Please share this information with every pregnant or new mom you can to ensure they are thoroughly and accurately aware of the risks of bed sharing with their precious bundle. Encourage them to choose “room sharing” as a safe, effective alternative.
A new study, the largest ever analysis of five major case control studies, was published online May 20 in the BMJ Open. It concludes that bed sharing presents a five-fold increased risk of SIDS, even when the baby is breastfed, neither parent is a smoker and mom is not under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Add other risk factors, including an increased risk of accidental suffocation, falls and entrapment and you have a recipe for disaster.
First Candle, the American Academy of Pediatrics and experts and infant health organizations worldwide are urging parents to seriously consider these risks and err on the side of caution: place your baby’s crib, play yard, bassinet or other separate, safety-approved sleep space alongside your bed (room sharing). Bring baby into bed for brief bonding or calming moments and feedings, but ALWAYS place baby back in his or her own space when it’s time to go to sleep. This minimizes the risks and everyone gets some much needed rest.
The conclusion of this and other studies: A significant decrease in SIDS and accidental death rates could be achieved if parents avoided bed sharing.
SIDS is the leading cause of death for babies one month to one year of age. The researchers of this study concluded that nine out of 10 SIDS deaths that involved sleeping with a parent or caregiver would not have occurred in the absence of bed sharing.
Caveat: Breastfeeding is important and has been shown to be protective against SIDS. Bed sharing and successful breastfeeding are not mutually exclusive! You can successfully breastfeed AND protect your baby from SIDS, suffocation and accidents during sleep by room sharing instead.
Please take the time to read the full text of this study – it is compelling.
Here are some other links to media reactions to the study. Beware: the photo used by CBS as a lead in to an otherwise very good article is a very “unsafe sleep” photo. Please join us in bringing this to the attention of Michelle Castillo at CBS News as well.
Bed Sharing May Increase Risk of SIDS by Five Times – CBS News
Bed-Sharing Raises SIDS Risk Fivefold, Study Finds – Philly.com
Any Bed-Sharing Puts Baby at Risk for SIDS – The Gupta Guide, MedPage Today
Bed-Sharing Raises SIDS Risk Fivefold, Study Finds – HealthDay News
Thanks so much to all of you who signed up to be local leaders for the film RETURN TO ZERO. It is now time to take the next step and get pledges from 100 people in your community to see the film on its opening weekend (TBD). SHOW HOLLYWOOD THIS FILM IS IMPORTANT!
Break the silence! Pledge to see RETURN TO ZERO in theaters!
By PLEDGING to see RETURN TO ZERO in theaters opening weekend when it is shown in your community, you will prove to Hollywood that there is an audience for a film about the difficult but important topic of stillbirth.
RETURN TO ZERO is the first film ever created with stillbirth as its central theme. It has an amazing cast (MINNIE DRIVER, PAUL ADELSTEIN, ALFRED MOLINA, CONNIE NIELSEN and KATHY BAKER) and Director, Sean Hanish, who have created a beautiful and touching film that will change how people view stillbirth and the effect it has on parents, relationships, families, and communities.
Now we need this film to reach the largest audience possible–which is why we need your help! We need 1,000 people to sign up to be LOCAL LEADERS by Sunday, May 19th!
By becoming a LOCAL LEADER you will help to spread the word about the film through social media, e-mail and putting a few notices up in coffee shops or wherever you go on a weekly basis before the film opens.
We’re out to prove to Hollywood that there is an audience for RETURN TO ZERO and get as many people to pledge to see the film the first weekend that it is in theaters!
We can do this together. We can finally SHATTER THE SILENCE ONCE AND FOR ALL!
———–NEWS from CPSC———–
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Communications
4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, www.cpsc.gov
******************************
Recall Date: May 16, 2013
Recall Number: 13-194
Powell Company Recalls Anywhere Lounger Bean Bag Chairs Due to Suffocation and Strangulation Hazards
Name of product: Anywhere Lounger Bean Bag Chairs
Units: About 6,300
Hazard: Bean bag chairs without a permanent zipper closure allow young children to unzip, ingest or inhale the small beads inside of the bean bag chair, posing a suffocation and strangulation hazard.
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the Anywhere Lounger away from young children, inspect the bean bag chair to see if the exterior zipper can be opened and if the zipper on your chair can open contact Powell Company to receive a free Safety Enhancement Repair Kit.
Description: The recalled Anywhere Lounger bean bag chairs are 100% polyester or 100% cotton and measure about 51 inches in height with a 43 inch wide base. Recalled colors include purple (item 199-B004), chocolate (item 199-B005), bayou blue (item 199-B006), pink (item 199-B007), lime green (item 199-B008), denim (item 199-B009), black and white (item 199-B012), striped black and white (item 199-B014), natural (item 199-B016) and camo (item 199-B017). The item number is printed on the product packaging and Powell Company is printed on the label on the bean bag chairs.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Sold at: Furniture stores nationwide including W.D.Badcock, Value City Furniture, Nebraska Furniture Mart and online at www.Groupon.com from June 2012 to February 2013 for about $100.
Importer: Powell Company, of Culver City, Calif.
Manufacturer: L. Powell Acquisition Corp., of Culver City, Calif.
Manufactured in: China
Consumer Contact: Powell Company at (800) 622-4456 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT or online at www.powellcompany.com and click on Anywhere Lounger Safety Enhancement Kit for more information.
Photos available at http://www.cpsc.gov/en/
News from the National Maternal and Child Health Education Program
A study of NICU admission rates for infants delivered at 37-38 weeks of gestation revealed
that 31% of infants were delivered early with no medical indication (American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2013). The National Child & Maternal Health Education
Program, led by the NICHD within NIH, is working with a coalition of 30 prominent health
organizations to reduce the number of early elective deliveries.
Learn why it’s important to mother and baby’s health to wait until at least 39 weeks of pregnancy to deliver if the mother or child’s health is not in danger.
Whether you are the mother of living babies, precious babies who were born sleeping or gone too soon; mothers who are anxiously awaiting the arrival of your bundle of joy or mothers who have never bore a baby but who have nurtured more babies than most of us can imagine.
Perhaps you’re a foster mother, an adoptive mother, a surrogate mother, a mother who’s bridged the gap for family and friends or raised an entire village alone. First Candle proudly salutes and honors your many untold, selfless contributions to our society.
Our mothers are the main focus of everything we do at First Candle. Many of our programmatic decisions revolve around the requests and feedback we receive. We would like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate all of our First Candle mothers. May each of you have a most memorable and reflective day.
Looking for the perfect gift for that special Mom in your life? First Candle is a charity member of Recoup, the one-stop shopping site for deeply discounted fun, unique and practical gift items.
For every purchase, 10 percent will be donated to First Candle in hopes that one day no mother need grieve the loss of a precious baby.
It’s easy! Simply visit First Candle’s Recoup page, subscribe and start shopping today!
First Candle is committed to safe pregnancies and the
survival of babies through the first years of life.
For more information visit www.firstcandle.org or call 1.443.640.1049
We thank you for your ongoing support of our important mission.
Please join us in congratulating our own Kelly Mariotti for
being selected as one of four top leaders from the fashion, 
philanthropy, real estate and entertainment industries being honored at the 7th annual Women In Industry Luncheon. The event will take place in New York City at Cipriani 42nd Street on June 6, 2013. Award-winning NY1 News journalist, Jessica Abo, will serve as emcee.
This charity event is hosted by Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) and Fashion Delivers Charitable Foundation, Inc., partner charities that have provided over $1 billion in new product donations to families affected by poverty and natural disasters. Other honorees include Margaret Hayes, Fashion Group International; Joanne Podell, Cushman & Wakefield; and Maura Regan, Seasame Workshop.
“Within each of their industries, our honorees have been selected as role models for excellence in business achievement as well as for their generosity of spirit and compassion exemplified throughout their careers,” said K.I.D.S. Chairman of the Board Kevin Burke.
“Fashion Delivers’ and K.I.D.S.’ mission is dedicated to making a difference and we are proud to recognize women who believe in that mission, and live it,” said Fashion Delivers Chairman, Allan Ellinger.
Congratulations Kelly!
Thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts! Please make a note of the above address and phone number changes.
We remain poised and ready to serve you in our quest to eliminate SIDS/SUID and Stillbirth and provide compassionate grief support to anyone affected by the death of a baby. Here are the senior staff leaders for the First Candle team:
Kelly Mariotti, Chief Executive Officer
kelly@firstcandle.org, ext. 201
Amy Chetelat, Director of Finance
amy@firstcandle.org, ext. 103
Nadine Goldberg, Executive Program Director
nadine@firstcandle.org, ext.202
Barb Himes, Director of Education and Training
barb@firstcandle.org, ext 204
Laura Reno, Director of Marketing and Communications
Program Director – Family Support
laura@firstcandle.org, ext. 203
We look forward to hearing from you!
A special thanks to Mark and Katie Cosmas for organizing this amazing event in memory of their daughter Taylor. If you are in the Arcadia, Arizona area, please consider participating in this 5K Family Fun Run. To check out the event, or to register, visit www.teamtayloraz.com.
All proceeds of the event will support First Candle’s important programs and services. Thousands of dollars have been raised to date and sights are set high for this year’s event. Thank you to Mark and Katie, as well as their wonderful family and friends!
© Copyright 2013 First Candle
