again!
Cathy
Mommy to an angel, John Daniel Fry 3/19/98-6/14/98

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Thank you for addressing SIDS and the stress it causes when it strikes a family. I'm all too familiar with that stress, as my 1st daughter, Katie, died of SIDS in 2002. I'm still dealing with that stress, even after 4 years. One thing that triggers a surge in my stress is when SIDS is referred to as being preventable. How can something that, by definition, cannot be explained, be prevented? I whole-heartedly believe parents should follow the risk reducers, but they should also be aware that SIDS is more complicated than they are led to believe. SIDS education needs to expand beyond "back to sleep" and "no smoking" and extend into the neuological connection so many theories are centered around. I remember leaving the hospital after Katie was born thinking, "She'll sleep on her back. She won't die." That ignorance was bliss at the time, but reality hit my family and me hard. I found out the hard way that SIDS cannot be prevented. Even though it would not have changed the events surrounding Katie's death, had I known and understood the truth about SIDS, I would have been left with fewer questions after she died. On the same note, if the public would become better educated about the complexities of SIDS, members of the non-SIDS community would understand that SIDS babies were not neglected, smothered, or murdered and would stop blaming SIDS parents and caregivers for the deaths of these babies.

Thank you.

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I too have to agree with the above women. I am happy to see an article about SIDS, especially in the month of October, which is "SIDS Awarenss Month", but I cannot agree with Ms. Veneable nor with the title that states Preventing SIDS. SIDS is in no way PREVENTABLE. The first sign of SIDS is death. No baby monitor can stop SIDS. The only thing that a parent can do is follow the "risk reducers". And that is all they are is "risk reducers". My nephew was taken by SIDS 3 years ago. All the "risk reducers" were followed. Yet he is still gone. Let's stop focusing on "risk reducers" and focus on finding answers.

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I wish more mothers believe in sids but you cant change all. I think there needs to be more on sids and doctors should tell new moms or old moms to be what sids is

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A similar research results can be found at the news of largeplace.com. I definitely agree with this article.

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