by Terri Gruca / KVUE News
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kvue.com
Posted on February 28, 2011 at 10:34 PM
Updated
Tuesday, Mar 1 at 9:32 PM
In the last nine days five infants in Travis County have died at home while sleeping.
It is a trend that is on the rise and one medical teams want parents to think about, because the topic is not so easily discussed.
Emergency Medical Technicians John and J.J. Eeten learned a lifetime of lessons in the first few days with their daughter.
"I was in bed with Payton sitting up and at some point I fell asleep,” recalled John Eeten. “In the time I was asleep, Payton was still on my shoulder. She came off my shoulder and she ended up face down on the mattress and suffocated."
She was just 13 days old.
The Eeten's are hardly alone. Each year 900 children die nationwide. In 2009, the last year for statewide statistics, 167 of those cases were in Texas.
In 2010, 20 children in Travis County died. It is why the last nine days are so worrisome, because five children have died in Travis County alone because of unsafe sleeping conditions.
"I don't remember a spike like this,” said Leanne Courtney, nurse for the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office. "The common denominator for three of those deaths was sleeping in an adult bed with parents. Babies should not sleep in an adult bed. They shouldn’t sleep with anyone. There are numerous dangers in the adult bed – the pillows, wrinkled sheets, blankets, the soft mattress.”
Bed sharing is a controversial topic.
However, Courtney said if parents could see what she sees, they might think about it differently. Since 2007 there has not been a single case of SIDS. All of the baby deaths have been suffocations.
"Babies can suffocate in places and beds that you don't even think are possible," she said.
It is why the Eeten’s began the Payton Lynn Project. They now deliver free pack and plays to families in need so they have a separate place to put their babies to sleep.
"What new parent doesn't want to snuggle with their child?” questioned J.J. Eeten. “But we have to realize the point where, ‘I'm tired. This isn't safe anymore."
ABC’s of safe sleep
The American Academy of Pediatrics says there’s a simple lesson for all parents. They call it the ABC’s of safe sleep.
Always put your baby to sleep ALONE, on their BACK, and in their CRIB.
Courtney also said parents need to remove pillow, quilts, bumpers, blankets and toys from baby's cribs.
Payton Lynn Project
The Payton Lynn Program has 150 pack and plays it will be giving away to families identified by the Department of Family and Protective Services.
If you have any questions or would like to make a donation to the program you can do so through Partnerships for Children.
