Kansas ranks fourth for SIDS deaths

Reported by: Aileen Simborio

Email: asimborio@ksn.com

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Published: 11/12/2009 2:12 pm

Updated: 11/16/2009 3:13 pm

WICHITA, Kansas -- Kansas ranks fourth in the country for the highest number of children dying from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.

One Wichita family is part of that statistic. They lost their daughter nearly four years ago.

At three months old, Molly was a happy, healthy baby, but that all changed on December 8, 2005.

“She wasn't breathing. She was blue,” said Jessica, Molly’s mother.

Molly was at the babysitter's house, placed on her side to sleep in a playpen in another room, when she stopped breathing. She was rushed to the hospital where she was hooked up to a ventilator.

“She was actually taking a couple breaths on her own. We thought she was going to make it through,” said Kurt, her father.

But she didn't. Molly died two days later.

“It really just felt like it was happening to somebody else,” said Jessica.

“It was a big, bad dream,” said Kurt. “Hopefully it's the hardest thing we'll ever go through in our lives.”

It wasn't until a month later when the autopsy report came back, that Kurt and Jessica learned their baby girl, had died of sudden infant death syndrome. SIDS is the unexplainable death of a child under the age of one.

“I really wanted maybe something to be wrong with her and there just wasn't,” said Jessica.

“We don't know what SIDS is exactly. We know that it happens to babies more often than any other cause of death,” said Christy Schunn, Executive Director for the SIDS Network of Kansas.

According to the March of Dimes, the state ranks fourth in the nation for the number of SIDS deaths. This past summer, the governor created a blue ribbon panel to identify ways to reduce the state's infant mortality rate.

“There's no 100 percent foolproof way to keep SIDS from happening until we know exactly what it is,” said Schunn.

Until it's known what causes SIDS, it can't be prevented. So instead the SIDS Network focuses on risk reduction using the acronym ABC. A for alone: sleeping with no bumpers, pillows or toys. B for back: babies should be laid to sleep on their back. C for crib: not putting the baby in bed with you.

Since losing Molly, Kurt and Jessica have implemented these practices with their newborn children. Henry and Isabel were both born after Molly's death. At just six months old, they take even more precautions with little Izzy. She's placed on her back to sleep and never sleeps alone in a room even at day care.

“They actually had cribs and playpens on the 2nd floor of their house and they had to move them on the 1st floor cause she had to be sleeping around other people,” said Jessica.

At home, Isabel sleeps in what's called a co-sleeper. It’s basically a small bed attached to her parent's bed.

“Even to this day, when Isabel wakes up in the middle of the night and Jessica feeds her, I check on both boys just to make sure everything's okay. Every night no matter what. It's just something we'll probably do forever,” said Kurt.

Kurt and Jessica know first-hand just how precious life is. And even though she's gone, they say Molly will always be a part of their family.

“We actually go to the cemetery every Sunday after church to visit her and say prayers,” said Kurt.

They talk about Molly every day and hang her pictures around the house. They’re a constant reminder that while she may no longer be physically with them, Molly has forever changed the way they live.

“Every day is a new day and it's, you know, we just cherish it. Cherish our kids,” said Kurt.

The blue ribbon panel continues to meet monthly to talk about Kansas' infant mortality rate and propose evidence-based solutions.

There are many monitors on the market that claim they can protect against SIDS, but there’s no evidence these devices can prevent it.

For more information on SIDS, click on the following link www.sidsks.org.

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Alobama - 11/13/2009 4:54 AM

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A theoretical model of sleep and arousal which I have developed, can also be applied directly to SIDS. If there is anyone (or a group) involved in conducting (or directly supporting SIDS research), I am willing to share the information. Anyone not directly involved in research would require a good understanding of the syndrome and its related pheneomena, and as well have a working knowledge of human anatomy, physiology, and the neurosciences generally. State -of- the- art SIDS research is concentrated on searching for the fatal 'bullet' being fired centrally in the brainstem. While agreeing that is indeed the place to look, nevertheless the model suggests that a priori the 'trigger' is pulled peripherally.

krebholz 64 - 11/12/2009 11:38 PM

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Thanks for finally covering SIDS. This just happens to be the one year anniversary of the passing of my grandson who died of SIDS Nov 12, 2008. He was 8 weeks and 5 days old. He had just been to the doctor for his two month well baby visit and was happy and healthy. SIDS is such a mystery. Thanks for bringing it the attention of your viewers. I think most people think SIDS doesn't exist anymore because no one talks about it much. I even heard that one doctors office won't put out SIDS information in their office because it is just too sad. It is sad, but it is so very real. Thanks again.

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